New York-Themed Mega-Restaurant Urbo Closes

The sprawling two-story Times Square restaurant Urbo shut its doors this month, less than two years after Russian restaurateurs spent $29 million building it out, Flo Flab reports. The 26,000-square-foot mega-restaurant — which called itself "an homage to the Big Apple" — housed an all-day restaurant, a private event space, a coffee shop, and a bar. The New York-themed restaurant previously also had a 200-seat upscale place that was killed after three months. It was the first New York project for Eugene Kadomskiy, who owned more than 70 places in Russia.

But Urbo ended up being a critical flop. Steve Cuozzo of the Post left the restaurant hungry and dissatisfied, and Tejal Rao from Bloomberg awarded it zero stars. "For those who must brave the hustle of Times Square every day, or who have a little time to kill at the bus station, Urbo is certainly not a bad place to meet for a pint of beer and a burger," she wrote. "But the sprawling dining room upstairs is mostly empty and with the blinds pulled right down, it can give the place the feel of an extravagant opium den with no addicts." Within its first three months, it had employed three different chefs. No word yet about what the space, which received early buzz for its pricey construction, will be next.