Lansky’s Deli, the Jewish-style deli on Columbus between 70th and 71st Streets, has closed its doors because it simply couldn’t keep up with rising costs, according to a sign posted to the door.
The restaurant had become a mainstay for locals, and drew large crowds on the weekends. But it apparently fell victim to the same rising rents and other costs that have spelled doom for other local businesses in the past few years.
Lansky’s, owned by local restaurateur David Ruggiero, has dealt with its share of drama recently. It was hit with some nasty vandalism last year that Ruggiero said included Anti-Semitic scrawlings. Ruggiero has also had financial troubles with his restaurants in the past, with some of his restaurants declaring bankruptcy at one point in 2011.
But the breakfast foods and sandwiches were solid. Some were very solid, like the Coney Island knishwich: a potato knish cut in half and topped with corned beef, pastrami, muenster, coleslaw & Russian dressing.
It’s been a rough day for restaurants and bars on the Upper West Side — we broke the news today that 70-year-old bar Emerald Inn is going to be replaced by a Kate Spade store.
We have lived on the U.P.W.S. since 1972. This neighborhood needs good, inexpensive neighborhood restaurants that have good food,drink. There is a lack of such places that cater to the neighborhood and aren’t noisy or cater to the youth market.
Agreed! Enough of the $20 Pasta Primavera dishes people.
This isn’t a place we’ll miss on the UWS. Inconsistent food quality and it always seemed staffed with indifferent hostesses/waiters.
Enough with these landlords who are tripling their rents. They are killing our neighborhood.
I agree with all of the posters so far–landlords stink in the area (rents are too high and local business cannot thrive, and at the same time the $25 pasta entree places are just missing the boat on the type of casual dinner places we want up here on the UWS). All of that said, this place SUCKED. Good riddance. The food was hit and miss, it was dirty, the staff was lame, and guess what, the prices stunk too. Stick to Artie’s. It always amazing me when a business like this even last a few months, it was a total miss. Like, did the owner ever go in and actually try to order a meal? Did he taste the food? BYE!
Bloomberg and greedy owners dream 2025
Welcome New Yorkers. Salary less than $250,000 need not apply.
The place was awful. It was ok for $3 beers and $1 sliders. That was it.
Everyone is so quick to judge. Try running a business in this shitty economy and pay the outrageous rent that is the UWS in addition to the labor dept and the health dept and the vendors and not to mention nasty customers such as ones that have posted comments here. Good luck with your “thriving” neighborhood and enjoy take out.
It is good that it happened He has been scamming people for years there is a pattern with all the places he owns they all file bankrupsy and then he claims them all for himself…..dont be suprised if it reopens as a chinese rest and owned by him ……i hope the people who write about this in the papers they should do a story about him and fraud….the feds will get him soon and all the people he screwed i dont know how he can be walking around but of luck in you future scams
I’ll take what people think is a lousy deli over an upscale women’s boutique (or bank branch, or national clothing chain store) any day. [I actually liked Lansky’s, so that apparently tells you my taste, and no doubt discounts my opinion.]
This place was awful and way too expensive for what it served – the Chinese before them was at least decent. UWS seems to finally be making some progress on the restaurant front though still uneven for a neighborhood with so many mid-high income families.
And now a note on the door, directly under the one in the photo shown here, says the space is not available for rent. Any guesses what that means, other than another bank or high-end retail store has already locked it in? Options in the neighborhood where a couple can grab a bite for less than $100 are rapidly dwindling.
I LIVE ABOVE LANSKYS AND THE LANDLORD TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE CURRENT ON THE RENT AND MAKING MONEY…AND THAT THE STORE WAS NOT FOR RENT BECAUSE DAVID WAS OPENING AN ASIAN REST AT THE SAME LOCATION…..CAN YOU FILE BANKRUPSY AND THEN OPEN A NEW PLACE…WHAT HAPPENS TO ALL THE PEOPLE HE DOES OWE MONEY TO….I HOPE THE INVESTORS IN THIS NEW PLACE KNOW WHO THEY ARE DEALING WITH HOPEFULLY HE WONT LET THE SAME STAFF BACK IN TO RUN THIS PLACE
I actually heard it will be a Mexican concept by same owner
Doubtful. He owns Jalapeno a block away. And the italian donut place right next to that.
Darn – A really nice, fun place with great food. I’ll miss it a lot!
Loved going here for a bite to eat after a game. Great food service although touch and go with the servers
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Am sad about Lansky’s. Sent all London based colleagues there. U will be missed!