c/o Abigail’s
Abigail’s, the Upper West Side restaurant helmed by Chef Ash Fulk, has permanently closed after just one year in business. “Our last service was Sunday night, and we will be closing,” Fulk confirmed to ILTUWS.
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“We opened a restaurant with the design of the perfect neighborhood restaurant, which is something that got lost in the pandemic and got lost in the shuffle,” Fulk, an Upper West Side resident, shared with us.
He and his team envisioned a gathering place for locals, hoping to rekindle a sense of community dining that has seemingly faded in recent years. “New Yorkers used to all go out 5 times a week. We were very hopeful that we could start the trend again. But the neighborhood spoke.”
While the closure is disappointing, Fulk remains grateful for the support Abigail’s did receive. “I want to thank the community for the support they gave us, and I want to encourage them to go to local restaurants, local businesses. Go there, and go out. Keep New York, New York.”
Abigail’s closure is part of a troubling trend on the Upper West Side, which has also seen the loss of staples like St. James Gate, Shakespeare & Co., and Silver Moon Bakery. “The neighborhood is struggling. And it’s not for lack of trying,” Fulk emphasized.
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As for what’s next for the space Abigail’s occupied, the future remains uncertain. “It’s a permanent closure for now,” confirms Fulk. “But who knows? The future is untold.”
With economic pressures affecting both restaurants and diners, eating out can feel like a luxury. Still, Abigail’s closure reminds us that we need to keep showing up for the restaurants we love. The more independent businesses that close, the closer the Upper West Side comes to losing its signature character.
Credit to @garsleat for alerting us to this closure.
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This neighborhood is becoming a big heap of vacant store fronts. It’s so sad. As UWS residents living right in the neighborhood of Abigail’s this is a huge blow on top of losing Silver Moon & Shakespeare & Co this month as well. What is going on??
I miss Street Taco!!!!!
I just (reluctantly, I’ll admit) moved to 104 and west end 2 months ago leaving behind the heart of the UWS for more space and so far it’s been closure after closure only making me feel like I made the wrong decision 🙁 I’m so disheartened by all the emptiness and the fear of what that will bring
Call Gail Brewer she’ll know what to do. LOLOLOLOLOL
I’m in a similar place and 100% understand. Just stay positive. Let’s see what moves in after. Things don’t always stay vacant. We could be going through a bottoming process.
The space (Abigails/Street Taco as well as several others between 99-105th were recently sold. It could play into it.
Welcome to the neighborhood. I moved up here from heart of UWS about 20 years ago. The closures have been pretty bad recently and it’s definitely lost some of its nightlife up here, but there are still many great places around. Plus new things open up all the time like a new wine bar on 106th & Broadway and Tsumo Sushi (a new Omakase place on 98th & Amsterdam). Try Koko Wings (Korean wings), Awash (Ethiopian), Mama’s Too (Fancy-ish Pizza), Sal & Carmine’s (basic pizza), Dive 106 (dive bar with surprisingly good food), Smoke (Jazz club), Arco Cafe (amazing Sardinian Italian food), Manhattan Valley or Anar (good Indian), Manhattan Diner (a favorite diner), Effy’s Cafe (mediterranean-style cafe), Amity Hall (sports bar), Marlow Bistro & Eli’s Wine Bar (both Mediterranean places slightly upscale), Thai Market or Living Thai (thai), & Banh (Vietnamese). Bunch of other places a bit north near Columbia University too. Hope you find some things you like!
The rents are too high…
I assume that means the street taco take out is closing too
I’m still trying to figure out what food made with love & care tastes like.
Go to Arco Cafe on 103rd & Amsterdam, I can’t say enough good things about them!
From someone who finally moved out of Midtown, take it for me. The city is falling apart with high rent, overpriced, restaurants, congestion, pricing.
It’s not what it used to be
Perfect? Hardly. The food was mediocre at best.
Exactly
why not believe what the former tenant said – people don’t eat out often enough anymore to sustain these restaurants like they used to.
Important to clarify that Silver Moon is likely closing due to a family dispute (landlord with documented history of violations refusing to renew lease as his sister is a co-owner of the bakery) and not business conditions!
While I’m sorry for Abigail’s and don’t want any businesses to fail, the food and service here was very poor. I hope whatever takes its place has better fortunes.
Please neighbors.
Consider that failed leadership in this city and federally, the taxes, the burdensome regulations on businesses, the overly aggressive NYC approach to Covid, the NYC approach to crime, our WDB former mayor, and the very hard truth. . . . All of the above has led to mounting issues and pices so high, that we are all staying in way more than we were. Don’t just blame landlords all the time. The only landlords doing well, have owned their building for years versus debt/mortgages. It’s not them onlym Any new business has to deal with high rates for loans to open their businesses or buy and lease buildings; the inflation, post Covid, due to unnecessary runaway spending federally and in NYC, has all contributed. Not to mention that we are all, admit it, not as comfy walking home at 10.30/11, as we used to. In my first twenty wears on UWS, i might have been asked for money once, going out 5 nights weekly minimum. Travelled for work often and my wife would go out on her own, np. Just not the same now. In past 5 years, we cant go out without a shouting match on the street, bums at subway, scaffold vultures, etc. We are all NOT doing NYC, or UWS, like we did. Most of it can change, but as a city, we continue to complain about businesses more than we support them. We behave as if businesses owe us something. Trying to rent the commercial space in our building, which has struggled with our space, the board put up more regs and fees than ideas on how to win in the neighborhood. No wonder it takes forever to find good tenants.
If the feelings expressed here were turned into action and support, we can, in time get back to where we were. Unfortunately, the people of this city fail to recognize that we continue to vote in leaders that fail us. And the next mayor, nor the current guvna, the jackass DA and AG, none, are the right people to turn this around. Here is to the future, with hope. ?
Restaurants are failing because their prices reflect the cost of doing business. And that cost, sadly, has become too high for modest earners who live on the UWS. I would LOVE to support all the restaurants in my neighborhood. But I can afford to go out only once every two or three weeks now instead of weekly. Sorry, restaurants, it’s not your fault. It’s just the reality.
Maybe that’s just a bad place for a restaurant.
I have lived on the Upper West Side (in the 90s) since 1977. I can’t remember how many up/down cycles/phases I’ve seen the area go through.
But there have never been so many closings and empty storefronts. It’s a reflection of the uncertainty of the times and the economy.
I do remember being able to afford eating out locally several times a week and I was definitely not making a lot of money. I especially remember how cheap (and good) Chinese food was. Today, one entree is more than an entire appetizer and entree was decades ago.
The problem is partially the cost of doing business with the high rents, food costs and the like.
A lot of high-priced restaurants in different parts of the city are sustained by businesspeople who bring clients and whose meals are covered by expense accounts. You are not likely to find that kind of restaurant in the more residential neighborhoods of the Upper West Side (not saying the quality doesn’t warrant diners with big wallets, whether their own or a company’s) these days, however.
I miss the many, many affordable local spots that closed over the years, including a hole in the wall little diner; seafood stores, restaurants, diners and delis. . The prices at our local diners are so high that you’d think you were in a fancy starred restaurant if you look at the prices on the menu.
It is disheartening to see all the empty fronts but hang in there. Things do change although the days of affordable restaurants, alas, may be permanent unless building owners get less greedy (And yes, it does cost money to maintain a building but let’s be clear, some owners are just as happy to keep an empty storefront and get tax deductions if they can’t get the rates they want. Take away the deductions and you might see a decrease in rents!)
The only places that saw any kind of success IMO was Mama Mexico (1990’s) and whatever Mexican restraint was there afterwards. It’s a really big space so the cuisine or theme should be something for large groups to enjoy. Anyway, less and less people can afford to eat out anymore. Anyone want to place any bets on the wine bar off the corner of 106th and Bway? I give it less than a year too. And good luck to super nice slice on 108 n Amsterdam, because what the neighborhood really needed was another pizza place. *sigh*
Good. More closings, please. In the market system, if you have more empty space, less profit for greedy landlords. Go ahead, eat your losses. Stay vacant for years. Ge’ ahead! I don’t go out anymore, I live in the UWS since 1970, it’s a crying shame the prices for just regular food. PLUS TIP. I can afford it but I refuse to be pilfered because these restaurants have to deal with the high rents.