Mission Chinese’s Wild Ride Comes to an End in NYC — and More Closings

More than two years after New York’s first indoor dining shutdown, restaurants and bars continue to struggle. More than 1,000 have closed since March 2020 due to the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Due to the difficulty of tracking restaurant and bar closings, experts say that number could be even higher and will likely take months or even years to assess.

Below, Eater is documenting the city’s permanent restaurant closures, including the Brooklyn location of Mission Chinese, an Americanized Chinese restaurant on the Upper West Side, and an Indian spot in Astoria. If a restaurant or bar has closed in your neighborhood, let us know at ny@eater.com. This post will be updated regularly.

July 29

Astoria: The Gully served its last round of modern Indian dishes like calamari chaat and chicken masala mac and cheese at 25-45 Steinway Street on Sunday, July 24th, as it prepares for relocation, according to its Instagram post.

Bushwick: The rollercoaster ride for Mission Chinese in NYC came to an end on July 23rd, when it closed its last remaining NY location, in Bushwick, with a group hug in the kitchen and a set menu of vegan dishes from Danny Bowien’s upcoming cookbook, Mission Vegan. Bowien had brought Mission Chinese from San Francisco in 2012 to critical fanfare, which led him to open a Lower East Side location in 2012 (which closed in 2020), and the Bushwick outpost in 2018. During the chain’s tenure in NY, allegations of misconduct dogged the restaurant. The original location in San Francisco’s Mission remains open.

Upper West Side: Pearls opened over 15 years ago (or longer) to serve Americanized Chinese fare like sesame chicken to its Upper West Side patrons, but a rent increase forced the restaurant to close up shop and move fifty blocks down to a new location at 689 Ninth Avenue, between 47th and 48th streets, according to West Side Rag.

Upper West Side: Star Thai, which operated out of Pearls’s corner space, has also closed, according to West Side Rag. Its menu has been pulled from Seamless, and it is listed as closed on Yelp.

Upper West Side: 104 Broadway Farm opened more than 20 years ago with Korean food like kimchi and gyeran mari (rolled omelet), as well as breakfast sandwiches, smoothies, and flowers. West Side Rag reports that it has now closed. The phone number is disconnected.

July 22

Gramercy: For over 15 years, Sunburst Espresso Bar served its neighborhood diner classics like French toast and sandwiches, but it now appears to be closed. Phone calls go straight to an automated message saying they’re not accepting voicemails. It’s listed as permanently closed on Google, and a user reported its closing on Yelp.

Lower East Side: Omakase chef Norihiro Ishizuka’s samue, a traditional monk’s work robe, caught the fancy of the New York Times way back when his sushi spot Kura opened in 2013. EV Grieve now reports that a for-rent sign is tacked onto the gate at the restaurant, and that the storefront has remained closed during listed business hours.

Lower East Side: In 2019, Kent’s Dumpling House took over the old Vanessa’s Dumpling House space, and drew enthusiasts for its bargain-priced sesame pancakes and basil dumplings. According to EV Grieve, the restaurant has been closed for some time, and workers have been dismantling the interiors. The restaurant is also listed as permanently closed on Google, and the phone is disconnected.

Morningside: Park West Cafe has been bringing Mediterranean dishes and warm hospitality since it opened in 1983, but it now appears to be shuttered, according to West Side Rag. Their phone is disconnected, and the website no longer working.

Woodside: When chef and owner Alfonso Zhicay opened Casa del Chef Bistro in 2015, he quickly became known for his affordable, thoughtful menus that included ginger-glazed duck breast for around $20 and built off of seasonal ingredients sourced from the local farmer’s markets — an approach gleaned from his 10-plus years working with the now-disgraced Dan Barber at Blue Hill at Stone Barns. It was his second job following a full day as head cook at the Academy of the City Charter School, the New York Times reported. But the Michelin Bib award-winning bistro struggled to recover from the pandemic despite varied efforts: Zhicay switched over to a more efficient tasting menu format that cut down on labor and food waste, locals rallied, and Zhicay’s children pitched in to try and keep the restaurant going, but a representative confirmed with Eater that it permanently closed in June.

July 15

Cobble Hill: In early 2019, Krok Thai famously took over the old Pok Pok space and brought Thai food back into the local fold. Through the years, it gathered its own fanbase that was drawn to the restaurant’s Isan street food from Northeastern Thailand, particularly its garlicky wings and refreshing papaya salad. The storefront now appears to be shuttered, it is listed as permanently closed on Google, and its website is no longer working.

