East Harlem's Mountain Bird Restaurant Closes Permanently

EAST HARLEM, NY — Mountain Bird, the popular French restaurant that has operated out of multiple locations around Harlem since 2013, closed its doors permanently this week.

The announcement appeared Monday on the restaurant's Instagram page, saying that the eatery on Second Avenue and East 111th Street would not reopen after closing temporarily last month.

"We would like to thank you for all your support and kindness," reads the message, which was first reported by Harlem Bespoke. "Hopefully someday somewhere we can serve you again."

Mountain Bird first opened in 2013 on "an uninviting stretch of 145th Street," according to Esquire magazine, which named it one of the best new restaurants in America in 2015 and called it "a miracle."

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Focusing on poultry, chef Kenichi Tajima and his wife, owner Keiko Tajima left their original location in 2015 and set up a temporary pop-up on 110th Street later that year. They moved permanently to East Harlem in 2019, filling a space once occupied by Harlem Shake.

Last April, Forbes profiled Mountain Bird after it pivoted abruptly to take-out service as the coronavirus swept New York. Keiko Tajima told the magazine that the restaurant would need rental assistance — not just loans — in order to survive the crisis.

The restaurant has also played an integral part in recent community events organized by Uptown Grand Central, opening a pop-up shop on the Pleasant Avenue Open Street last summer and dishing out hot drinks and soups during a December holiday market.

Industry advocates have called on the U.S. Senate to pass the RESTAURANTS Act, a bill with bipartisan support that passed the House in October and would provide more than $100 billion in grants to independent restaurants, small chains and catering companies.