If former Batali-Bastianich spot Lupa isn’t about to close for good, it’s clear that’s 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 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. Babbo reopened in late October, with Ladner returning to the New York scene with a new high-profile restaurateur. Lupa, on the other hand, hasn’t 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.
Laurel Bakery is opening a new location
Starting Wednesday, December 17, according to an Instagram post, Cafe Mado announces that Laurel Bakery is taking over its coffee counter — and will open a new location next door to Mado in the coming months. Laurel Bakery originally opened in Brooklyn’s Columbia Waterfront at 115 Columbia Street, at Kane Street, in April 2024. All-day Cafe Mado opened the following month at 791 Washington Avenue, at Lincoln Place in Prospect Heights. Both places come from Redwood Hospitality’s Nico Russell, Steve Wong, and Piper Kristensen behind Place des Fêtes in Clinton Hill. The trio intends to open the original restaurant they closed, Oxalis, 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 in Fort Greene.
A Park Slope Mexican spot is closing
Casa Azul, the Park Slope Mexican restaurant that’s been open for seven years, is closing on December 31. The owners announced on Instagram 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.
