Photo by Bobby Panza
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A high-profile food hall on the Upper West Side may be heading for its final course.
Harry’s Table by Cipriani—part market, part restaurant, part luxury food experience—is expected to shut down this fall. According to a filing with the New York State Department of Labor, the venue is planning to lay off all 72 of its employees by November 1, citing “loss of contract” as the reason.
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The closure, if finalized, would mark the end of a short but splashy run.
When it opened in 2022 inside the Waterline Square development, Harry’s Table wasn’t shy about its ambitions. The New York Times said it “might be the city’s most luxurious food hall.” It was more of a Cipriani experience than a classic multi-vendor setup—featuring a pizzeria, fish counter, gelato bar, and curated Italian imports like canned yellow tomatoes in confit.
You could come for a slice of pizza, take home fresh tortellini, or book a private room for a party. There were Italian cooking classes, a cocktail bar, catering, and delivery. Eggplant parmigiana and tiramisu were plated with Cipriani flair.
But it may not have been enough.
Reached by Crain’s New York Business, which first reported the news, a person who identified himself as the manager said staff had been told the food hall would close on October 31. Still, he admitted the decision wasn’t yet set in stone.
Neither Cipriani nor GID—the real estate firm behind Waterline Square—has offered public comment. GID purchased the development site, which spans three residential towers along Riverside Boulevard between West 59th and 61st streets, back in 2015 for $676 million.
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Harry’s Table now joins a growing list of food halls that have struggled to keep up. Gotham West Market in Hell’s Kitchen. Northend Food Hall in Washington Heights. Citizens Market Hall in Hudson Yards. All have closed their doors in recent months. The food hall boom, once a defining trend of urban dining, seems to be cooling. Estimates suggest the number of food halls citywide dropped to about 25 at the start of this year—down from more than 30 pre-pandemic.
Still, it’s not over yet.
Two newcomers—Shaver Hall in Midtown and Time Out Market at Union Square’s Zero Irving—are expected to launch this fall. The appetite for food halls may be changing, but it’s not gone.
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Did seem a little out of the way and high rent. Can’t just rely on traffic from people paying $8000 a month in rent for apartments. There has to be a reason for those with more average incomes to seek out the place, or at least some of the places. Yes, I realize there was just pizza place that wasn’t super pricey — but then there was very highend butcher.
There’s a nice food court for Asian food on Mainstreet in Flushing, cue up “Exile on Mainstreet” and get yourself to the 7 line.
A shame, they just seemed to be finding their groove. Their initial opening was delayed, then they had some kind of pipe issue and water damage, then finally opened but were reconfiguring often. Some counters closed or shifted, their restaurant Bellini closed, but then finally it seemed most nights were busy in the last few months. I walked by just minutes ago and there were 60+ people in the main area. The café is busy in the mornings. But it’s a big space, feels relatively isolated in the neighborhood, prices are high, and the Empellon in Waterline Square has also been closed for a while. It will be very empty for the large luxury developments in the area if this goes through.
I can’t imagine anyone going out of their way to go there unless they lived in the area. I did not even know this place existed.
That area might as well be Cleveland to me, I never have any reason to be in that bland excuse for a neighborhood.
I was interviewed twice for a job there before it even opened. And while I didn’t get a job, I could see and sense that the place was not going to survive very long. Just got that vibe.
Ian Alterman,
True, the food court part, not the bar and terrace, was incredibly loud.
Don’t know how the designers/owners expected to get a lot of repeat customers lingering over a meal + drinks.
Except that most of it, save the pizza, was too expensive, even for the market, it would be great in an airpot.
Never liked the vibes of this place. Too full of themselves; high prices; they never understood their out of their way location. Good riddance.
They had a relatively captive & upscale audience surrounding them and yet couldn’t get traction-simple answer is the food wasn’t compelling (regardless of price point).
As a maven of retail, restaurants and all things new in NYC I made a special trip to spend an afternoon in the area & get some snacks (drinks or more) here. There wasn’t a single thing that was irresistible or tempting and was disappointed by the overall experience. No hospitality element or highlighted items that were showcased…just boring and basic. Too bad because the description and value proposition were so engaging!
Repeat customer here. We will miss the space, ambiance and the food. They needed some serious marketing as most people do not know of its existence. Hope they find a replacement quick.
I don’t get all the negative comments about the Food Hall. It is beautifully designed with some great seating areas and bars. Its in a beautiful location and I always found the food to be excellent. I always made a special trip in the mornings from 72nd St. to got there. They also spent a ton of money to make a beautiful installation. Very sorry to hear they are closing.
Odd. Comments are allowed here but not on the piece about the “Palestinian” restaurant.
I noticed that too. Because anything less than blind chanting adulation would be labeled “Islamophobia.” Feh.
Is it pro-Palestinian or pro-Hamas, one wonders? All these pro-Hamas protestors at Columbia need a place to eat I guess.
When they need to “re-feed” after a grueling, debilitating hunger strike that lasts as long as an episode of “Only Murders in the Building”.
uws,
What pro=Hamas protestors at Columbia. Name them, and cite what you think is pro-Hamas.
Further, there’s an ongoing war between Hamas and Israel, one that started years before Oct. 7th 2023. Then Israel let Oct. 7th happen, the fence guards on the Israeli were told not to patrol that morning.
I was initially very excited about this place. It looked lovely and the food (and coffee) was good (albeit pricey). But they never seemed to get their act together — the service was always slow and confused. I thought it would get better as time got by, but it never did.
On top of this, they had what I would consider a cleanliness/Board of Health problem: people would bring their dogs (not service dogs, just pets) indoors, and allow them to wander around the space. No employee would do anything about it. The day I saw a dog nosing around in a cart holding napkins and silverware was the last day I ate there.
I hope they find a new restaurant there — it’s a nice location if you live in Lincoln Square.
Terrible news – great location for family friendly dinning…
I hope they manage to stay open. We frequent this place at least once a week…