LOWER EAST SIDE — Lobster Joint, one of a boom of seafood eateries that's popped up around the city in recent years, is closing its East Houston Street location next week, the restaurant announced on Facebook.
“Unfortunately, due to the continuing growth and development in the neighborhood, we must vacate our current address, despite our great success on Houston Street,” it said in a statement posted on social media, as well as its website, on Wednesday.
News of the closing was first reported by Bowery Boogie.
Bob Levitt, who co-owns the restaurant with Tommy Chabrowski, said the landlord told them they had to leave by the end of the month. Levitt said the closure was brought on by "real estate development" but he did not know what was planned for the site.
"I just know we have to go," he said.
Levitt called the situation a "heartbreaker."
"We really loved being part of the Lower East Side," he said, noting the the business has been successful since it opened two years ago.
The restaurant, located on Houston Street between Ludlow and Orchard streets, serves what it calls “New England comfort food,” a variety of seafood dishes like raw oysters, lobster rolls and crab cake sandwiches. Its flagship location in Greenpoint will remain open, according to Facebook.
To celebrate its run in the Lower East Side, the restaurant will host a closing party on its last day, Nov. 16, which will include an all-day happy hour with discounts of booze and seafood, according to its website.
Jack Dell, who owns the building as well as Katz's Delicatessen, confirmed that there were plans for development, but declined to elaborate because that details had not been finalized.
Dell made a deal to sell the building's air rights to a developer, which he has declined to identify, according to reports. The developer, according to Downtown Express, has been rumored to be Magnum Real Estate Group's Benjamin Shaoul, who owns several properties in the neighborhood.
Dell said there were no bad feelings between him and Lobster Joint's owners.
"They are two of the nicest guys and run an amazing business," he said. "It's been a pleasure working with them the past couple of years."
Meanwhile, Levitt and Chabrowski are looking for another spot in the neighborhood, Levitt said.
"We love [the Lower East Side]. We're coming back for more — that's our attitude anyway," he said.
