Zi' Pep has closed at seemingly jinxed East Ninth Street location

Zi' Pep opened in November on East Ninth Street between Avenue A and First Avenue... The owner based the Southern Italian eatery on the East New York restaurant, Pep's, that his grandparents ran from 1935 to 1972, as Grub Street reported.

Anyway, Zi' Pep is now closed... and the owner and chef are now focusing on their Italian sandwich shop in Tribeca. Here's the official message about Zi' Pep:

It is not without regret that we are closing Zi' Pep, but as they say, we were made an offer we couldn't refuse. This is for the best, as now we'll have the opportunity to focus on our friends & family over Pane Panelle. We thank you for your patronage, and look forward to seeing you in Tribeca.

The Zi' Pep space had been on the market for several months... per the listing, the rent is $9,000 plus $175,000 for key money.

This looks like a tough sell for a restaurant. Zi' Pep is the third eatery to close here in quick succession, following Olivia and Sintir.

We'll see what gives this space a go next...