Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Park Slope’s Growing Ghost Town
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 28, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 28, 2008
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
This weekend Gowanus Lounge was first to note the unexpected closure of the 2nd Street Cafe at Seventh Avenue in Park Slope. The decade old restaurant, which on weekends had all the charm of a daycare center on adderall, had undergone a major renovation last summer. OTBKB hears word from a former employee that he/she was given just two days notice. Part of the ever-widening quicksand consuming New York restaurants? No word yet on the reason for the closure; calls to the restaurant are going unanswered.
Gowanus Lounge sees a tumbleweed trend here due to the obscene rents on Park Slope’s Seventh Avenue, which is growing increasingly untenable for any businesses besides real estate brokers and national chains: “The closure makes the third empty storefront in a single block and what will be a fourth when another bookstore closes as scheduled. Add two other vacant storefronts and it makes six within three blocks.”
There’s a slight splash of good news further south in the Slope; the long-awaited opening of Beer Table seems finally within reach. The husband and wife team behind the specialty beer tavern have been waiting almost six months for their liquor license, despite earning the coveted approval from the community board. A spokesman for the Liquor Authority tells the Times that “there is a two-year backlog in the area that includes New York City and that a six-month wait is not unusual.” On Thursday the couple learned that they’ve been “conditionally approved” for a license and have the audacity to hope for a Saturday opening.
A question for Park Slope diners: How broken up are you about the 2nd Street Cafe closure? In the past, our few attempts to get brunch there were distinguished by interminable waits for lackluster food. Is anyone really going to miss it?
Photo of 2nd Street Cafe via The Gowanus Lounge.
Tagged
2nd Street Cafe
beer
beer table
city
closed
closure
good news
gowanus lounge
liquor license
new york
new york city
On Thursday
park slope
real estate
restaurant
Seventh Avenue
The Gowanus Lounge
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .