Brooklyn restaurants temporarily close in droves

Due to Covid exposure and out of an abundance of caution, many local eateries are closing down until after Christmas

Vinegar Hill House, Gage & Tollner, Leyenda, Fausto, Bonnie’s. Area diners are experiencing a flashback to March 2020 as a murderer’s row of Brooklyn restaurants either shut their doors or moved to take-out only over the weekend and into Monday. At least this time, there is a sense that most of these shut downs are temporary and precautionary. LaLou on Vanderbilt, for example, closed down last week after a staffer was exposed to Covid, but was able to reopen by Friday.

Still, even within the past 36 hours, a number of Brooklyn restaurants halted service because of employees either coming down with the virus or had been exposed to it, sparking some staffing issues in an already crunched industry. It also doesn’t help that testing lines are stretching around the block and results are taking a while to come back.

It’s happening during a particularly tricky time with Christmas just around the corner and many people hoping to travel. On Sunday, New York recorded an all-time record case count for this year with nearly 23,000 cases with roughly half of those cases being in the city.

Some places chose to close for a day or two and others extended it for the next week. Here’s what some Brooklyn-area restaurants are doing. Here is a partial list.

Vinegar Hill House
The Dumbo restaurant announced that it’s temporarily closed out of an “abundance of caution” and didn’t give a date when it plans to reopen.

Rule of Thirds
Similar to VHH, this Japanese restaurant in Greenpoint said it’s “closed until further notice.” It originally closed late last week because of a Covid-19 exposure.

Bar Meridian
The Prospect Heights bar said it’s staying closed until at least December 27 because of “staffing shortages & concern for our community.” It also added an appropriate #fuckcovid hashtag to the Instagram post.

Ode to Babel
“Sitting a few days out Fam 🤎 BACK WEDNESDAY 12.22nd,” the artsy Dean Street cocktail bar and small bites hangout posted over the weekend.

Pheasant
The Mediterranean restaurant in Williamsburg temporarily closed its doors over the weekend and is planning to stay closed until December 28.

Five Boroughs Brewing
The brewery in Sunset Park closed its taproom on Sunday because of the rising number of cases. Five Boroughs is usually closed on Monday through Wednesday, but it said that it will “re-evaluate the situation this week and communicate any additional changes to our taproom hours accordingly.”

Bernie’s Restaurant
An exposure to Covid forced the Greenpoint restaurant to close for the entire weekend. It’s usually closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, however a note on its website is unclear when it plans to reopen. “It is our hope to welcome you back as quickly and safely as possible,” the restaurant said.

Bonnie’s
Opened just a few weeks ago by a former Win Son chef, the buzzy new Cantonese-American restaurant has shut its dining room “due to the rapid rise of Covid cases.” However, it’s accepting takeout orders through its Instagram until further notice.

Win Som
The Taiwanese-American spot is also shutting its dining room. Beginning Tuesday and lasting through Thursday, it will be take-out and delivery only. Indoor dining returns on December 28.

Leyenda
The Smith Street cocktail bar and restaurant specializing in Latin spirits, cocktails and food, announced Monday that it would shutter until December 27. “It’s just too crazy out there with Omicron to stay open,” the restaurant announced in Instagram.

Clover Club
The pioneering upscale cocktail bar, which shares a co-founder with Leyenda, also announced Monday that it would be closing until the 27th. “Due to the rise in Covid cases we have decided to temporarily close to protect both our staff & community,” the bar announced.

Gage & Tollner
Downtown Brooklyn’s historic oyster and chop house first opened 1879. Its grand re-opening was delayed by more than a year after the initial onset of the coronavirus. On Monday the restaurant announced that they “have decided to temporarily close our dining room in an effort to safeguard our staff and our community against the virus.” They will re-open December 29.

Fausto
The acclaimed Atlantic Avenue Italian eatery closed down indoor dining over the weekend, but remains open for take out and delivery. “This decision was not easy to make, but our community’s safety is our first priority,” they posted on Instagram. “We look forward to safely welcoming everyone back later this month and wish you a happy and healthy holiday season.”⁣

Frankie’s Spuntino
The beloved Court Street Italian restaurant—along with sister restaurant Frank’s Wine Bar—has suspended operations until December 27. “This pause will allow us to continue to proceed as cautiously as possible as the city and restaurant community gather information on the safest next steps,” they wrote.