4 Restaurants Shutter After Over a Decade in NYC — and More Closings

December 27

— Grain House — one of the top Sichuan restaurants in Queens — has closed in order to be flipped into a Shanghainese dumpling house after owner Beichen Hu sold most of his stake in the Little Neck restaurant.

— West Village Korean restaurant Do Hwa closed after over two decades in the neighborhood. Quentin Tarantino was an original investor in the restaurant, which served Korean barbecue.

— The iconic Chelsea restaurant the Red Cat shuttered after almost two decades in business, and owner and chef Jimmy Bradley says he’s “ready for a change.”

— Dell’anima, the popular Italian restaurant and wine destination that has been around for 11 years in West Village, closed. Owners August Cardona and Andrew Whitney say that they could not afford market rate on the space after their 10-year lease ended. They will soon have a counter by the same name in Gotham West Market.

— The influential Flatiron Lounge that helped shaped NYC’s craft cocktail scene shuttered after 15 years of serving up top-notch drinks and serving as home to some of the city’s top mixologists. Owner Julie Reiner, who also owns Brooklyn cocktail favorites Clover Club and Leyenda, says that a rent hike was too much to sustain.

— Flatiron Mexican restaurant and mezcal house Casa Neta shut down due to a rent hike that more than doubled the rent. It opened in 2016, and its memory will be kept somewhat alive at its sister restaurant Harding’s, which will host a Casa Neta pop-up night on Mondays.

— Upscale Gramercy steakhouse BLT Prime New York closed its doors. The restaurant was originally opened by acclaimed chef Laurent Tourondel and then was owned by hospitality behemoth ESquared. There are locations in DC and Miami, both inside Trump-branded hotels.

December 20

— Union Square Hospitality Group’s Battery Park City restaurant North End Grill closed on December 15th. The restaurant from Danny Meyer opened in 2012 and was critically acclaimed under both chef Floyd Cardoz and Eric Korsh, but it never quite drew citywide attention the way that USHG’s other projects do. Earlier in 2018, the restaurant was also highlighted in an Eater investigation on the shortfalls of sexual misconduct reports at USHG, particularly for accusations against Korsh. The company announced the closure shortly after, though it did not say the reason for the shutter.

— Popular Brooklyn indoor-outdoor bar Hot Bird has shuttered. The bar in a former auto shop space, open since 2010, sits on Atlantic Avenue at the border of Clinton Hill, Fort Greene, and Prospect Heights, and became known for its fire pit and outdoor space. It’s being replaced by a skyscraper.

— Over in the East Village, music venue and dive bar Continental has closed. The nearly 30-year-old business hosted a slew of punk and rock shows over the years, and in more recent years, it developed a reputation as a shots bar — offering five shots of anything for $12, loudly advertised on the storefront. A boutique office building will replace it.

— Today, the Gotham Market at the Ashland location of tapas stalwart Boqueria will close. The restaurant said that the outpost wasn’t getting as much business as the chain’s other locations. Staff will be relocated.

December 13

— Crown Diner in the Bronx, near Yankee Stadium, has closed after 35 years due to a lease expiration. The 24-hour restaurant reportedly wasn’t given the option to renew its lease because the landlord plans to expand a bank branch into the spot.

— An East Village Chinese takeout spot called China Wok shuttered permanently.

— Autre Kyo Ya, the more casual sibling to Michelin-starred Japanese restaurant Kyo Ya, looks like it’s closed permanently. The French-Japanese spinoff opened in 2015 and was intended to take inspiration for more Western styles of cooking.

— Thai rolled ice cream spot Juicy Spot shut its LES location.

December 7

— Doma Na Rohu, the West Village bar and restaurant with Czech, German, and Austrian influences, shuttered after six years in the neighborhood. A note on the door notes that the space is available for pop-up rentals in December.

— Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory shuttered its Brooklyn Bridge Park outpost. The space, owned by the park, will instead soon be a location of Ample Hills. Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory still has one location in Greenpoint.

— In the West Village, smoothie and juice shop Whole Green at 35 Seventh Ave. has closed.

— After nearly a decade, Prime Meats in Carroll Gardens — a critically acclaimed restaurant from the Frankies Spuntino Group — shuttered. The Franks have replaced it with a wine bar as part of a shakeup in the empire.

November 29

— It’s the final day for El Rey, the breezy California-style restaurant in LES from Nick Morgenstern that opened nearly five years ago.

— After more than four years in business, Delaware and Hudson — a Williamsburg neighborhood restaurant that held a Michelin star for years — shuttered.

— Shalimar Diner in Queens’ Rego Park closed after owners could not come to a lease agreement with their landlord. Co-owner Demi Karayiannis told the Forest Hills Post that the restaurant, opened in 1974, would not have been able to sustain the new asking rent, especially with slowing business in recent years as diners have fallen out of favor.

November 21

— Popular Carroll Gardens Middle Eastern casual spot Zaytoons shuttered. Faried Assad opened it in 1998, and he cited increased competition as well as the fallout of a $10,000 settlement payment to resolve a lawsuit filed against the restaurant under the Americans with Disabilities Act, plus other costs as reasons for the closure. The Prospect Heights outpost remains open.

