Literary Hangout Cafe Loup Seized by the Tax Department Again for Owing Nearly $500K in Unpaid Taxes

Cafe Loup is in trouble again. After making its unlikely comeback in the fall following a tax department seizure, the fiercely loved West Village restaurant has been shut down once again for unpaid taxes. There’s no official word on whether it’s closed for good yet, but prospects are not looking great for book Twitter’s favorite restaurant.

A notice posted to the front of the restaurant says that it is now in possession of the state, and another notes that a warrant has been issued by the tax department. The most recent warrant, filed today, shows an amount of $176,072.21 due. Additional warrants dating back to June that have not yet been satisfied total to $317,922.21. Eater NY has reached out to the restaurant and the Tax Department for more information.

Cafe Loup opened on 13th Street near University Place in 1977 and eventually moved just down the street to 105 West 13th St., near Sixth Avenue, in the early ’80s. For three decades, the kitchen was run by Lloyd Feit, who cooked up unfussy French bistro classics, like snails smothered in garlic and gruyere. The restaurant was more known for its scene than its food though, becoming a known hangout for literary folks. In its early years, Cafe Loup attracted Paul Simon, Susan Sontag, and Paul Auster as regulars. Other famous regulars these days include actor Patricia Clarkson.

That status as a writers’ hangout persisted through the decades, with Cafe Loup serving as a place to drink wine and strong martinis over post-work gossip. So when the restaurant shuttered due to unpaid taxes in September, folks from the literary and publishing world promptly mourned the potential loss. The social media frenzy around Cafe Loup is stirring up again, with rumors circulating that it could really be the end, but that has not been confirmed yet. Stay tuned for updates.

Here’s what people are saying about the troubled restaurant this time around: