It’s a new year and another neighborhood restaurant has shut its doors. Seven Hills Mediterranean Grill served its last meal on December 31 after 16 years on the Upper West Side.
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Known for its variety of Mediterranean dishes, including Gyros, Kebabs, Pides and the eponymous Mixed Grill, Seven Hills first opened in 2007 as Seven’s Turkish Grill at 158 West 72nd Street. That year, it was featured by the New York Times in an article titled “Prices Nice as the Food,” chronicling UWS restaurants that were both good and affordable. The article highlighted the restaurant’s pides which it described as “thick, but not too thick,” adding, “You could dine exclusively on the savory appetizers like zucchini pancakes with a deliciously thick yogurt garlic sauce and a bowl of homemade lebni, the yogurt with walnuts, garlic and dill.”
Sadly, Upper West Siders will no longer be able to get any of those dishes. As of January 1, the Seven Hills website was shut down, its phone was going to voicemail, and the restaurant was closed, with a sign on the window thanking the neighborhood for “many years of delicious memories!”
We spoke to someone at the restaurant who confirmed that a dispute with their landlord created “circumstances beyond their control.” Unable to secure a new lease at a rent they could afford, Seven Hills is now forced to move out. That makes Seven Hills one of the first victims of rising rents in 2024, an issue that has long been a problem throughout the neighborhood and city.
Seven Hills tells ILTUWS that while they do hope to open again at a new location, it’s unclear when or where that will be.
Bodrum blows away Seven Hills for Mediterranean food. The last time we ate at Seven Hills, they lost our credit card when the waiter took it to be processed. They were unapologetic and never found the card. We had to cancel it. Good riddance.
Seven’s most nights was a literal Ghost Town. I rarely saw anyone in there. Food was mediocre, decent but nothing like great Med. restaurants. With the insane costs of operating a restaurant in NY you need to have Fantastic food to survive along with a great ambiance etc.
Also they had let their street cafe turn into a rat infested dilapidated mess and to me that showed how much they cared about the restaurant. Thank goodness all the sheds on 72nd were taken down. The restaurant was much better under the previous owner who had a much friendlier staff.
The reviewer must be writing about another restaurant by mistake. I’m not surprised they closed. I’m surprised they were able to stay open so long with the quality of the food they served! We tried it a couple times and then never went back. Hope someone with a great chef and who is passionate for their restaurant takes the space! It’s a great location.
Thea, they stayed open only because I gave them a Huge break on rent for many years. If they had to pay anywhere near market rent or what their existing lease said they would have been closed years ago.
Also it looks like a new restaurant will be opening in the space later in the Spring with great operators who have excellent reviews at their existing restaurant.
I will miss the food and service at Sevens as a regular for 15 years. The portions were abundant the food clean (never cutesy or fussy) fresh tasty and reasonably priced. It was the kind of place when friends were taken there they wanted to return. We never and I mean it, had a negative experience and we have been to many of the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern places. Outside of our most fave place in Astoria of that cuisine Sevens was a good default location when we didn’t want to strain the brain about where we wanted to eat.I hope in a new location is found soon. With so many vacant storefronts on the West Side it is a shonda to lose another business due to greed.
Just to clarify why Seven’s is closing, it was not because they were unable to secure a new lease (they’re existing lease went through Oct. 2027). It was according to Seven’s owners own words (in an email the owner of Sevens sent the landlord on August 31, 2023):
“Seven Hills Mediterranean is unfortunately experiencing a severe downturn
in business making it impossible to continue its operations.”
Seven’s owner failed to mention the Landlord did everything possible to help them succeed
including hundreds of thousands in rent relief (which continued way past
the end of the pandemic) referred countless patrons & parties, as well as buying
daily catering from them.
It was depressing to see the restaurant frequently empty so even though the landlord supported Sevens, the community obviously didn’t. Accepting that they failed as restaurateurs and having gratitude for what others did for them obviously didn’t cross their mind.
place was terrible – good riddance
I went there to eat once. a mouse was running around the dining room. We left and told the hostess why and she didn’t seem to care.