New York isn’t exactly known for its barbecue, but the city is home to some impressive smoked meat joints. Next year, it’ll be missing one of those restaurants, though.
Blue Smoke, the Union Square Hospitality Group barbecue restaurant, will close in December, Eater N.Y. reported on Monday. The Battery Park City location opened more than a decade ago, and it outlasted the original outpost in Flatiron, which shut down during the pandemic.
“At the end of the year, Blue Smoke Battery Park City, a satellite of the original Flatiron location, will close its doors after 12 years in business. Union Square Hospitality Group will support all team members during this transition, offering opportunities to explore roles within the larger company,” USHG said in a statement shared with Robb Report. “Although there are no immediate plans for a new location, we remain hopeful for Blue Smoke’s future revival that extends beyond its four walls.”
Outside the restaurant
Francesco Sapienza
Blue Smoke first debuted in 2002 with the opening of the Flatiron location. The restaurant was one of the leaders in New York’s barbecue renaissance, Eater noted, and it helped spearhead the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party, which has been going on for about 20 years. While the Flatiron outpost closed in late 2020, the Battery Park City location was able to hang on, with the chef Christine Espinal Rosa at the helm. Open for just a couple more months, the restaurant will hold events that honor its 22 years in operation.
Union Square Hospitality Group, the restaurant group that Danny Meyer started almost 40 years ago, has undergone quite a bit of change in the past few years. In 2022, Meyer stepped down as CEO of the company, although he’s remained on as executive chairman. And last year, a couple of the group’s other restaurants closed: Maialino (vicino) and Marta. Located at the Redbury Hotel, the two spots shut down when the property began housing asylum seekers.
Even with the closures, USHG is still responsible for some of New York’s most notable restaurants, including Gramercy Tavern, Ci Siamo, Union Square Cafe, Manhatta, and the Michelin two-starred the Modern at the Museum of Modern Art. But New Yorkers will no longer have any Danny Meyer-backed smoked meat in their life.
