It seems like not a week goes by that we aren’t sharing the details of yet another Upper East Side favorite that has closed its doors forever— and sadly, this week has been no different. Add Green Kitchen’s popular First Avenue location to that list– after 91 years, the team has said goodbye to its original UES diner.
“To all our valued guests and friends, it is with great sadness that we announce the closing of Green Kitchen on First Avenue on Sunday, July, 31st,” begins a message posted on the front door of the restaurant located at the corner of East 77th Street.
“We want to thank all of our wonderful patrons and employees for supporting us over the years and especially through the pandemic,” the note continues.
Green Kitchen’s original location at 1475 First Avenue was an Upper East Side institution, founded in 1931 and slinging breakfast, lunch and dinner around-the-clock ever since.
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In 2006, the Lenox Hill fixture got “a complete makeover,” according to the New York Times, “turning it into a sleek modern cafe.”
“We have served hundreds of thousands of guests and employed hundreds of people over the years and each one has felt like family,” Green Kitchen said in their note.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to be a part of your lives.”
Green Kitchen tells Upper East Site that after decades at the corner of First Avenue and East 77th Street, the restaurant suffered a common, yet still hard-to-swallow fate— it was unable to reach a lease renewal agreement with their landlord.
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For now the team says it will focus its efforts on their fabulous Second Avenue location, whose menu is as impressive as the subway tile work that lines the interior and exterior of the restaurant.
That’s not to mention the recent installation of an elaborate outdoor floral display that dazzle customers and passers by alike.
Green Kitchen’s Second Avenue restaurant, at the corner of East 84th Street, opened in November 2018 and quickly became a hotspot for hungry Upper East Siders and those looking for a few drinks with friends in a comfortable, familiar, yet upscale environment.
It also doesn’t hurt that both the food and the ambiance are easy on the eyes and very Instagrammable.
“It has truly been our greatest honor to serve you in times of celebration as well as in times of uncertainty,” Green Kitchen wrote.
“If you start to miss us as much as we will miss you, please come visit it us at our Second Avenue location.”
We definitely will, we hope you do too.
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