APARTMENTS! Restaurants that have been in existence for up to 99 years! Kerplunk. Gone. America is changing and it isn’t for the good. 15-minute city mindedness is closing iconic establishments.
White Castle Closes Queens Location After 87 Years
Plus, Tom Colicchio’s groundbreaking Craft in Flatiron — and more restaurant shutters
A White Castle in Queens.Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Tierney Plumb is an editor of Eater’s Northeast region, covering D.C., Boston, Philly, and New York.
This is Eater’s guide to all the New York City restaurants, bars, and cafes that closed in June 2026. This list will be updated weekly (see: May, April, March, February, January), serving as a round-up of the dining and drinking places that have shuttered around the city. If a restaurant or bar has closed in your neighborhood, let us know at ny@eater.com.
June 26
Spotlight
Elmhurst: The 87-year-old White Castle in Queens, considered one of NYC’s longest-standing dining establishments near the Queens Center Mall, closed on Wednesday, June 24. Per Queens Chronicle, the fast-casual relic is expected to make way for apartment units. The standalone location debuted right around the time of the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens. Widely considered the world’s first fast-food hamburger chain, the iconic family-run business is best known for its square-shaped sliders (not to mention its starring role in Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle). There are 25 remaining White Castle locations in NY, including in Brooklyn and Sunnyside. 89-03 57th Avenue, at Queens Boulevard
And the rest…
Flatiron: Craft, the fine dining pioneer from celebrity chef Tom Colicchio that earned three stars from the New York Times in 2001 and again in 2011, closes after a quarter-century run on Saturday, June 27. Colicchio, the Top Chef judge of Gramercy Tavern fame, switched from a family-style menu to a la carte mode last year and pointed to rising rents in its “restaurant gold coast” NY neighborhood as the cause behind the closure. 43 E. 19th Street, at Park Avenue South
Murray Hill: Villa Berulia, a white-tablecloth Italian standby run by Croatians, closes on Saturday, June 27, after 45 years of service. The family-run affair specialized in house-made pastas, wild game dishes, and Croatian favorites like seafood Buzara (Dalmatian stew with sea bass, shrimp, and clams), with a NY roster of clients that included Derek Jeter and Hillary Rodham Clinton. 107 E. 34th Street, near Park Avenue
Sunset Park: Hainan Chicken House — the humble, family-owned Brooklyn mainstay for Malaysian hawker dishes, noodles, and its namesake Hainanese chicken that snagged a spot on the New York Times’ 100 Best NYC Restaurants list in 2025 — closes on Sunday, June 28. But its humble story isn’t over yet, with a relocation in the works. “We’re still hunting for our new home,” per a closing message, noting its sibling spot Kelang in Greenpoint, remains open, and there are ongoing cooking classes with its Brooklyn partners. 4807 Eighth Avenue, at 48th Street
Theater District: Legendary watering hole Sardi’s closed on Wednesday, June 24, after a 99-year run. Per the New York Times, longtime owner Max Klimavicius sold the naming rights and its highly appraised celebrity caricatures — depicting everyone from Laurence Olivier to Barbra Streisand — to deep-pocketed Broadway company Shubert Organization, which is headquartered on the same block. For the restaurant space’s next act, the same framed faces and burgundy banquettes will stay intact (along with some needed renovations), with the NYC-based Italian hospitality group behind La Masseria taking over as the new operating partner in a deal that Shubert announced this week. The plan is to reopen this fall. 234 W. 44th Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues
West Village: Saint Theo’s, the mod Venetian destination for daily pastas, branzino, and well-garnished martinis with lacquered green walls and a stained-glass back room, closes after five years on Sunday, June 28. 340 Bleecker Street, at West 10th Street
June 19
The burger at Donohue’s.Eater
Spotlight
Upper East Side: After giving advance notice back in March, Donohue’s Steak House — the old-school institution for French onion soup, London broil, chicken pot pie, and other supper specials scribbled on a chalkboard for over 75 years — closed for good on Friday, June 19. The dearly beloved diner lives on, however, albeit with some summer traffic; owner Maureen Donohue-Peters teamed up with her niece and partner, Mary Barrie, to open Donohue’s East in Westhampton Beach last summer – marking the outfit’s first foray outside Manhattan. 845 Lexington Avenue, near East 64th Street
And the rest…
Bath Beach: Pandemic-born omakase spot Neta Shari made the “difficult decision” to close on Sunday, June 21. The fledgling tasting counter offered 12- or 18-course omakase menus ($75, $125) featuring uni, toro, king salmon, aged wagyu, miso cod, and desserts like cheesecake ice cream topped with blueberry. 1718 86th Street, between 17th Avenue and Bay 16th Street
Brooklyn Heights: Plymouth Cafe — the reliable corner sandwich stop run by two brothers for the past 42 years — closed in mid-June, reports Brooklyn Eagle, with co-owner David Hong telling the pub he’s retiring. A new food-related business is reportedly moving in. 90 Henry Street, at Pineapple Street
Greenwich Village: Italian immigrant-run Villa Mosconi closed just shy of nearly 50 years of business in the same location. The long-running staple with three dining rooms showcased cuisine from the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. The building was previously flagged for sale on Colliers, and the listing appears inactive now. 69 MacDougal Street, between West Houston and Bleecker streets
Hell’s Kitchen: Open in the same year as the Y2K Times Square ball drop nearby, sports-centric Mercury Bar served its last wing on Sunday, June 21, with a going-out ceremony full of NY Knicks playoff games. “After 27 incredible years, the time has come for our final bow,” per a closing statement. 659 Ninth Avenue, at West 46th Street
Noho: Cozy Soup ‘n’ Burger, the cult NYC diner with endless coffee refills frequented by everyone from nearby college students to celebrities like Adam Sandler (and not to mention a recent cameo on Dexter: The Resurrection), closed after 54 years of business on Sunday, June 21. 739 Broadway, at Astor Place
West Village: Stylish Italian hot spot Ambra, which counted the likes of Sarah Jessica Parker and other fashionistas as regulars over the past three years, closed down its original digs on Sunday, June 14. It’s on the move, however: “We have officially secured a new home,” per the statement, with details to be announced “very soon.” Indulgent dishes include lobster pasta, veal Parmigiana, and truffle-laced pies. 569 Hudson Street, at West 11th Street.