🚕 Iconic NYC Restaurants Bid Farewell

Good Morning NY!

New York City’s dining scene is closing out February with a mix of exciting debuts and bittersweet goodbyes.

Across Manhattan and Brooklyn, new restaurants are introducing flavors from Kerala to the Himalayas, alongside inventive cocktail lounges and neighborhood favorites.

At the same time, several iconic establishments are serving their final meals, reflecting the financial pressures reshaping the city’s hospitality landscape.

Fresh openings continue to prove that creativity and ambition remain strong, even as longtime institutions step aside.

Looking ahead, major projects like Kirbee’s promise to bring destination-worthy dining to unexpected corners of the city.

This week’s stories capture the constant evolution of NYC food culture—where endings and beginnings happen side by side.

New Openings Spotlight Diverse Flavors in NYC Dining

Kidilum has opened at 31 West 21st Street, bringing authentic Keralan cuisine from southern India to New York for the first time.

The restaurant is led by chef Vinu Raveendran, who makes his American debut after working at Spain’s Mugaritz.

Dishes highlight curry leaf, coconut, rice, and seafood, including Nandu crab curry, paal prawn curry, and mini podi idli with coconut chutney.

The 72-seat space features greens, earth tones, and gilded accents.

Lumo Ombro debuted at 78 Leonard Street in TriBeCa as an all-day cafe that transforms into a cocktail lounge after 3 p.m.

Daytime offerings include sandwiches with braised beef cheeks or cumin-grilled chicken thighs, vegetable-loaded broth, and grilled smashed fingerlings.

The Eighth launched at 137 Eighth Avenue in Chelsea as a plush 75-seat cocktail lounge with nightly bartender presentations and small plates.

Chef Kat Williams serves scallop crudo, shrimp toast, sliders, and salads to pair with creative cocktails like a spiced old fashioned.

Himalayan Vegan Organic Restaurant opened on the Upper East Side at 1425 York Avenue, expanding from its Sacramento location.

The gluten- and sugar-free menu offers composed plates with brown rice, daily beans, stir-fried vegetables, collards or kale, salad, and soup.

Nonna Dora’s Pasta Bar is celebrating owner Dora Marzovilla’s 90th birthday with a special three-course menu available through March.

Iconic NYC Restaurants Bid Farewell

Several beloved New York City establishments closed their doors this month, marking the end of long-running eras.

Achilles Heel in Greenpoint shut down on February 8 after more than 13 years, citing financial hardships.

The Leopard at Des Artistes on the Upper West Side closed February 15 following roughly 15 years as a Michelin-recognized Italian favorite.

The Tin Building by Jean-Georges at the South Street Seaport permanently closed on February 23 and will soon transform into the Balloon Museum.

Barbetta, a family-owned Italian restaurant in the Theater District since 1906, will serve its final service on February 27.

Red Bamboo in Greenwich Village announced its closure on February 28 after nearly 24 years of offering vegan barbecue-style dishes.

These shutdowns reflect the ongoing financial pressures facing many longstanding spots in New York’s competitive dining landscape.

February Brings Fresh Restaurant Openings Across NYC

A new vegan spot from Sacramento has expanded to the Upper East Side with Himalayan Vegan Organic Restaurant.

It opened on February 14 at 1425 York Avenue, offering a fully gluten- and sugar-free menu of organic vegetable plates, beans, rice, smoothies, juices, and desserts.

A Filipino cocktail bar named Kubo launched in Bed-Stuy with pop-ups and events like drag shows.

The Eighth debuted in Chelsea as a cocktail bar featuring three nightly bartender-led “ceremonies” with paired bites.

Sonny’s Corner opened in Greenpoint as a neighborhood bar serving classic cocktails, frozen piña coladas, wine, draft beer, and planned food additions.

Anbā arrived on the Lower East Side with a 10-seat omakase counter offering a 16-course tasting menu focused on Japanese techniques.

Giulietta launched in Midtown as an all-day Italian restaurant with pizzas, pastas, and shareable dishes in a large space.

These diverse openings highlight the steady stream of creative concepts hitting New York City this month.

Texas Barbecue Stars Bring Kirbee’s to Greenpoint

Two renowned Texas pitmasters are teaming up to open Kirbee’s, a new casual barbecue restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

The collaboration features Chuck Charnichart of Barbs B Q in Lockhart and Jonny White of Goldee’s Bar-B-Q in Fort Worth.

Kirbee’s will take over the former Peeps Kitchen space at 55 McGuinness Boulevard South, between Engert Avenue and Newton Street.

The restaurant is expected to open in mid-to-late summer and will offer lunch service only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

It will feature cafeteria-style ordering, cut-to-order meats served on red trays with butcher paper, and seating for 20 to 24 people.

The design includes checkerboard floors, wood-paneled walls, a red-and-white exterior, and a simple barbecue sign.

Smoker ovens using post oak wood chips will ensure consistent Texas-style results.

The menu splits into Barbs plates with lime-zested pork ribs and Mexican-spiced brisket, and Goldee’s plates with smoked turkey and classic brisket.

Desserts will combine favorites like chocolate pudding from Barbs and banana pudding from Goldee’s.

Dollar beers, including Lone Stars and Shiners, will be available to replace the traditional free line beer tradition.

Kirbee’s aims to deliver authentic Texas barbecue flavors to an out-of-the-way Brooklyn spot that could draw long lines.

The Tin Building Ambitious Run Ends in Closure

The Tin Building by Jean-Georges, a $200 million waterfront food hall at the South Street Seaport, has permanently closed.

Launched in August 2022 after a decade of development, it featured six restaurants, four bars, six counters, and upscale retail in a 58,000-square-foot space.

The project was heavily promoted as New York City’s post-COVID food destination, gaining attention through social media, media lists, and a television appearance.

Despite the initial buzz, the remote East River location led to consistently low foot traffic, especially on weekdays and during winter months.

The venue reportedly lost $33 million in 2024 alone and over $100 million total in under four years.

Seaport Entertainment Group announced the immediate shutdown on February 23, 2026, resulting in approximately 132 job losses.

The space will soon reopen as the Balloon Museum, an immersive inflatable art experience, starting this summer.

Some popular concepts, including House of the Red Pearl and T. Brasserie, may relocate within the Seaport district.

The closure underscores the challenges facing large-scale food ventures in a changing market.

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