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Odessa Restaurant, A Late Night East Village Oasis, To Close
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 12, 2020
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 12, 2020
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Odessa Restaurant, a longtime Ukranian eatery and favorite last stop for late night East Village party people, is closing next Sunday, July 19th, a worker at the diner confirmed. The employee declined to offer any further details, only noting that it was a decision made by "the boss."
Opened in 1994 on Avenue A across from Tompkins Square Park, Odessa was a 24/7 spin-off of the Odessa Bar next door. The bar dated back to the early '80s, and finally closed in 2013 after a 33 year run. We marked the sad news at the time by advising readers to "Say goodbye to your youth. The East Village is dead. RIP old New York. The rent is too damn high. ETC." (An upscale bar with a rock & roll aesthetic called the Black Rose subsequently reopened in the space.)
The reasons for Odessa's closure were not immediately clear, but we'll update when we find out more. The diner is currently open for one last week, for delivery and pickup only. (212-253-1482)
Thank God at least Lucy's is still open... for now.
[h/t Michael Hirsch]
Tagged
east village
odessa
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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