Telepan Local Has Closed

The windows of Telepan Local have been papered over, and there’s no note in the window—I think we can assume that it’s not for a renovation. Chef Bill Telepan’s Greenwich Street restaurant opened at the very tail end of 2013 to great anticipation, and while it had its fans, its detractors included New York Times critic Pete Wells, who slammed it in a one-star review.

(Thanks to the reader who sent in the tip!)

 

26 Comments

  1. This place never got it right. Food was generally very good, but the décor was horrible, the portions strange. Our final visit was cut short by a toddler tantrum in the middle of the dining room and parents and staff who did nothing about it. Too bad it didn’t work. The chef has obvious talents.

    • Nothing can ruin an experience (any experience) like a crying child. There has to be a way to open restaurants that have kids free days. Or just don’t allow kinds at all. I wish there were buildings that didn’t allow tenants with kids. Ugh, one can only dream!

      • I know. I feel the same way about assholes who think that they are more important than everyone else.

        • You can’t tell me that you were NEVER irritated by a child screaming at the top of their lungs as you’re trying to enjoy yourself in a public place? If you answer ‘NO’ – I may be an asshole – but you, sir or madam, are a liar.

  2. Wow, that was fast. But agree that there was always something amiss, despite some of the dishes being quite good. Not a great space, but perhaps the Harrison can move down the road!

  3. guess i can throw out the $10 off coupons I got from this summer’s restaurant week special.

  4. The menu was badly mispriced. The cakes were a highlight. Would be interested to know where the pastry chef goes (assuming it was done in-house).

  5. Too bad, but I can see why. While all the dishes were tasty, portions (& prices) were off. It never felt like a meal. Think Little Park will have similar problem.

  6. That’s a shame, had a few meals there and always enjoyed myself. The chef was often there, and took care to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves.

  7. Agree with the portion/price problem. For instance, the flatbread pizzas were great and I had an amazing squash spaetzle there but the bill would be huge. I think that small pizza was $18.

    On the kids front–kids do not belong in every restaurant, even in Tribeca. That’s why there’s Bubby’s and Sarabeth’s and the old Dean’s, etc. I don’t understand why some parents feel like their kids should be able to go anywhere they go, even when it’s more of a bar than a restaurant. I was in El Vez a while back and there were actual toddlers sitting at the bar. C’mon people.

    • On kids…. I agree that many restaurants are not appropriate for kids. But, El Vez really!? Any restaurant that offers a kids menu is clearly marketing themselves to families. Avoid the restaurants with chicken fingers on the menu and for the most part you can have a kid-free experience (and better food). In the chicken-nugget free restaurants, I find if there are kids, they are generally well-behaved and actually enjoy good food.

      • I’m guessing the objection was to the kids being at El Vez’s bar—and those of us without kids have always thought of any bar as a reliably kid-free zone.

        • Correct. They were actually sitting in the barstools next to people out after work for happy hour.

          And Telepan Local was not a kid friendly place. Also bugs me to see kids in the Hideaway. It’s a bar. A bar that serves food, but a bar nonetheless.

        • …and those of us WITH kids have always thought of any bar as a reliably kid-free zone.

      • A lack of a kiddie menu is no guarantee that you won’t have kids. I’ve had to deal with them at AquaGrille on a Saturday night. Come on, get a sitter!

  8. Tough crowd… I disagree wholeheartedly on the non-kid friendly comments. My boys loved the restaurant, and the watercress was amazingly a favorite of theirs. You don’t need a kid’s menu if the kitchen is flexible in how they prepare and send out the food, and Bill and his kitchen staff were exactly that. And to that point they made an effort to change the menu to meet initial resistance. Our family will miss this nice alternative.

    BTW, I think it is illegal to have minors sitting at any bar although they can be in the barroom.

  9. I’m generally fine with kids in restaurants, including places like Telepan. It’s good to expose kids to something outside the usual mac-and-cheese and chicken nuggets junk. It’s bad behavior that’s the issue, and for that I blame clueless parents, who ether stare at their menus or phones while their little darlings throw a fit or run laps around the table, or attempt to negotiate and reason with their little toddlers flinging Cheerios all around.

    .

  10. i loved the food but the portIon size / prices made me never want to go back. I hate leaving a place feeling like I’ve been suckered. And I love well behaved kids and respectful parents at any restaurant.

  11. Telepanned by the Locals

  12. Kids in restaurants aren’t the problem. Parents who fail to supervise & instruct kids on how to behave in restaurants are the problem. Like people who MUST look at their cell phones during movies, or people who MUST own dogs but don’t understand what “curb your dog” means (or do & think their dog’s poop isn’t all that offensive?) or bikers who think their workout/speed supersedes the safety of pedestrians and children. You get the idea…

  13. What ever happened to a good,friendly and sincerely warm restaurant.
    Apparently, anyone who can fry an egg immediately wants to jump to Fugu souffle and then scatter shaved truffle ad nauseum. Why are diners happy to see the chef pinballing between tables, regalling aforementioned self confessed gourmands on how the eggshell was cracked with one blow of his mighty arm! When will we, at last, see the last of the all black clad army of staffers whose every move is programmed. Finally, it may be “Freds Restaurant” but, a lot of peoples efforts make or break Fred

  14. GLAD ITS GONE!!!
    I was soo embarrassed when I took a guest here literally some of the poorest service I have experienced , Portions that were not small not large simply Strange.
    Never had a vibe.

    How about Boulud Super Sud??? I can dream Cant I

  15. GLAD ITS GONE!!!
    I was soo embarrassed when I took a guest here literally some of the poorest service I have experienced , Portions that were not small not large simply Strange.
    Never had a vibe. Message to Top Chefs BAD SEVICE CAN SINK YOU!

    How about Boulud Super Sud??? I can dream Cant I

  16. Just had the same exact experience at Wolfgang’s. Sitting in the bar, enjoying a $100 kid-free brunch (left ours behind at home for this experience)… and, in a very uncrowded restaurant, they put a high chair and stroller right next to our table as we heard a baby whine when she dropped her bread on the floor and another child was banging his legs against the banquette. Honestly, the entire restaurant was open, and the manager said that they had reserved that very table right next to ours. We could have been at Gee Whiz for this!

Comment: