Months after its lease went up for grabs, Kenny Shopsin's famed West Village restaurant Shopsin's seemingly has served its last meal. Reports Gridskipper, which broke the news this morning:
It looks like this past weekend was truly the last for the West Village institution. A tipster reports that on Saturday, a horde of brunch hopefuls amassed outside the door. The staff, however, was only letting in regulars. Our tipster, a regular, said the atmosphere was moribund as the whole Shopsin family sat in a booth looking forlorn.The closing, it seems, wasn't rent-related; rather, the pressure and pace of catering to so many diners caught up with the family. So where next? A booth in the Essex Street Market on the Lower East Side is the plan. Opening in a few months, it will consist of "a sandwich stand and maybe a counter," says Gridskipper—an odd next chapter for a true neighborhood legend.
· Shopsin's RIP [Gridskipper via Eater]
· Shopsin's Lease Up for Sale [Curbed]