35 Popular Restaurants That Won’t Reopen After the Pandemic

A staple in Flemington, a Hunterdon County town southwest of Newark, for almost 30 years, Jake’s was a combination fine-dining restaurant and sports bar. The owners announced on April 9 that their temporary closing had become permanent.

Opened in 1976, this prime rib restaurant, also noted for its salad bar, announced at the beginning of April that it had shuttered for good. The loss of wedding and catering business was a contributing factor.

This two-year-old establishment in the Syracuse metropolitan area became the first restaurant in Central New York State to announce that it would not reopen once the coronavirus shut-down ended. The owners decided in late March to pull the plug, noting that their lease was due for renewal soon anyway.

The most famous restaurant to shut down for good in the face of the pandemic — so far — Gotham had recently weathered the departure of chef Alfred Portale, who had been in charge of the kitchen for more than 30 years. However, a statement by a spokesperson explained, “the unforeseen situation created by the coronavirus has made operation of the restaurant untenable.”

Opened in 1989 by noted Manhattan restaurant mogul Keith McNally, this SoHo bistro initially provided takeout and delivery services when in-house dining was banned, like many other places. It stopped doing that in late March, before announcing in April that it would not be reopening. McNally — whose other restaurants include the acclaimed Balthazar and Minetta Tavern — was himself hospitalized in London with COVID-19 in early April.