A DOZEN MORE RESTAURANTS CLOSE IN NEW YORK CITY

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].

April 26

Astoria: Australian pub the Thirsty Koala has closed after 13 years. Google has marked the restaurant as permanently closed and in March, a notice on the door indicated the building had been seized by the state of New York for non-payment of taxes. Owners Christine Chellos, Alex Styponias, and chef Katherine Fuchs opened the restaurant in 2012. It was known for its kangaroo burger made with bacon, beetroot, and ground ’roo. 35-12 Ditmars Boulevard, between 35th and 36th streets

East Village: Dan and John’s Wings, a small chain of wing bars, has closed its original location. Dan Borowski and John Henninger, two friends from Buffalo, New York, started Dan and John’s as a stand at Smorgasburg in 2013. They opened their first storefront, on First Avenue, in 2015; there are now locations in Murray Hill, Chelsea, and the Dekalb Market food hall. 135 First Avenue, between St. Marks Place and Ninth Street

East Village: Etérea, a vegan and gluten-free Mexican restaurant, has closed after opening in 2021. The restaurant’s parent company, Overthrow Hospitality, announced the closure on Instagram. “Despite our best efforts, it has not achieved the level of success we had hoped for,” the post said. The hospitality group shared that the restaurant’s chef, Victor Hernandez, died of a stroke in December. 511 E. Fifth Street, between Avenues A and B

East Village: EV Grieve reports that the Grayson sports bar has closed after nine years. The bar received almost 200 complaints to 311 in the two years before it closed, according to Community Board 3. It will soon be replaced by Lydia’s from the owner of the sports bars Triona’s and the Hairy Lemon. 16 First Avenue, between First and Second streets

Greenpoint: A Chinese takeout staple has closed in Greenpoint. Shanghai Lee closed on April 22, according to a note on the front door. The family-owned restaurant was listed on the market last fall with an asking price of $8,500 a month, Greenpointers reports. 157 Franklin Street, near India Street

Soho: Ed’s Lobster Bar, a seafood restaurant once sued for intellectual property theft, has closed amid allegations from its workers that owner Edward McFarland underpaid employees. The restaurant opened in 2007 at 222 Lafayette Street, near Spring Street; it later relocated to its current location in Soho. 155 Grand Street, at Lafayette Street

Tribeca: Ajisai, a two-year-old sushi restaurant on Duane Street, has closed. 183 Duane Street, near Greenwich Street

Upper East Side: Upper East Site reports that Charley Mom, a Chinese takeout restaurant, shuttered this month after 35 years. The business was most recently located on York Avenue, although it first opened at 1491 First Avenue, near East 78th in 1988. It’s unclear if the restaurant is related to Charlie Mom, another Chinese restaurant that closed in the West Village in 2015. 1580 York Avenue, near East 83rd Street

Upper East Side: The chef Makoto Yoshizawa has closed his seven-year-old restaurant Zawa Japanese and turned it into a seven-seat counter, called Sushi Yoshizawa, with set menus available for $135 and $180 per person. 354 E. 66th Street, near First Avenue

Upper West Side: Uptown cafe Gertrude closed just shy of its fourth anniversary. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this because I felt there was a big gap in the market,” owner Shweta Khare told West Side Rag. “But the economics for small business in New York is very challenging.” The business will be replaced by Green Lane Coffee. 204 West 96th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue

West Harlem: The chef Franklin Becker has closed his tapas restaurant, Oliva Tapas, in the food hall at Columbia University. He’s turned the space into Universal Taco, selling Jamaican oxtail, lamb gyro, and al pastor tacos. 3229 Broadway, at West 130th Street

Williamsburg: A pioneer in New York’s craft beer scene closes this week after 21 years. Spuyten Duyvil owners Joe Carroll and Kim Carroll say “craft beer’s current ubiquity combined with rising rents have made operating ... unsustainable.” When they opened in 2003, they served imported European beers “you couldn’t find anywhere else,” they say. 359 Metropolitan Avenue, near Havemeyer Street

April 5

Clinton Hill: Specialty sandwich shop Mekelburg’s has closed after a decade. Owner Daniel Mekelburg announced the closure in an Instagram post. He did not cite a reason for closing but said that the business would be moving some of its pantry items and its trivia nights, to Guevara’s, a vegan cafe across the street run by Mekelburg’s wife, Alicia Guevara. Mekelburg’s has a second location in Domino Park, which is still open. 293 Grand Avenue, near Clifton Place

East Village: Coffee shop and bakery Avenue Cafe has closed after opening at this address in October, EV Grieve reports. The last day was March 30. 102 St. Marks Place, between Avenue A and First Avenue

Midtown East: Anto, a fine dining restaurant that took over a famed Midtown address, has closed after a year. The Korean restaurant announced on Instagram last week that its last day would be Sunday, March 31. No reason was provided for the closure. The owner, entrepreneur Tony Park, runs franchises of Angelina Bakery, Paris Baguette, and Essen. The building was previously home to Felidia, the restaurant from Lidia Bastianich. 243 E. 58th Street, near Second Avenue

Tribeca: Belle Reve, a bar and restaurant started by two nightlife professionals has closed. The bar’s longtime home was sold in February for $5 million, and developers have put forth a proposal to turn the property into a new apartment complex. The business announced the closure on Instagram in March: “We tried to stall until the new owners of the corner had all their needed and necessary approvals.” The bar’s founders, Bill Gilroy, behind the cocktail bar Employees Only, and Paul Gerard, a chef at Soho House, opened Belle Reve in 2015. 305 Church Street, at Walker Street

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