{"id":450665,"date":"2025-12-16T09:47:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/450665\/"},"modified":"2025-12-16T09:47:35","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:47:35","slug":"lupa-in-greenwich-village-is-likely-closing-for-good","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/450665\/","title":{"rendered":"Lupa in Greenwich Village is Likely Closing for Good"},"content":{"rendered":"

If former Batali-Bastianich spot Lupa isn\u2019t about to close for good, it\u2019s clear that\u2019s a possibility, as restaurant brokers are shopping the 2,500 square-foot spot to multiple restaurateurs. Back in January, Stephen Starr bought the two restaurants<\/a> that helped define the careers of Mario Batali and his right-hand chef Mark Ladner, after the two spots sputtered out following the Batali sexual assault scandal of 2017<\/a>. Babbo reopened in late October,<\/a> with Ladner returning to the New York scene with a new high-profile restaurateur. Lupa, on the other hand, hasn\u2019t made a peep. Babbo was the more renowned of the two, having presented New York diners with a fresh take on Italian cuisine, complete with a Batali-endorsed rock playlist. Lupa was the more rustic sibling, where Ladner helmed the kitchen; it opened in 1999, a year after Babbo. At the moment, the going rate for the Lupa space at 170 Thompson Street, at West Houston in Greenwich Village, is $47,000 a month. The Starr folks have declined to comment.<\/p>\n

Laurel Bakery is opening a new location<\/p>\n

Starting Wednesday, December 17, according to an Instagram post<\/a>, Cafe Mado <\/a>announces that Laurel Bakery<\/a> is taking over its coffee counter \u2014 and will open a new location next door to Mado in the coming months. Laurel Bakery originally opened <\/a>in Brooklyn\u2019s Columbia Waterfront at 115 Columbia Street, at Kane Street, in April 2024. All-day Cafe Mado opened the following month<\/a> at 791 Washington Avenue, at Lincoln Place in Prospect Heights. Both places come from Redwood Hospitality\u2019s Nico Russell, Steve Wong, and Piper Kristensen behind Place des F\u00eates <\/a>in Clinton Hill. The trio intends to open the original restaurant they closed, Oxalis<\/a>, in a new location soon, too. A spokesperson confirms that the Laurel Bakery opening on Washington Avenue will be its second standalone location, with the original remaining open, as well as the daytime one at Margot restaurant<\/a> in Fort Greene.<\/p>\n

A Park Slope Mexican spot is closing<\/p>\n

Casa Azul, the Park Slope Mexican restaurant that\u2019s been open for seven years, is closing on December 31. The owners announced on Instagram<\/a> that the Seventh Avenue spot will shut down after what they describe as a difficult decision. In the post, the Casa Azul team thanks regulars, neighbors, and staff for their support.<\/p>\n