Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Cute But Cacophonous Pulino's To Close
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2013
Modified Oct 17, 2013
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 .
Katie Sokoler / Gothamist
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2013
Modified Oct 17, 2013
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
The warmly illuminated but acoustically atrocious Bowery restaurant Pulino's will close at the end of the year. The food was hit or miss, too. I ate a first rate heirloom tomato and Buffalo Mozzarella dish there that has yet to be beat anywhere, but the opening pizza menu from talented chef Nate Appleman proved underwhelming. The place, which opened in 2010, was beautiful but deafening—you practically had to shriek to be heard by the person sitting across from you.
Nate Appleman eventually left (he wound up at Chipotle!) and was replaced by Tony Liu, who introduced a rustic Italian menu. But that didn't seem to make a difference; Pulino's never caught fire the way owner Keith McNally, the highly-esteemed restaurateur who also owns hotspots like Balthazar, Minetta Tavern, Pastis, etc., hoped. In an email to Eater, he blames himself:
Through no one's fault but my own Pulino's hasn't fully worked and I've decided to change it quite radically. The restaurant will close for extended alterations the first week of January and reopen in the middle of March. It will reopen as a small French restaurant called Cherche Midi and the chefs will be Shane Mcbride (currently executive chef of Balthazar) and Daniel Parilla (currently head sous chef of Minetta Tavern). Shane will be the Executive Chef of Cherche Midi and Daniel the Chef de Cuisine. Both are extremely excited to begin on the project.
In 33 years I've never had to close a restaurant. So on the plus side I'll finally be first at something.
Keith McNally's gonna beat this thing, you guys. Light a prayer candle at your nearest house of worship. [Via Eater]
Tagged
keith mcnally
pulino's
why god
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
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
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
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 .