In this weekly column, Eater documents the city’s permanent restaurant and bar closures. If a restaurant or bar has closed in your neighborhood, let us know at [email protected].
August 29
Chelsea: Temerario, a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, has been listed as permanently shuttered on Google. 198 Eighth Avenue, at West 20th Street
Greenpoint: Poetica Coffee has shuttered in Greenpoint. It was located on Nassau Avenue stretch where was competing with several other cafes. When it opened in 2022, Poetica Coffee replaced another coffee shop at the address called Clever Blend. 142 Nassau Avenue, near McGuinness Boulevard
Richmond Valley: Cafe Luna, a Staten Island Italian restaurant that had been around for roughly three decades, closed last month. SILive.com reports the team behind a viral panini shop will replace it. 31 Page Avenue, near Boscombe Avenue
Upper East Side: Emack & Bolio’s has shuttered on the UES. East Side Feed reports it’s related to a split between the owner —who has transformed the storefront into a new ice cream shop called Lilo — and the Emack & Bolio brand. 1564 First Avenue, between East 81st and 82nd streets
Upper West Side: An outpost of the vegan restaurant Blossom has shuttered uptown. Over the years, the brand, which has been around for 20 years, has closed several other outposts. Upper West Side was its last standing, which ended on August 25, according to a company announcement. 507 Columbus Avenue, between West 84th and 85th streets
Williamsburg: Angels Cafe, which gave a portion of its proceeds to the non-profit North Brooklyn Angels, has shuttered its Grand Street outpost, according to Greenpointers. Another location of the cafe in Williamsburg remains. 288 Grand Street, near Roebling Street
August 23
Astoria: Gilbey’s Pub has closed after 28 years in business. The bar from Seamus King announced its closing on Instagram its last day would be August 22. “We want to thank our amazing community for your patronage throughout the years. Gilbey’s has been a pillar in Astoria for decades and we will greatly miss sharing pints with our customers-turned-friends.” 32-01 Broadway, at 32nd Street
Crown Heights: Homestyle Burmese restaurant Rangoon, which made last year’s 100 Best Restaurants from the New York Times, has closed, according to Google; the Chelsea location remains open. 500 Prospect Place, at Classon Avenue
East Village: Lamia’s Fish Market was originally closed for maintenance and has officially shuttered, EV Grieve reports. It first opened in 2019. 47 Avenue B, at East Third Street
Greenpoint: Metal bar Saint Vitus is officially closed after at least a year of tension as to whether the bar could stay open in this location. The New York Post reported that the city’s Department of Buildings shuttered the bar in the middle of a set and issued a $25,000 fine in February, saying the bar’s 70-year-old certificate of occupancy only allowed for the space to be used as a storefront and to store machinery. The bar, which opened in 2011, confirmed the closure on its Instagram, adding it is looking to relocate. 1120 Manhattan Avenue, at Clay Street
Greenwich Village: Silver Apricot has shuttered after four years earlier this month. The restaurant celebrated its run on Instagram. “Thank you for an incredible four years on Cornelia Street! We’re grateful that we’ve not only made it this far, but also that we’ve developed profound relationships with many of you over the years.” Owners Emmeline Zhao, chef partner Joseph Bliffen, and pastry chef Janice Sung aren’t giving up the space but flipping to a New American seasonal wine bar, Cora, to open in the fall. 20 Cornelia Street, at Bleecker Street
Woodside: Two businesses from the same family have closed: Thailand’s Center Point from Chef Annie Phinphantthakul and Madame Tea Sweet House, run with Phinphantthakul’s daughter, Ginger Phinphantthakul. The latter opened in January, serving a la carte items and a set menu for $89 per person, according to the New York Times. Thailand’s Center Point: 6319 39th Avenue, near 64th Street; Madame Tea Sweet House: 63-19 Woodside Avenue, near 63rd Street
August 16
Bed-Stuy: Pilar Cuban Eatery closed last summer. Its neighboring bakery, Pilar Cuban Bakery, which opened in 2019, has also shuttered. It was known for its dulce de leche and guava layer cake, as well as its savory pastries using Cuban ingredients. 397 Greene Avenue, near Bedford Avenue
Clinton Hill: First Mekelburg’s closed in the neighborhood. Now its sister vegan cafe Guevara’s, which first opened in 2020, has shuttered. Both brands are currently open at their secondary outposts in Williamsburg’s Domino Park. Guevara’s came to be known for its colorful vegan torta with purple cabbage, as well as their empanadas with meat-free fillings. But its attractive outdoor dining set-up cemented it as a neighborhood go-to in the depths of the pandemic. 39 Clifton Place, at Grand Avenue
East Village: TLK by Tigerlily Kitchen has closed in conjunction with the pending demolition of 50-64 Third Avenue, EV Grieve reports. Two Toronto-based developers paid around $60 million for the stretch. 58 Third Avenue, at East 11th Street
Kips Bay: After 52 years in business, México Lindo closed on July 31. “Join us for our final days,” reads the website. “It has been the honor of a lifetime to have provided our family traditions, home cooked meals and love filled hospitality to your celebrations of life …. It is with tremendous love and appreciation that we say adios,” it reads. The children of founders Antonio and Leonor Bonilla — Claudia, Lara, Adriana, and Leonor Bonilla — wrote the goodbye note. 459 Second Avenue, at East 26th Street
Upper West Side: Clara and Cafe 77 from the group behind Rucola, June Wine Bar, Anaïs, Rhodora, and Accord Market upstate, have closed in the New York Historical Society after less than a year: “The restaurant and cafe business is very challenging,” a spokesperson said. When the restaurant first opened, it was led by chef Diego Moya. The museum says it will offer something in its place. It’s the second restaurant to have closed in the location. For more than a decade, the museum was home to two restaurants from Stephen Starr: Storico, and the attached Parliament Espresso and Coffee Bar, which closed in July 2023. 170 Central Park West at West 77th Street
