Monday, December 30, 2019

Tree Bistro closes after tomorrow


[EVG file photo]

Tree Bistro, the quaint French restaurant at 190 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street, closes after service tomorrow (Dec. 31).

Ownership shared the news via an email to customers:

It’s with lots of love and sadness that we must let our extended Tree Bistro family know that the night of Dec. 31 will be our last day of business.

We hope some of you will be able to stop in for a goodbye, and we thank you all for 12 magical years. tree has weathered hurricanes, snowstorms, and the vagaries of being one of the few remaining small independent restaurants in NYC, and we have loved every minute of it in our beloved east village neighborhood.

We made it to No. 1 on TripAdvisor a few times, but more important, we made so many friends — first dates to weddings to baby showers — and in at least one case all t(h)ree! So many magical times and much laughter at 190 first avenue. But for those who remember it from our menu, it is time for the story of tree to come to an end, for now.

Not mentioned in the farewell: The October 2018 fire next door that forced Tree Bistro out of business for nearly eight months. The six-alarm fire that started in Uogashi at 188 First Ave. wiped out Tree Bistro's garden dining area ... and caused other damage inside the 12-year-old restaurant.

Tree Bistro reopened without the back space in June ... closing briefly again for more work in late July.

H/T EVG reader Steve!
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6 comments:

  1. afbpDecember 30, 2019 at 6:27 AM

    i'm NEVER the smartest person in the room---having-said-that---UNTIL landlords are assessed a SUBSTANTIAL penalty for their greed/uncaring attitude for the neighborhoods they choose to invest in---NOTHING WILL CHANGE---ie. after 90 days empty storefronts MUST be covered with
    'decorative' decals AND 50% of the base rent paid to NYC---let's stop the BS :)

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  2. GiovanniDecember 30, 2019 at 1:07 PM

    This is a shame. Whenever I went to Neptune Diner and sat in the back yard eating pierogis, there was always a decent sized crowd over at Tree having a nice time. I guess they never recovered after the big Uogashi Sushi restaurant fire next door, and now all three restaurants —. Neptune, Tree a Uogashi — are gone. But hey, at least we have Detroit style pizza.

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  3. ShazzizDecember 30, 2019 at 2:42 PM

    I hate when any mom & pop shop closes but that says, in my experience, Tree’s food has been going downhill for years. I’ve never enjoyed a meal there which is unfortunate because the backyard is glorious. Still sad to see a local joint go... but I won’t miss this one.

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  4. angelaDecember 30, 2019 at 5:11 PM

    Sad news. Best roast chicken...like maman made.

    ReplyDelete
  5. equilibristDecember 31, 2019 at 9:21 AM

    The garden was lovely, but I still miss the food at Brunetta’s more than I ever liked the food at Tree.

    ReplyDelete
  6. UnknownDecember 23, 2021 at 10:47 AM

    My favorite place in NYC

    ReplyDelete

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