The Writing Room Restaurant Closes After 6 Years On UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Writing Room had big shoes to fill. But for most of a decade, the restaurant drew steady crowds and favorable reviews in the space once occupied by Elaine's, a legendary Upper East Side hangout.

Owners Michael and Susy Glick opened up in December 2013 at Second Avenue and 88th Street, two years after the closure of Elaine's, an institution that hosted guests from Marlon Brando to Jackie Kennedy to John Lennon to Andy Warhol, according to a New York Times profile.

The new restaurant's name paid homage to the generations of writers who called Elaine's home since it opened in 1963, the Glicks told the Times in 2013. The new business was notably spiffier than what came before it, boasting a black-and-white tiled interior outfitted with literary memorabilia.

Overcoming initial skepticism, the Writing Room lasted nearly seven years — until the coronavirus pandemic finally forced its closure on Sept. 27.

"Ultimately the challenge of operating a casual fine dining restaurant through the Covid-19 restrictions proved to be too much to overcome," a Thursday Instagram post by the restaurant reads. "It has been a great ride...filled with smiles, toasts, celebrations, tears, dates, parties, brunches, engagements, weddings, family dinners and more."

The restaurant's closure was first announced last month in an email to customers. The owners did not return an email request for comment.

The pandemic's crushing impact on New York City's restaurants has been well-documented — according to one recent study, 83 percent of eateries in the city were unable to pay their full August rent.

This article originally appeared on the Upper East Side Patch