A Philly Cheesesteak Chain Closes All of Its Locations — And More Closings

Three years after New York’s first indoor dining shutdown, restaurants continue to close due to the lasting financial impacts of the pandemic. At least 4,500 food businesses have shuttered since March 2020. Since it’s difficult to track closings in real-time, experts say that number is likely much higher — and could take years to fully assess.

In this weekly column, Eater is documenting the city’s permanent restaurant and bar closures, a list that includes a nearly 50-year-old doughnut shop, a beloved Chinese takeout spot, and a South Indian restaurant. If a restaurant or bar has closed in your neighborhood, let us know at tips@eater.com.

July 28

East Village: A location of Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea, a national chain, has closed on St. Marks Place after four years. The shop recently went dark, according to the website EV Grieve, and it’s no longer listed on the company’s website. 33 St. Marks Place, between Second and Third avenues

Hell’s Kitchen: A number of businesses have closed on the same block of Ninth Avenue, between 43rd and 44th streets, in recent months. There was Sushiva, a casual Japanese restaurant, along with a popular dry cleaner and a location of Duane Reade. Shorty’s, a small cheesesteak chain with three storefronts in Manhattan, is the latest to go, the website W42ndSt reports. Evan Stein, a Philadelphia native, started the business at this address in 2006. (He left the company in 2019 to open Olde City Cheesesteaks in the neighborhood earlier this year.) The original Shorty’s, along with its storefronts in Kips Bay and the Lower East Side, closed last month without explanation from its remaining owners. 617 Ninth Avenue, between West 43rd and 44th streets

Tribeca: Patisserie Chanson, a restaurant that opened on the corner of Greenwich and Harrison streets in 2021, has closed. The business, which rebranded as Chanson Le Salon after a prolonged renovation last fall, was an offshoot of Chanson, the small chain of bakeries that started in Flatiron in 2016. The restaurant’s general manager announced the closure with a notice on the front door, according to Tribeca Citizen. Chanson opened two new locations this year: one on the Upper East Side, in March, and another on the Upper West Side, earlier this month. A third outpost in Flatiron will reopen following renovations in August. 355 Greenwich Street, at Harrison Street

July 21

Astoria: A thin-crust pizzeria has left Astoria after a decade. Antika Pizza was known for its pizzas dressed with unusual toppings like smoked salmon and capers, bolognese sauce, pineapple, and bruschetta. The restaurant is now listed as permanently closed in listings on Google and Yelp. 36-08 30th Avenue, between 36th and 37th streets

Greenpoint: Cool World, a Brooklyn brasserie that opened at this address one year ago, has closed. The restaurant announced the news in a post on Instagram on Sunday: “Our final service will be today.” Julian Brizzi, a partner at the restaurant, said that the business “wasn’t financially sustainable” and that the team plans to open a new restaurant at the same address. The space has been home to multiple restaurants in recent years, including Sauvage and the vegan Mexican spot Xilonen. Amanda Perdomo, Cool World’s pastry chef, called the building “cursed.” 905 Lorimer Street, at Nassau Avenue

Rockaways: One of the few West African restaurants in the Rockaways is leaving the neighborhood after three years. The Cradle announced its closure on Instagram. Owners Babajide Alao and Pesy Sikyala, who started selling their food at the beach at 74th Street, are focusing on finding a new home for the restaurant, likely in Brooklyn. Since opening in 2020, the business has become known for its vegan jollof and ewa oloyin, Nigerian sweet beans. The last day was July 16. 194 Beach 96th Street, near Rockaway Beach Boulevard

South Slope: The owners of Brooklyn cocktail bar Quarter are parting ways after 16 years. David Moo and Joe Herron — whose bar was named one of the best in the country in 2016 —closed things out on July 15. Moo is walking away from the space, while Herron will take over and reopen the business as a “totally different bar” later this summer. Brooklyn Magazine broke the news of the closure. 676 Fifth Avenue, near 20th Street

Upper West Side: The restaurant and cafe in the New York Historical Society closed earlier this month. Stephen Starr, the owner of the Buddakan restaurant chain among other big-name restaurants, opened Caffe Storico in 2011 as part of a $65 million renovation at the museum. The Italian restaurant was well-received for a museum restaurant. On opening day, it served pastas and grilled cuttlefish in a high-ceilinged space with a marble bar. Storico and its attached cafe Parliament Espresso and Coffee Bar are now closed: Constellation Culinary Group, which also runs restaurants in Carnegie Hall and the New York Botanical Garden, is moving on as the museum’s food and beverage operator, according to the website West Side Rag. The last day for both businesses was July 14. 170 Central Park West, at West 77th Street

July 7

Prospect Heights: June was the last month for Ode to Babel, a Black-owned bar and community space open for seven years. Marva Babel-Tucker and her twin sister Myriam Babel are closing the restaurant to open Babel Loft, a social club with live performances and restaurant residencies, later this summer, according to its website. The bar closed on June 30. 646 Dean Street, near Washington Avenue

Sunnyside: Alpha Donuts, an old-school diner that’s anchored Sunnyside, Queens, for close to 50 years, closed abruptly last month. Owner Patty Zorbas said in an interview with the Sunnyside Post that she was forced to close due to inflation and the cost of several appliances in the kitchen that needed to be replaced. “I sat down and put down the numbers together, and with insurance, taxes and inflation, the amount of money I would have to spend was above my reach,” she said. The restaurant, known for its wide range of doughnuts priced at $14 for a dozen, opened in 1975. Zorbas’s husband and brother took over the shop in the 1980s. The restaurant’s best-seller then and now was its Irish breakfast: two eggs, Irish sausage and bacon, and black and white pudding. The last day was June 28. 45-16 Queens Boulevard, near 46th Street

East Village: Khiladi closed after service on Sunday, June 2. The South Indian restaurant opened at this address in 2019. “It hasn’t been an easy four years,” owner Sruthi Chowdary wrote in an Instagram post announcing the closure last week. “COVID threw the world in a chaotic mode and our journey was definitely influenced by it.” 175 Avenue B, at 11th Street

East Village: New Double Dragon, a popular Chinese takeout restaurant, closes up shop this week. The restaurant’s landlord has been preparing to demolish its building and two adjoining properties for months, the website EV Grieve reports. In February, employees confirmed that the popular Chinese takeout restaurant would be closing soon, although they didn’t know when and for how long. A sign on the door this week offers answers: Tuesday was the restaurant’s last day. Its owner, Shawn Lin, is now looking for a new home for the business. 37 First Avenue, near East Second Street

Upper West Side: Sforno Pizza, a restaurant that served Nutella pizzas, has closed, the website West Side Rag reports. “Our brick and mortar is now closed but we will be back somewhere,” a note on its website reads. The pizzeria opened at this address in 2020. 2393 Broadway, between 87th and 88th streets