TWO UPPER EAST SIDE KOREAN CHICKEN SPOTS HAVE CLOSED

In this weekly column, Eater documents the city’s permanent restaurant and bar closure in February 2025 (see January here). If a restaurant or bar has closed in your neighborhood, let us know at [email protected].

February 7

Ditmas Park: Longtime Chinese restaurant New Neighborhood seemed to have closed this year, because its owners have retired, per Reddit. 1404 Cortelyou Road, near Rugby Road

Downtown Brooklyn: Colombian restaurant Arepa Lady appears to have shuttered its food stand within the DeKalb Market Hall sometime in January, as noticed by an Eater tipster. There are still two other locations, the original in Jackson Heights and Astoria. 445 Albee Square West, at Gold Street

Chinatown: Malaysian restaurant Doyers Old Town — which opened in 2023 — seemed to have closed sometime within the past two months. There’s already a liquor license filed for the address by owner Annie Shi (who co-owns French Italian restaurant King), as reported by What Now New York, which seems to be a forthcoming wine bar-slash-Chinese restaurant. 15 Doyers Street, near Pell Street

Greenpoint: Brooklyn New American restaurant the Buttery Bar closed on Sunday, February 2, as reported by Greenpointers. It closed, per its Instagram account, because of “growing inflation, the rising cost of goods paired with the already-razor thin margins that restaurants have,” making operations “unsustainable.” The restaurant started as a pop-up , and opened this physical location in 2021, becoming notable for its book events and trivia nights. The team is working on opening a new bar, Gracie’s, in Williamsburg, soon. 152 Driggs Avenue, between Russell and Humboldt streets

Upper East Side: Two Korean fried chicken restaurants closed last month in the Manhattan neighborhood. First, there’s ChickQueen, which had its last day of service on Wednesday, January 22, per East Side Feed. The owner told East Side that the restaurant had to close because they weren’t weren’t able to work out a lease renewal. It had opened in 2022. 1405 Second Avenue, between East 73rd and 74th streets

Upper East Side: Then, the second of the Manhattan neighborhood’s Korean fried chicken restaurant shutters is the only New York City location of chain restaurant CM Chicken, which had its last day on Tuesday, January 28, also reported by East Side Feed. Per the Instagram announcement, the co-franchisees decided to close their restaurant, which they opened in 2024, because of “personal reasons.” 1764 First Avenue, at East 92nd Street

Upper West Side: EA Dumpling permanently closed in early February after just 10 months of service, a rep tells West Side Rag. The Manhattan dumpling destination maintains a pair of outposts in Midtown East and near Baruch College. 201 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 69th and 70th streets

Upper West Side: NY’s last remaining Big Gay Ice Cream store shuttered on Wednesday, January 29. Owner Jeremy Wladis, who’s also behind the Restaurant Group (Fred’s, Telio’s, Nina’s Great Burrito Bar), tells the West Side Rag that slow winter sales and an uptick in rent caused the closure. Wladis took over the lease and licensed the name from its founders in 2022, going on to open the build-your-own Rainbow Donuts bar inside in 2023 (which is also closed). Big Gay Ice Cream got its start in 2009 as a roving West Village food truck and peaked at nine NYC locations. 516 Columbus Avenue (between West 84th and 85th streets)

Williamsburg: It’s the end of an era for an Italian staple in Brooklyn. Il Passatore, which has been around since 2008, served its last plate of pasta on Sunday, February 2. Owners Christian Ciarapica and Massimiliano Barbizzi celebrated their native cuisine with Northern Italian dishes from the Emilia Romagna region. “Despite our best efforts, the challenges posed by COVID-19, illness, and inflation have made it unsustainable for us to continue,” per a closing message on on Instagram. 14 Bushwick Avenue, Brooklyn

2025-02-07T23:01:18Z