Clubby Japanese Megu Closes Yet Again

One clubby Asian restaurant is being replaced by another: Japanese restaurant Megu is moving out of the Dream Downtown hotel as of today, to be replaced by Upper East Side Chinese institution Philippe.

Despite a splashy reopening in fall 2016, Megu often resorted to marketing ploys in recent months. Sumo wrestlers, drag queens, and Bachelor contestants were all paraded through the space. The restaurant still operates locations in Delhi, Moscow, Doha, and Switzerland, and it’s looking for a new waterfront location in NYC to reopen in 2019. That move would make it the fourth NYC try, with previous locations in Tribeca and Midtown that closed, too.

Meanwhile, Philippe will take over the 5,000-square-foot space, serving the same menu as uptown, with dishes such as Peking duck, crispy beef, and lettuce wraps, but stay open later, until 2 a.m. It’s an interesting choice for a brand that’s similar in many ways to Tao, the powerhouse Asian clubstaurant in the same hotel.

“We have a sexy brand and lots of clients who are athletes and musicians and we wanted an area they would be comfortable in,” Philippe owner Abraham Merchant says, calling the location “a perfect fit.” It’s true that the hotel at 355 West 16th St. near Ninth Avenue is a hot rod for late-night revelry and a fashion crowd, with Tao, Bodegra Negra, PHD Rooftop Lounge, and the Electric Room all in the space.

Philippe is set to debut on September 12, just in time for Fashion Week. Stay tuned for more.

• All Coverage of Megu [ENY]
• All Coverage of Philippe [ENY]