[Photo from Saturday night]
After 10 years on Seventh Street, Porsena has closed. Saturday night saw its final service out on the socially distant curbside seating.
We heard rumors that Porsena was shutting down over the weekend. Management confirmed the news yesterday in a message to us:
We are all sad. It was a sort of a quick decision when we realized our landlord would never work with us in any way. We couldn’t continue to owe more money. So so sad as Porsena definitely deserved to survive.
Sara Jenkins opened her low-key pasta-focussed trattoria here between Second Avenue and Cooper Square in 2010. It garnered positive reviews and found a loyal following. The Porsena Extra Bar debuted next door in 2012.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy took a last look inside on Saturday evening...
As The City recently reported, "many New York restaurants are within months — or even weeks — of running out of the resources needed to stay alive."
The NYC restaurant industry is being crushed by the triple whammy of high rents, ever-changing new city regulations on outdoor dining and disappearing customer base.
19 comments:
This is so very sad. Porsena was the epitome of a neighborhood restaurant worth a visit from anywhere.
I still miss those amazing pork sandwiches at her tiny long ago Porchetta space on 7th st
This is terrible. We love this place so much
Sad to see them go but question... what is going to happen to that huge outdoor seating area they built??? Valuable parking space for neighborhood cars.
Who are these people that always worry about valuable parking space?! I own a car in the city and couldn't have more disdain for street parking.
Parking space is not so valuable as compared to space for humans to live pleasantly and safely in this uniquely crazy and dangerous time. The spaces that were once free car storage should stay as use for people.
Spot on 11:13! The city should permanently allow outdoor dining like this and should also charge for all street parking to raise revenue to help offset the giant hole in our
LOL anon 11:13 - that is use for people. It's a road for transportation and people use cars for many reasons... that is a shared use for people. Enough. This is about Porsena, a great place!
Now this is truly a tragedy.
This is just the beginning, it’s going to be dozens of places closing a week soon. The rest of NYS has had indoor dining without a corresponding rise in cases, time to let NYC restaurants survive as well. Six feet apart in a restaurant in Queens is no different from six feet apart in Westchester.
so sad! my favorite restaurant!!!
What’s a neighborhood car? Every car from every state is allowed to use the space now
We had so many family celebrations here and it was where we would Suggest To anyone asking about dining in the area. Such hospitality from their crew. Such a loss :(
Noooooo, I love Porsena and the lovely people who work there. I have my birthday meals there. I've written about it. I've recommended it to complete food snobs and gloated when they inevitably love it. Where will the staff go?? Oh, dear.
What are landlords thinking? That someone else will take a risk on starting a restaurant in this economy? WORK with your tenants, these known quantities that have spent time and money improving your space. Craven knuckleheads.
Porchetta was so good... Seems like almost everything good dies in NY, even before corona
Not that long, relatively. Porchetta sandwiches and the sides were delicious. Much more interesting than Porsena ever was.
Anon 1:27PM: "Six feet apart in a restaurant in Queens is no different from six feet apart in Westchester."
I'm guessing you've never been to update restaurants. They are CONSIDERABLY larger than NYC joints - especially those in the EV. So yes - 6 feet apart in Westchester is VERY different than 6 feet apart in the EV.
@Bushwick. Immaterial. Larger places will be able to have more distanced tables, but the rules and distances are the same. get it now?
@Bushwick, you’re spewing literal nonsense, six feet is six feet, it will be the same rules everywhere. Larger places will be able to hold more tables, obviously, so larger places are more likely to survive this mess. There’s zero reason NYC restaurants shouldn’t have the same chance to survive as the rest of the state.
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