David Sigal on Twitter lets us know the sad news that the Village Den has closed.
photos via David Sigal
I was dreading this inevitability. Because nothing decent can stay.
The Village Den was one of the last places in this part of town where you could get a regular, affordable meal, not surrounded by horrible people.
And another New York diner is gone.
(The owner says to go try his sister's place, the Bus Stop Cafe on Hudson Street.)
Presumably another victim of Amazon...
ReplyDeleteThe food and service in the past few years left A LOT to be desired.
ReplyDelete20 years ago it was my go to place
"Because nothing decent can stay." Well, I don't know if that actually a rule anywhere - even in Manhattan. Traditional Diners (greasy spoons and more elevated coffee shops) are, by dint of value and cost of service, slowly ushering themselves out of expensive markets - sadly, of course. It's simply a response to the world's formulae. What's sadder still is that the extant ones cost twice as much as they did 15 years ago. What's fun about a $13 cheeseburger deluxe? Fun was the Munson Diner on 11th Avenue - horrid place with grey food. $5 meals, including tip. That was fun.
ReplyDeleteMy go-to Diner for decades; I called it my “alternate living room.” I will dearly miss this place. Thanks for the wraps, the turkey burgers & the kind staff. Hard to process this one.
ReplyDeleteIn years to come, I suppose, people will lament the closing of Starbucks, Dunkin' Donut, Subway, just as we did, Horn & Hardat, Nedicks, Bickfords.
ReplyDeleteThe Waverly Diner has filed for bankruptcy protection too.
ReplyDeleteI love this website, but had to stop reading regularly, it just got too depressing.
ReplyDeleteIt is sad to see what is happening to our city, I think it may be time to leave.
This is too painful . .
ReplyDeleteVillage Den was hurt badly by the loss of St. Vincents hospital. It's incredible it stayed in business this long after the closing. They raised their prices and the quality went down a little. Still, their Thursday chicken pot pie was a great deal. They'll be missed. Any word on the fate of the mural?
ReplyDelete"...not surrounded by horrible people." That just about says it all. As a former long-time New Yorker, I find it so painful even to return for a visit. The last time I was in the Village I felt as if I were in a Disney version of its former self. There was no sense of it as a neighborhood, filled with friends and interesting, useful shops. All I found were European and Asian tourists, designer boutiques and twee precious restaurants. I am so happy to have known it when it truly was "The Village."
ReplyDeleteDoesn't waverly own the building?
ReplyDeleteThis is so sad. Spent so much time at the Den. It was our meeting after the meeting place to go for so long.
ReplyDelete