Porsena has closed for good on 7th Street

[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.

Porchetta returns (for 6 weeks) to 7th Street

As we first noted back in November, Porchetta closed on Seventh Street between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Matt Lindemulder (co-owner along with Porsena's Sara Jenkins) told us that they'd hope to find another location soon for the quick-serve restaurant, which specializes in Italian-style roast pork sandwiches and platters.

Grub Street reports that, starting today, Porchetta returns "as a six-week lunchtime pop-up" at Porsena Extra Bar, the Porsena spinoff restaurant that Jenkins owns at 21 E. Seventh St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

Grub Street notes some menu additions, including rigatoni with porchetta ragù and porchetta mac ’n’ cheese.

Porsena Extra Bar opens at 11:30 a.m.