Midtown Kaiseki Classic Sugiyama Will Shutter in May

Sugiyama, a very well-regarded though mostly under-the-radar Japanese restaurant in the Theater District, will shutter at the end of May, when its lease is up. An employee at the long-running restaurant tells Eater that the owners were unable to renew the lease, though it's unclear why.

The restaurant's chef Nao Sugiyama specializes in modern kaiseki, which Ruth Reichl described as: "unlike anything else in New York: subtle poetry on a plate." She gave the restaurant three stars in 1999 when she was the restaurant critic at the Times. Back in 2011, Edi & the Wolf chef Wolfgang Ban also expressed his appreciation for the kaiseki right here on Eater, and over the years Eater readers have named it one of the city's most underrated restaurants.

A representative at the restaurant says the owners haven't decided yet if they will try to reopen in another location, so stay tuned.