Ditmas Park: After sixteen years of serving crowd-favorite brunches of fries with curry mayo in a sunny back patio, the Farm on Adderley hosted its last dinner service on Friday, July 8. In a heartfelt note posted on Instagram, owners Jai Chun and Kathie Lee stated that the “challenges of staffing and rising costs have made it impossible for us to continue offering the quality you’re accustomed to at sensible prices.”

East Williamsburg: Lauded modern Vietnamese spot Bunker launched in early 2013 in Ridgewood, Queens, taking the spot as an early leader among the city’s modern Vietnamese restaurants. On July 8, it abruptly announced its closing at the controversy-ridden Brooklyn space, at 99 Scott Avenue, in an Instagram post.

Tribeca: After a five-month run, chef Victoria Blamey’s critically acclaimed, Chilean-influenced restaurant, Mena, closed on Saturday, July 9, according to Grub Street. Peter Yeung, the managing director of the Walker Hotel, where Mena was located, cited “financial reasons,” and Blamey said the decision was out of her control.

Tribeca: The Manhattan outpost of Brooklyn-based Homemade by Miriam debuted at the height of the pandemic, in June 2020, with Israeli home cooking. A representative told Tribeca Citizen that “business just did not come back.” But, for guests missing the chicken shawarma platters and harissa salmon skewers, the Park Slope location is still open.

Williamsburg: The first East Coast outpost of the Portland-based vegetarian chain, the Whole Bowl, appears to have closed after opening in 2019. Neither the company’s website nor Instagram lists its Brooklyn location anymore.

July 8

East Village: The East Village outpost of upscale sports bar the Ainsworth closed its doors on July 3, ending its three-and-half-year run filled with boozy happy hour specials and chicken wings at the location. EV Grieve reports that it will be merging with the chain’s original flagship store — which is currently closed — in Chelsea on August 24.

Financial District: Old-school steakhouse chain Bobby Van’s closed its Financial District restaurant inside the old JP Morgan Bank — its grill was located in the antique bank vaults — on Broad Street. Since opening in 2006, the local chain expanded to include three locations in Midtown. According to Google and company websites, additional closed outposts appear to include BV Burger at E. 45th and Bobby Van’s Grill in JFK Airport.

Murray Hill: Despite chef Irwin Sánchez’s 2022 James Beard award nomination for best New York chef, and a glowing review for his smoky mezcal-accented lamb mixiotes from New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells, the most recent iteration of Under the Volcano is done after two years. The restaurant — which was initially open from 2000 to 2008, then went dormant for twelve years — has contended with the new post-pandemic landscape, and its location on 36th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues, proved to be a struggle. Citing “purely financial” reasons, owner Bob Precious told the New York Times that it would be closing the Murray Hill restaurant while seeking a new home elsewhere.

Lake George: Once considered America’s largest restaurant chain, Howard Johnson’s has shuttered its last remaining location. The 70-year-old restaurant located in Lake George, New York appears to have last opened its doors in March, and the Times Union reports that the property’s lease is listed for sale online.

July 1

Bay Ridge: Since late 2019, the Dandy Lion Cafe brought typical diner fare of burger-and-fries combos and lemon ricotta pancake brunches to its Bay Ridge neighbors, but Google has now marked it as permanently closed. Additionally, its website and phone number are no longer in service.

Flatiron: The family-owned casual Japanese spot, Ennju, has ended its 21-year run in Flatiron, leaving behind diners who can no longer dig into its chicken karaage bento boxes, pork donburi bowls, and rainbow sushi rolls.

Lower East Side: In 2020, the charming Langos Bar opened to become the rare dealer of its namesake langos, an Eastern European street food made from garlicky flatbread with assorted topping combinations like spicy Hungarian sausage and ajvar or poached shrimp and flying fish roe. On June 26, the company announced its imminent closing on Instagram, adding, “we believe our journey doesn’t end here and we will be looking for the right location in the right neighborhood.”

Middle Village: After 15 years, Pat’s Sports Bar closed on June 30. Lifelong Queens residents and former owners Patrick and Joanne Grillo are packing up their bags for retired life in Florida, according to QNS.

Park Slope: In July 2021, Fleishers lead investor, Robert Rosania allegedly told CEO John Adams to take down Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ Pride signs from their four store locations, spurring a mass employee walkout and the closing of its Brooklyn, Upper East Side, and Connecticut stores in Westport and Greenwich. The Park Slope flagship reopened eight months later, but the company hasn’t been able to recover from the aftermath of the walkout and has permanently closed.

Williamsburg: The Knitting Factory, founded in Manhattan in the late ‘80s, bids adieu to its Williamsburg location, a place it’s called home since 2009 — but not for good. While contract details are still being finalized, CEO Morgan Margolis tells Brooklyn Magazine that the next iteration of Knitting Factory will be “more of a neighborhood bar.”