LES French Hotspot Le Turtle Has Closed

Wacky French hotspot Le Turtle closed its doors on January 26 after a four-year run on the Lower East Side.

The restaurant — a project from Freemans’ Taavo Somer and the Smile’s Carlos Quirarte — garnered critical acclaim for its experimental French-American cuisine under former chef Greg Proechel, including two stars from Eater critic Ryan Sutton and one star from the Times. Le Turtle announced the closure on a post on Instagram, promising “more announcements soon,” the Lo-Down first reported.

A sign on the restaurant’s window suggests that a new restaurant is in the works. It reads: “Stay tuned for our next project.” Eater has reached out for more information.

Le Turtle opened in 2015 at 177 Chrystie St., between Rivington and Delancey Streets, with Proechel of Blanca originally running the kitchen. Sutton, Eater’s chief critic, called it one of the best new restaurants of 2016, especially digging the “holy” enflamed Sasso chicken for two.

But Proechel left in 2017 to open Ferris at Made hotel, and chef Victor Amarilla took the helm. Last year the group opened a private dining room called Subturtle, in which actor Justin Theroux helped promote.

The chef and general manager Tommy Obradovic posted their farewells on Instagram: