The dining room of Storico, which closed last year to make way for Clara, also now closed.
Two eateries within the walls of the New-York Historical Society, Clara and Cafe 77, have closed within just a year of opening.
“The restaurant and cafe business is very challenging,” a spokesperson from The Oberon Group, which operates both establishments at 170 Central Park West (and W. 77th St.), told Eater.
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Clara first opened in fall of 2023, filling the shoes of Storico, a beloved Upper West Side restaurant that served the community and museum goers for more than ten years. Clara tried to match the classic and historical style of the surrounding museums and Storico, which we called, “an exhibition in its own right,” with its Victorian woodwork and 19th century China.
Clara was named after Clara Driscoll, who ran the women’s glass-cutting operation at Tiffany Studios at the turn of the 20th century, according to The New York Times. The space at Clara included a number of Tiffany pieces, a nod to the New York Historical Society’s Gallery of Tiffany Lamps.
The menu, created by Diego Moya, also featured callbacks to 20th century New York, offering, “contemporary takes on classic New York dishes,” according to its website. At its grand opening, unique menu items included Lobster Newburg and Charlotte Russe.
Cafe 77 offered more grab-and-go options for museum visitors, but got off to a bit of a rough start at least according to our coverage of the November 2023 opening. The space previously housed Parliament Espresso and Coffee Bar.
The Brooklyn-based Oberon Group’s other operations include three Brooklyn wine bars (June, Rhodora, and Anaïs), Rucola (a Northern Italian spot in Boerum Hill), and the Accord Market in the Catskills.
“We’re looking for new operators,” a museum staff member told Patch. Hopefully the space on the corner of W. 77th St. and Central Park west will be filled quickly.
It was an awful restaurant. The food was not good and the bar was a mess. The wait staff were poorly trained. No customer relations at all. I’m very happy that it closed. Perhaps the vetting will be better the next time. Include folks that actually enjoy fine dining.
This is my point of view.
As much as I was thrilled this place opened and was primed to love and frequent it (I live and work close by), I was taken aback by how rudely the maitre d’ treated me when I arrived my first time. They were going to be closed that evening for a private event, but when I phoned earlier that day, I was assured that I could sit outside for a drink if I arrived early enough. When I related this and explained my intentions, the man snapped at me, said no one would have told me that, and then edged me physically out the door. I was truly shaken by the interaction and vowed to never return. I’m happy it has closed, rendering that man unemployed.
I love that museum (I’m a member and go often) and I want a restaurant there that serves the neighborhood, not only special occasions. But they need to offer good food and drink as well as a friendly face. Fortunately we have no dearth of places that do so, just one and two blocks away on Columbus.