Williamsburg: With its diminutive cocktail list, Basik — a spot that drinks writer Robert Simonson calls “a bartender’s bar” — closed on August 12. Owner Jay Zimmerman told Simonson the reasons behind the shutter are twofold: “There’s facts and feelings. The facts being, after the pandemic, crowds are different; and our lease ran out, so we signed a lease with increased rent,” he said. “… financially, that the facts didn’t work as well.” And his becoming a father also influenced the decision to close. 323 Graham Avenue, at Devoe Street
August 9
East Village: Open for a decade, Black Ant closed earlier this summer. The Mexican restaurant from the owners of Ofrenda in the West Village announced their closing on Instagram. 60 Second Avenue at East Fourth Street
East Village: Open in Manhattan since 2020 and for four years in Brooklyn before that, Elisa’s Love Bites has closed its storefront, according to EVGrieve. On owner Elisa Lyew’s Instagram, she writes, “A delicious new chapter is coming — stay tuned for details!” 441 E. Ninth Street, at Avenue A
Greenwich Village: Hancock St has closed after three years to make way for Cha Cha Tang, which held its seven week pop-up in the space before taking over. 257 Sixth Avenue, at Bedford Street
Greenwich Village: Munchiez has closed from owners Ivy and Ben Chen, whose parents run Chinatown’s decades-old Mei Lai Wah bakery. The below street-level spot that channeled Hong Kong convenience stores featured a menu of pork buns, popcorn chicken, shumai, and salt-and-pepper wings — and stayed open until 3 a.m. weekends. Ivy Chen says that there’s something in the works for Chinatown next. 126 MacDougal Street, near West Third Street
Hell’s Kitchen: Vintner Beer & Cheese has closed, a source confirms. The neighborhood shop had been in business for 15 years. Owners Dale and Mitch Weiner cited a business slowdown post-pandemic and rising prices of goods and insurance as reasons for the closing. 677 Ninth Avenue, at 46th Street
Upper West Side: Le Petit Parisien closed this week after less than a year in business due to a rent increase. West Side Rag reports it is looking to relocate. The chain has three other locations around the city. 170 Amsterdam Avenue, at W. 68th Street
Upper West Side: The Avenue, an Irish pub has closed after a year of business. 480 Amsterdam Avenue at West 83rd Street
August 2
Astoria: Open since 1956, Neptune Diner has closed after losing its lease. Since the 1980s, Peter and George Katsihtis have owned the building but not the land, which was sold in 2018 for over $10 million. They own locations of the diner in Brooklyn and Bayside. 3105 Astoria Boulevard, at 31st Street
Bed-Stuy: Greedi Vegan has closed, according to its Instagram. The dining room space has shuttered but owner Latisha Daring has pickup options for catering, 7 to 10 days lead time, minimum $500 order. 326 Tompkins Avenue, at Gates Avenue
Chinatown: Open since 1961, New Golden Fung Wong has closed. The longtime bakery closed July 31 after decades of selling items like mooncakes year-round and kong soh peng biscuits. 41 Mott Street, at Bayard Street
East Village: Here since 2021, this location of Four Four South Village has closed, the Taiwanese spot serving variations on beef noodle soup and other specialties. The Flushing and Hell’s Kitchen locations remain open. 11 E. Seventh Street at Third Avenue
East Village: Aoi Kitchen has closed, according to the restaurant’s Instagram. The last day was July 28; the owners are keeping the space and turning it into a wine bar. The restaurant was a sibling to listening bar, Bar Orai. 320 E. Sixth Street, at Second Avenue
East Village: The groundbreaking dessert destination open since 2003, Chikalicious Dessert Bar has closed. The 20-seat counter from chef Chika Tillman and her husband Don was modeled after omakases in Japan. Though Chika Tillman is retiring, the online cake store and cafe will live on, “but it won’t be anything resembling what it is now. Not a dessert bar, not a dessert focus, just a little café,” Don Tillman told Grub Street. 203 E. 10th Street, at Second Avenue
East Village: Murphy’s, serving Jamaican patties here since 2022, has closed. The owners told EVGrieve they’re headed to a new location. 440-A E. Ninth Street, at Avenue A
East Village: A nearly 30 year-old Starbucks has closed, EVGrieve reported. Landlord ASG Equities told the publication that they offered Starbucks a lease extension at exactly the same rent (which would nix the theory that it’s closing due to a rent hike). In a statement to EVGrieve, Starbucks said, “We have engaged Workers United to collaborate on the next steps, including transfer options, for the 17 partners currently employed at this location.” EVGrieve noted that unionized Starbucks closed in Greenpoint. 21 Astor Place, at Lafayette Street
Greenwich Village: Gab’s shuttered on July 27 after about a year run, a spokesperson told Eater. 76 Carmine Street, at Seventh Avenue South
Rockefeller Center: Two fast-casual spots have closed: a location of David Chang’s fried chicken chain Fuku has shuttered, along with Samesa from Eli and Max Sussman, that’s been replaced by Luke’s Lobster, a spokesperson confirms. 30 Rockefeller Center, Rink Level, at Sixth Avenue
Upper East Side: Lashevet has closed after a two-year run. The cafe served a mix of Moroccan, Israeli, and Lebanese fare. 1663 First Avenue at East 86th Street
Upper West Side: Kee’s Chocolate has closed, apparently looking for a new location. The shop, open in this location since 2019, reached the end of its lease, according to West Side Rag. In 2006, New York Times T Magazine called the confections, “the best chocolates in New York. Maybe the world.” 228 Columbus at West 70th Street
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