Monday, July 3, 2023

Eros is still 'temporarily closed,' and now fully empty

The curious saga of Eros continues... the Greek restaurant has been closed since early last August on the NE corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street.

That's when a "temporarily closed" sign has been on the front door. The Greek restaurant's website still notes that this location is "closed for renovations. Reopening TBA."

The city removed the lengthy curbside dining structure from Fifth Street — after multiple warnings — in January.

Most everything from the interior has either been removed (as of last week) or shoved against the windows along the Fifth Street side of the space... 
Eros took over for the diner the Kitchen Sink in September 2021 (same owners) ... management previously changed names from Moonstruck to the Kitchen Sink in the fall of 2015. 

We've talked to several nearby residents who said they'd welcome the return of a more diner-y-type establishment like the Kitchen Sink.

14 comments:

Eden Bee said...

On my way! They are obviously open!

Grieve said...

@ Eden

Ha!

I think I told you about the time last fall when I sent them a message via Instagram, and to me surprise, someone immediately replied. I asked when they would reopen. The person said, We are open. I'm like, no you're not. They insisted. I finally said that I was standing right out front. The person then told me to come back the next day!

Anonymous said...

The kitchen sink was an excellent diner!

Eden Bee said...

Hahah yes that's why I posted that. It is open just walk in! Lights off, no tables, no people and glass door was cracked. OPEN, I SAY!

Anonymous said...

Just reopen the diner, nothing fancy, call it Cooper Diner, and we'll forget the last ten years ever happened.

Anonymous said...

I used to eat at the Kitchen Sink diner all the time it had a good bar and a large menu of different dishes that were all pretty good. Then for whatever reason they changed to Eros a high-end Greek restaurant which was a disaster they offered a lot of the same Greek dishes that the Kitchen Sink had only at twice the prices. I just hope something good opens there and not another high-end coffee shop.

Anonymous said...

That dead vine covering the awning really screams "Welcome".

Anonymous said...

I also agree that we need a regular decently priced old school diner like the old Cooper Square or Moonstruck (or Even Kiev) Not something overpriced and forced like Remedy, just an everyday diner for breakfast and lunch.

Anonymous said...

Lower 2nd Ave has become a daytime dead zone. In recent months/weeks we’ve lost the diner, the wings place, a pizzeria, Wild Mirrors burgers, two BBQ places. Openings? More coffee shops,, bakeries and weed shops (some of which have come and gone). We’re about to lose our supermarket as NYU has again raised the rent on a business that still hasn’t recovered from the pandemic. Sad, sad, sad.

Anonymous said...

I'd been coming here since it was the Cooper Diner back in 1999. Eventually became Moonstruck, but more or less the same. It was quite popular, and I never understood the conversion to a Greek restaurant. The EV is so light on old-school diners with the loss of Polonia, Kiev and Teresa's. I can't imagine whoever owns this putting yet more money into redoing it for the umteenth time though.

Anonymous said...

I used to eat in Cooper Diner, then Moonstruck, every week. It was a great place to have a decent meal for an affordable price in a calm atmosphere. Such a shame diner culture is all but dead in this city.

Anonymous said...

Business owners need to understand the meaning of neighborhood institutions don't rely on influencer accounts and PR fanning. It's the locals who support them during hard time (aka Covid) and being there for each other during difficult times

Anonymous said...

As Moonstruck and The Kitchen Sink they were a great, a typical NY Diner. When they switched to higher priced Greek Food, they sabotaged themselves.

Anonymous said...

I’d be curious to know if a rent hike forced them into changing to a higher priced menu. They apparently have another longtime Eros restaurant on 3rd Ave in the 30’s and maybe thought the change would bring in the necessary additional funds. On the other hand, if they have closed the 5th St site permanently, why hasn’t it been on the rental market?