See the list of Lower Hudson Valley restaurants that closed in 2022
The end of the year is always a reflective time — of looking back and looking ahead. Which means thinking about what opened in the restaurant world in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam, and also what closed.
The bad news: A lot closed, with three spots announcing their demise this month (The Grange in Larchmont, El Barrio in Scarsdale, Baby Duke's Kitchen in Mamaroneck and Momiji Japanese Restaurant in Harrison, after a 40-year run). While some restaurant owners saw optimism — we counted 81 new dining establishments this year with at least 12 more opening in the next few months — many saw a new reality and challenges.
"The government programs of 2020/2021 like the PPP and ERC [Employee Retention Tax Credit] helped the industry survive but kind of just delayed the pain," said Milan Dobrilovic of Norcina in New City. "Also the COVID relief money in general distributed across the country and world has now brought on this very difficult inflation situation. Everyone’s money is tight and costs are at an all time high."
Indeed, businesses lucky enough to survive 2020 and 2021 were introduced to a new world in 2022. Product costs, product availability, customer spending habits, labor rates, etc. are not what they used to be. "This was a year we had to accept all this as the new reality for what I think is possibly the rest of the decade," he said, adding that for restaurants to survive, owners need to start changing or think about changing some of the traditional restaurant/bar business strategies.
Manhattan: Where to eat for the holidays
Rockland: Seven restaurant openings; more coming
Westchester: 19 new dining options
Here is a list of restaurants that closed in 2022. Spot any we missed? Email JRMuchnick@gannett.com.
Agnello's Pizza, New City
Aldo's Pizzeria & Restaurant, Bronxville
Baby Duke's Kitchen, Mamaroneck
Bambu Restaurant & Steakhouse, Port Chester
BLT Steak, White Plains
Broccoli's Luncheonette, Dobbs Ferry
Brookside Tavern, Valley Cottage
Caffe Classico, Yonkers
Casa Del Mare, Upper Nyack
Chef Antonio Restaurant, Mamaroneck
Christopher's by Chef Joe (later renamed Giordano's), Larchmont
Coals, Bronxville
Dinh Dinh Kitchen, Bedford Hills
Dobbs Dawg House, Dobbs Ferry
Dragon Den & Dungeon Hall, Nyack
DVine Bar, Sparkill
Flour & Sun Bakery, Pleasantville (though owner says she's coming back!)
Graziella's Italian Restaurant, White Plains
Go Greek, Pelham
Golden Wok Cafe, Ardsley
Good Choice Kitchen, Ossining
Hand Held Kitchen Food Truck
Ichiro, White Plains
Il Barrio, Scarsdale
Il Castello, Mamaroneck
Kennelly's Grille House, Congers
Looking East, Armonk
Mary Ann's Mexican, Port Chester
Maple & Rose, Mamaroneck
Marcello's, Suffern (New Year's Eve party with final days in January)
Momiji Japanese Restaurant
Murph and Eddy’s, Mamaroneck
Niko's Greek Taverna, White Plains
PB Pizza & Beer, Yorktown Heights
Pizza Bar, Eastchester
Pom Pom Bistro, Pearl River
Rosina's Coffee Shoppe, Yonkers
Shaking Crab, Yonkers, Nanuet, Mount Kisco
Skinny Buddha, Mount Kisco
Sloppie Joe’s (the stand, not the food truck)
Sweet & Salty's, Valley Cottage
The Bit, Dobbs Ferry
The Briars Restaurant, Ossining
The Grange, Larchmont
The Pink Iguana, Peekskill
The Tap House, Tuckahoe
The Quarry, Tuckahoe
Two Villains Brewing, Nyack
Unico, Hartsdale
UnWined Kitchen, Baldwin Place
Vietnam Central, Nyack
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @lohud_food or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: List of Rockland, Westchester restaurants that closed in 2022