NYC's Restaurant Shakeup: May's Biggest Closings & What's Next

May 2025 saw several notable New York City restaurants close their doors, marking a shift in the city's culinary landscape. Let's explore some of the most significant closures and what the future holds for these locations.

Notable Closings:

Vegetarian Dim Sum House (Chinatown): This long-standing Chinatown institution, known for its vegan and vegetarian dim sum, has seemingly closed. Its casual menu and affordable prices will be missed by many.

Black Seed Bagels (East Village): The popular Montreal-meets-NYC bagel shop closed its East Village location after nearly a decade. While this location is gone, nine other Black Seed Bagels remain open, with a new one coming to Long Island City.

Adda (Long Island City): This groundbreaking Indian restaurant, originally opened in 2018, closed its Queens location but has reopened in a larger space in Manhattan.

Bar Meridian (Prospect Heights): This popular date-night spot closed its doors on April 30th. However, the space is slated to become a new oyster bar later this year.

OKI (Sunnyside): After 25 years, OKI, a beloved Sunnyside Japanese restaurant, closed due to lease expiration, rent hikes, and high costs.

What's Next?

The closures highlight the challenges faced by restaurants in NYC, including rising rent and operational costs. While some closures are permanent, others lead to new opportunities and locations, demonstrating the dynamic nature of the city's food scene.