On the outside, it would seem that the restaurant space at 905 Lorimer Street is cursed. The corner lot seems like prime real estate, across the street from McCarren Park. So, why haven’t the past few restaurants at 905 Lorimer succeeded?
On the opposite corner, local mainstay Five Leaves has served the neighborhood for 15 years. One theory is that Five Leaves would fill up and subsequently, send customers across the street to 905 Lorimer,…
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Greenpointers has covered Greenpoint & Williamsburg since 2007 — community boards, rezoning fights, local businesses, and the people whose lives and work give the neighborhood its character. Local news is collapsing across the country, but we're still here: independently owned, no corporate backing, no paywall. 18+ years, 280k+ monthly readers and followers, funded by the community we serve.
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Cool World was awful – bad service, mediocre food, small portions, high prices…this is why it failed. Bring back Xilonen! That food was amazing and it had a take out window for anyone who didn’t want to sit down and wait.
Xilonen was my favorite restaurant in Greenpoint (and my favorite in that space for the 18 years I’ve lived here) and I miss it every time I pass by!
Excellent historical reporting for a small local electronic newspaper.
If there is a Pulitzer Prize for something like this you and Greenpointers should win it.
I once saw a rat the size of a small dog run wildly through Lokal on a busy summer night. Quite a crowd had gathered because this rat was absolutely enormous, and some guys in a car had been chasing it up Lorimer Street trying to catch it with a trash can? I’ve always felt there was more to the story.
And yes, that spot is definitely cursed.
Xilonen was fantastic! My wife and I went the first week and were blown away. The timing of that covid spike was unfortunate; that’s the only reason that makes sense why it didn’t last. Never checked out Cool World because we saw the prices on the menu posted outside. Whew!
Insider tip
The monthly rent is over 35k a month
That’s why everyone fails
The rent must be real high based on the prices charged by the exrestaurants there. Maybe a more relatable menu with realistic prices can survive.
guys… you are missing the most obvious piece of this “puzzle “ which is the rent. ask any industry insider how much rent should be as a percentage of sales and you will quickly realize it doesnt work for most restaurants
I was so disappointed when cool world closed – the food, concept and branding were all super well done and probably ahead of thier time – I just wish I’d known they were closing in advance so could’ve enjoyed that phenomenal wedge salad one last time…
Xilonen wasn’t really my taste in food, concept or (over)branding
Lokal was so weird, ugly (that sign, those weird glass windows!) and uneven that it was celebrated when it finally bit the dust. How it survived as long as it did was the great mystery. What followed was a concept that belonged in Hudson Yards. Too fancy for the neighborhood vibe at the time. Five Leaves opened when the neighborhood was still less discovered and never tried too hard yet always excellent. The neighborhood vibe has changed so much now I don’t know what works. I got so disgusted, I moved to Austin.