— Uno Pizzeria & Grill on the Upper East Side closed after over a decade in the neighborhood.

— Local grocery chain Gourmet Garage shuttered its West Village location. Stores remain open in Lincoln Square and Soho.

November 15

— Popular Queens taqueria Tortilleria Nixtamal has closed its 47th Avenue restaurant location after about a decade — opting to focus its efforts on selling its corn tortillas, masa, and chips, including to individuals and restaurants, according to a note on its website. But the production facility in Corona remains open, and the company is still listed as a vendor for the upcoming Market Line at Essex Crossing.

— Greekito, a Greek-inspired cafe that replaced East Village coffee shop the Wayside just last month, has closed, EV Grieve reports. An ugly “rent demand” sign hangs from its door at 139 East 12th St., on Third Avenue, stating the owners owe tens of thousands of dollars in back-rent, according to the blog.

— In UWS, the Pain d’Epices bakery has closed. The space at 104 West 70th St. will become home to a new “organic” and “gluten free” bakery, according to West Side Rag, which spotted the signage on the window.

— LES tea cafe Zenchai Cafe at 94 Rivington St. has closed after 16 months, blaming “market conditions.”

— Rice burger spot Yonekichi at 236 East Ninth St., between Second and Third Avenues, has closed. The restaurant, which opened in 2014, states on its website that the lease was up and it’s now looking for a new spot.

November 8

— Chelsea Mexican restaurant Rocking Horse Cafe shuttered after 30 years in the neighborhood. The menu included tacos and bigger dishes, like a shrimp risotto and a “Mexican meatloaf,” made with beef and chorizo. The restaurant also had a popular happy hour.

— Nicaraguan restaurant and bar Chicha Cafetín and Cocktails has been closed since early October, when the restaurant put up a sign noting that due to “mechanical difficulties” it would be closed for a few days. The restaurant never reopened, and the phone line has been disconnected. It opened in May.

— Burger chain Wahlburgers permanently closed its Upper East Side location following a Department of Health-mandated shutdown last month.

— Dunkin Donuts on First Avenue in East Village is closed.

November 1

— Longtime Belgian restaurant Petite Abeille closed after 22 years in Gramercy. The restaurant cited rising operating costs as the reason for the closure in a statement sent to Eater and says a new location outside of NYC is possible. The venue once had multiple locations in NYC and played a big role in popularizing the European-style bistro in NYC.

— The long-beleaguered Williamsburg location of Mexican staple La Esquina, Cafe de La Esquina, shuttered. It is no longer listed on La Esquina’s main website, and Yelp and Google both have list the restaurant as permanently closed.

— Short-lived Hawaiian bakery Mahalo closed its East Village location and will use the space as a wholesale and pop-up kitchen. The flagship location in Queens remains open.

— Greenwich Village’s counter-service poke restaurant Pokee closed.

— The 35-year-old West Village Mexican restaurant and party spot Tortilla Flats closed its doors for good. Celebrities like Andy Cohen and Sarah Jessica Parker were among the regulars eulogizing the long-running bar-restaurant.

— Videology Bar & Cinema, the Williamsburg bar that also offers video rentals and features a screening room in the back, closed after nearly 15 years in the neighborhood.

— The critically acclaimed Thai restaurant serving regional Isaan cuisine Larb Ubol closed.

October 25

— Upper West Side neighborhood restaurant Henry’s shuttered after 19 years in business. It served bistro fare with global influences, like a grilled yellowfin with ginger-lime tamari, rice, and sesame seeds, and a vegetable curry as well as several pasta dishes. A seafood restaurant is planned for the space.

— After 24 years in East Village, Irish pub St. Dymphna’s permanently closed. Owners Eric Baker and sisters Patrícia and Raquel Sanguedo posted a farewell on Instagram, thanking regulars.

— Shinbashi Sushi in East Village closed. Legal documents posted on the building note that the restaurant, which opened in 2016, owes nearly $29,000 in back rent.

— Chelsea wine destination and Michelin-starred restaurant Rouge Tomate closed after a rocky few initial years and a move downtown. Owner Emmanuel Verstraeten has decided to take a pause on the Michelin-starred European restaurant to figure out what’s next.

— Craig Samuel and Ben Grossman shuttered their 12-year-old neighborhood barbecue spot the Smoke Joint and opened a new outpost of their Nashville-style hot chicken hit Peaches HotHouse in its stead.

October 18

— Italian restaurant Mezzogiorno closed on the Upper West Side. The restaurant started out in Soho 31 years ago, opened by Italian-born brothers Lorenzo and Nicola Ansuini. That original location closed in 2015, and the brothers relocated to the UWS, where they served their homey Italian fare in a rustic, spacious setting with brick accents.

— Carroll Gardens Creole restaurant Cafe Booqoo closed after just over a year of New Orleans-raised chef Matt Pace serving up his beloved beignets, which were highlighted by the Times.

