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Our Sophie’s Cuban has closed permanently
The Tribeca outlet of the local chain Sophie’s Cuban Cuisine, which also has a restaurant on Fulton and four more uptown, has closed permanently from all signs and a few tips from readers (thanks to A.). And while I have not heard back from the owners, the website no longer lists Chambers Street as a location. They announced on Instagram that they also closed 23rd Street in the Flatiron after 11 years.
But if you need a fix, the other downtown location is 76 Fulton between Gold and Cliff; UPDATE: a reader reports that New Street is also closed permanently. New Street at Beaver is still closed for now. There’s also Sixth Avenue and 37th, 45th Street, 68th Street, 56th Street and Smith Street in Brooklyn.
Sophie’s was born downtown: Peruvian immigrant Manuela Matos had been cooking out of her kitchen for more than a decade (she started her business in the ’60s with a food stand in Lima) when she hired Cuban chef Eduardo Morgado to open her first brick-and-mortar restaurant. In 1997, Sophie’s Cuban opened on Greenwich in the shadow of the World Trade Center; two years later she opened another on Pearl, then another on New Street, and a fourth on Maiden Lane in June 2001. Neither Greenwich Street nor Maiden Lane locations survived 9/11. But Matos continued to open restaurants around the city, at one point operating nine.
When the family first came to the city, Matos enlisted her kids to help prepare Peruvian dishes at night to sell at food stands and soccer games during the day. But when it came time to open a restaurant, she thought Cuban food would be more popular here so she researched the recipes, dishes and culture and hired Morgado to tweak the menu. Her daughter Sofia Luna is now president of the business.
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This was closed well before the pandemic as far as i remember.
I ordered from the Fulton Street location a few days ago (they deliver to TriBeCa or at least to me and whoever else in my part of it) and the guy who took my order told me the New Street location has also permanently closed, so Fulton is the only Sophie’s Cuban below 37th Street : (
Boy do I miss Mariachi’s for their vegetarian burrito.
Chipotle’s VB is better than EVERY place making one in TriBeCa but I don’t want to get e.Coli, sorry. That’s how bad the other places are. Green peppers in one? Mushrooms in another? Pureed pinto beans in yet another? Hello – rice, beans, guacamole, cheese, etc. with optional regular vegan sour cream please? Thanks!
Fresco Tortillas @ Church & Reade makes the absolute worst one BUT they have a DELICIOUS black beans with melted sharp cheddar cheese soft flour tortilla for only $2.50 or so each (two or three will fill you up.) One of the last good cheap eats in the neighborhood. I highly recommend that.
UPDATE:
Fresco Tortillas AND Burrito Mariachi around the corner from each other are closed, too. Taco House right across from BM closed awhile ago. All three had crappy food but their soft flour tortillas were good.
So all TriBeCa has left Mexican food-wise is Los Tacos, Zona, and Serenata plus the two Chipotles. Also West Side Coffee Shop but they’re a goner, too, once that entire building is demolished.