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History of Tribeca Buildings
Nish Nush has closed to make way for a new building
Nish Nush, the hugely popular Mediterranean vegetarian on the corner of Church and Reade, has closed. This has been the site of a proposed building since plans were filed last April, but I think none of us were prepared for the end of this Tribeca staple. (Thanks to L. and R. for sending the marshal’s notice taking possession and photos.)
Their online ordering system is now dead. I’ve had no luck trying to reach them — even last April when this news first broke; I hope they are looking for another Tribeca location — otherwise this is a huge loss.
“I was still processing the heartbreaking news about Madeline at Duane Park Patisserie (still), when I walked by Nish Nush to discover they’ve been closed!” R. wrote. “It’s a lot to take in over the course of a week, and both of these closures will have a real impact on me and others in the neighborhood.”
The Department of Buildings has unapproved permits filed on May 10 for an eight story, 82-foot residential building with 24,680 square feet total. (Oddly there is also a permit for a walk-in freezer filed in March.) The excavation will not go deeper than 12 feet, according to the permits. The DOB notes say there are still objections on that application. The drawing below is a massing study for a slightly taller building proposed in 2025.
The current two-story building, 88-90 Reade (aka 176 Church), was built in 1953 and is in the Tribeca South Historic District, but clearly was not a player in the designation (see below). The site is 50 x 60 feet. A mortgage was last taken on the site in 2011 for $3.5 million.
Nish Nush opened in 2012 and was a go-to spot even on its first day. (That space used to have Mike’s Papaya.) Owner Eyal Hen also has the restaurant 19 Cleveland in Nolita.
There is a piece of history here: From 1773 to 1802, the lot (which extended about 30 feet further east prior to the construction of the IND subway line in 1928-30) was set aside by Trinity Church as a burial grounds for its African-American parishioners.
From the historic designation report:
The building was designed by M.E. Ungarleider and constructed in 1952-53 for Reade Street Associates Inc. Faced in glazed orange brick, the second story has large bays of windows with multipane sash. The first-story storefronts are replacements. The present building replaced two five-story store and loft buildings constructed in 1860-61 for the firm of Harral, Risley & Kitchen, druggists.
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This is sad news. So few vegan and vegetarian places in lower Manhattan. I hope they find a new location nearby.
I agree! This was my neighborhood vegan go-to.
Tribeca has become a waste land of
relatively affordable restaurants. It’s a joke.
High rents. Small residential population. Little sidewalk traffic. More, better and cheaper options south and west.
Tribeca has the poorest community planning board in the US. There isn’t infrastructure any longer. The Nish Nush closure is a metaphor for the blow out happening in Tribeca. It seems the politboro has spoken.
So sad! Sooooo sad.
Heartbreaking, one of the best and most affordable spots in the neighborhood and a great place to eat with the windows open in the later afternoon. There are no other casual mediterranean spots like this nearby.
I’ll miss Nish Nush. Even sadder that we’re only getting a 8 story building in its place. Within a block or two we have multiple 15 story buildings—no reason we couldn’t have more apartments in this footprint.
Oh good, more “luxury lofts”. Is the mayor demanding a quotient of “affordable” apartments at the site?
We have plenty of empty storefronts in Tribeca, but it’s almost impossible for a place like Nish Nush to afford the rent in any of them. Who are these landlords waiting for? (Yes, I know. Another Chipolte or Blank Street.)
What makes you think it’s the landlords keeping the stores vacant?
Would-be tenants are often dissuaded by other factors. For example, opening a new restaurant requires navigating a swamp of draconian regulatory agencies, like Department of Buildings, FDNY, Department of Health, State Liquor Authority, etc. Code enforcement has gotten ever more arbitrary.
The insanely high rents don’t help.
I was curious about the reason why the notice was titled “Marshal’s Legal Possession” so I did a little research. It appears that there was a longstanding failure to pay rent by Nish Nush. The landlord (NJ Funding, Inc.) had brought a lawsuit against the tenant (Tribeca Hummus Inc. d/b/a Nish Nush) and its owner (Eyal Hen, who had guaranteed the payment of rent) to collect back rent. In a decision issued in July 2025, the NYS Supreme Court found that the tenant had not paid rent in 19 months and ordered further submissions to determine the final amount owed.
I could not find a final judgment (it may be behind a paywall), but the Marshal taking possession probably means that the tenant and the guarantor failed to pay the amount the court determined to be due, and the landlord called on the Marshal to enforce the judgment.