Gas Leak Forces Bushwick Sichuan Bistro General Deb’s to Close

Less than two years after opening, Bushwick Sichuan restaurant General Deb’s has closed.

The bistro from the team behind Michelin-starred Faro says they have a possible gas leak, which forced the gas to be turned off, and co-owner Kevin Adey does not know when it could be turned back on. Brooklyn has been in a gas hookup moratorium that governor Andrew Cuomo recently stepped in to fix, though many are still left waiting. A General Deb’s spokesperson says that Adey would have to apply for permits again and wait for reinspection, a process they say could take six weeks to a few months. In light of that, Adey decided to close.

General Deb’s opened in Bushwick in February 2018 after seeing a need for “a great Chinese restaurant” in the neighborhood, he told Eater at the time. So after experimenting at home with making his own noodles and dumplings for family meals at the Italian Faro, he and co-owner Debbie Adey decided to just open one themselves. There were traditional versions of Sichuan classics on the menu, such as dan dan mian and mapo tofu.

It turned out to be successful, with Eater critic Robert Sietsema calling it the “Sichuan restaurant [Bushwick] deserves,” particularly liking the “perfect evocation” of “fish slices in fiery sauce” and wontons in chile oil.

The closure announcement on Instagram was met with many unhappy comments.