Updated 2/15: While the Milon sign remains in place for now, Panna II has opened for dinner service inside the space
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As we wrap up the year, there's another restaurant closure to note. Milon, the Indian-Bangladeshi restaurant that first opened here on First Avenue at Sixth Street in 1982, has quietly gone out of business, according to multiple sources.
That might not come as a surprise to anyone who's walked by here in recent months. The gate has remained down since the PAUSE went into effect in March. In addition, there isn't any room for outdoor seating.
Back in the summer, Royal Bangladesh on the lower level quickly grabbed up the curbside seating space, as you may have noticed in the middle of
First Avenue after high winds. They've been serving from the back garden of late. (Their hours seem a little unpredictable.)
Upstairs neighbor Panna II eventually reopened for takeout and delivery and later indoor dining at 25 percent. They temporarily closed again when Cuomo's second indoor dining ban went into effect early December.
We had been waiting for confirmation from someone affiliated with Milon. (The phone has been disconnected.) The closest we got was an EVG regular who spoke with a worker spotted entering the locked-up space.
Robert Sietsema at Eater provided history of Milon, Panna II and Royal — who've competed for costumers and the highest electric bill for decades at 93 First Avenue in this
post from 2016.
As for Milon's decor:
It takes awhile for your disbelieving eyes to adjust, because the space is hung with thousands of tiny colored lights. Some are Christmas lights, but others are stars, hearts, and red-hot chiles. These descend from the ceiling, as do dozens of banners for seemingly every nation on earth, like a United Nations on acid.
While Milon and Panna II had been catering to the Instagram crowd in recent years, locals still find the restaurants a comfort on evenings away from the weekends. Some have feared that the indoor-dining ban could mark the end of the so-called Curry Row.
