Greenwich Village Celeb Magnet Omar’s Has Closed

Greenwich Village restaurant Omar’s La Ranita and its private nightclub Omar’s has closed. The space at 21 West Ninth Street opened in 2013 and is best known for drawing a celebrity-studded crowd, including Madonna, Marc Jacobs, Katy Perry, and Bella Hadid.

Owner Omar Hernandez — a notorious party boy capable of pulling in serious starpower — says he closed because of water damage from an upstairs neighbor and is now “weighing my options,” including converting it from less of a restaurant into more of a club.

“I might do more of a nightlife place with small plates and less of a focus on food. The area needs something like that,” he says.

But the real estate broker for the property is singing a slightly different tune. “Omar might come back, but in the meantime, the landlord wants me to offer the property or to see if there is an operator who would like to partner up with Omar,” he says. A source confirm that the space is being offered around to other restaurateurs.

Omar’s, which took over the space once occupied by legendary celebrity watering hole Marylou’s, served a wide range of dishes, the most famous of which was a $28 hen of the woods mushroom. In March, it expanded uptown, opening a second location within Michael White’s Vaucluse, which is still in full swing.