— After less than seven months in business, mochi bar by day, cocktail lounge by night La Maison De Makoto closed in West Village.

— Bowls-centric UES all-day cafe Blake Lane shuttered and will be replaced by a new location for the Mexican chain Mexicue.

— East Village Chinese restaurant Lumos Kitchen permanently shuttered in the wake of a stop work order filed against the restaurant back in late July for “gas work done without a permit” in the kitchen of the restaurant, which served French-influenced Chinese food.

— Union Square icon Coffee Shop, once a hotspot for NYC’s fashion scene and a recurring presence on Sex And the City, shuttered after 28 years of serving diner food and Brazilian fare.

— Popular Jewish-Canadian deli Mile End closed its Noho location after six years in the neighborhood. The restaurant’s original Brooklyn location is still open and will soon expand.

— Newly opened Upper West Side Italian restaurant Il Gatto Nero shuttered after just a few months.

— Essex Street Market’s Japanese fast food spot Osaka closed. In an Instagram post, the owners cited “lackluster sales” and “insufficient foot traffic inside of the market” as reasons for the closure, which comes two years after the stall opened.

— Indian “taco” fast-casual joint Goa Taco shuttered its LES and Greenwich Village locations.

October 11

— After over three decades in Bay Ridge, Spanish restaurant Sancho’s closed. It opened in 1985 and was known for its old-school charms. Various paellas made up the house specialities.

— Affordable Nepalese restaurant Dhaulagiri Kitchen closed. The restaurant originally lived in Jackson Heights before chef-owner Kamala Gauchan moved it to Manhattan in 2016 after having outgrown her space. The restaurant received a favorable write-up in the New York Times’ Hungry City column when it was still in Jackson Heights, Ligaya Mishan recommending the thali, a set meal with curry, pickles, and rice.

— Thirteen-year-old Austrian pub Blaue Gans closed, with chef Kurt Gutenbrunner paring down to focus on his other three restaurants.

— California-based pizza chain Pieology shuttered its Greenwich Village location just over two months after opening.

October 4

— UWS wine bar the Tangled Vine closed after nine years in the neighborhood. It served Mediterranean-inspired small plates alongside its wine offerings, and a Times critic called it “manna from heaven” in a 2010 review.

— West Village trattoria Da Marcella shuttered. It opened in 2012.

— Southeast Asian fast-casual restaurant Vien closed in West Village after five years in the neighborhood.

— Celeb chef David Burke’s UES restaurant Tavern 62 closed in September. The restaurant was also run by ESquared Hospitality, the company behind By Chloe. It was open for just two years.

— The St. Marks outpost of popular hot dog shop Feltman’s has left its tiny window at Theatre 80. There are plans to eventually open in a bigger location.

September 27

— After 15 years in Kips Bay, small neighborhood cafe and wine bar Penelope shuttered. In a letter, the owners referred to the increased burdens being placed on small businesses as reasons for closing the restaurant.

— East Village restaurant Cucina di Pesce closed after 32 years of serving a fish-focused Italian menu of pastas, cioppino, grilled whole fish, and more. The owners announced the closure on Facebook but did not provide a reason.

— Danny Brown closed his Upper East Side wine bar Charc less than a year after it opened. Brown is known as the chef behind the first restaurant to receive a Michelin star in Queens. As far as Charc goes, he says the location that simply didn’t provide the foot traffic, nor the right crowd to keep the place running.

— Barbecue restaurant Butcher Bar has closed its Lower East Side location, but it is still open in Astoria.

— East Village’s Handsome Dan’s Snocone & Candy Stand closed.

September 20

— Standout Staten Island Sri Lankan restaurant San Rasa, which received three stars from Eater in 2016, shuttered. On Sundays, the casual restaurant offered a popular $11.99 buffet option, and it served a standout lamprais, a rice dish with various meats. It opened in 2007, and a reason for the closure has not been announced.

— American restaurant and bar Two Doors Tavern in Williamsburg closed, and a sign on the building reads “public auction.” The phone number has been disconnected.

September 13

— After nearly two decades in the neighborhood, UES Irish pub O’Flanagan’s shuttered, announcing the closure on Facebook. This year saw the closure of several Irish pubs in NYC, including the 65-year-old McAleer’s, the 25-year-old Langan’s, and the 16-year-old Eamonn’s Bar and Grill.

— Mediterranean-Latin fusion restaurant Gardenia in West Village closed.

— Influential Thai restaurant Pok Pok closed after six years in Brooklyn. Decreased profitability, a desire to pare down, and an ending lease contributed to the closure according to owner Andy Ricker.

— Meatball Obsession in Greenwich Village closed.

September 7

— Brick Lane Curry House on Second Avenue has closed. It will be reopening soon in a location one block south, which marks the second East Village move for the restaurant. A new location of Calexico is slated to go into the former space.

— Upper West Side Mediterranean restaurant Hamsa has closed.

— Gotham Pizza’s location at 88 Third Ave. has not been open recently, and the space has been cleared out.

— Cheese and beer shop Malt & Mold at 221 East Broadway has closed after six years.