26. Abigael’s
Broadway’s two-story fine dining restaurant Abigael’s, which featured a global Kosher menu, permanently closed in May. The eatery succumbed to COVID-19 and was one of the first eateries to close to protect staff and their families. According to Eater, Abigael’s will still be available for catering and from its concession stand at Madison Square Garden when it reopens.
Popular starters at Abigael’s included vegetable crudite with house-made chips, herb crusted salmon Nicoise, award-winning chili, and a number of sushi selections. Main courses ranged from blackened salmon to chicken dijon to herb-crusted sea bass, which were all above $33.
Chef Jeff Nathan wrote a heartfelt farewell post on Facebook: “For us at Abigael’s on Broadway, we stressed when the COVID 19 Pandemic hit New York City. We worried for the safety of our employees & their families. Therefore, we were one of the first restaurants that opted to close up shop for the duration of the outbreak, with big plans for opening again as soon as possible. Unfortunately, COVID 19 has taken a toll on the restaurant industry, too. Sadly, we have made the difficult decision to not re-open Abigael’s as a dine-in restaurant. For nearly 25 years we have been one of the original fine dining kosher restaurants in NYC. This was the final year on our lease and our partner of 35 years is ready to retire. With all these lost months, it is no longer practical for us to continue with the grand plans we had.”
Additional reporting by Kelly Glisson and Nicole Saraniero