People Are Distraught About West Village Institution Tortilla Flats Closing

West Village Tex-Mex party spot Tortilla Flats will close it doors for good on October 27 after 35 years in the neighborhood, and loyal customers are starting to pay their respects to the colorful, tequila-soaked bar.

Bravo king Andy Cohen thanked Tortilla Flats for “35 years of disco, tequila and Ernest Borgnine” in an Instagram post. He made one last voyage to the lively restaurant alongside actor Sarah Jessica Parker, who posted her own tribute too, writing: “The corner of West 12th and Washington Street will never be the same.”

Tortilla Flats also appeared on Parker’s Sex And the City; Carrie, Aidan, Miranda, and Steve go on a double date there in season 4. It’s the latest restaurant that appeared on SATC to shutter, including Coffee Shop and Sushisamba just within the past year.

Other fans of the restaurant, which hosted regular bingo and trivia nights in its Christmas light- and streamer-adorned space, wrote their own eulogies on social media, remembering Tortilla Flats for the boisterous party scene it was.

Several posts lamented rising rents in the city. As initially reported by AMNY, the owners of Tortilla Flats could not reach an agreement with their landlord, prompting the closure. The restaurant’s imminent closure was also repeatedly cited at Monday’s City Council meeting as an example of a business that could have been helped by the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, a proposed bill intended to give tenants a right to a lease renewal, including a 10-year term for those in good standing.

On social media, Tortilla Flats is keeping its spirits up, noting that they’ll keep the party going every day until last call on Saturday, October 27.

• Tortilla Flats in West Village closing for good, co-owner says [AMNY]