Halal Guys, the New Haven outpost of a New York chain which offered gyros on the Green, has closed its doors for good.
Workers were moving chairs, signage and drink coolers out of the restaurant on Tuesday morning, loading it all into a truck parked on Chapel Street. When asked, one worker said the eatery was closing its doors permanently.
A sign at the entrance of Halal Guys had said for several weeks that the restaurant was temporarily closed due to water issues.
Halal Guys opened with fanfare at 906 Chapel St. in fall 2016 as the 15th outpost of the chain, which started with a food truck offering cheap and tasty Mediterranean food in New York City. At the time of its opening, managers said they would be hiring 30 people, according to the New Haven Independent.
That block of downtown — bordered by Chapel, Church, Crown and Temple streets — is now home to multiple vacancies and several shuttered restaurants, including Barcelona and Cask Republic.
A sign on Barcelona, an upscale Spanish eatery, says it is closed temporarily. Cask Republic, a purveyor of beer and elevated pub fare, has no signs up in its windows and appears closed for the long term.
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker, speaking at an event Tuesday at the New Haven Re-entry Welcome Center, said the city was quickly regaining its urban vitality.
“Obviously the pandemic has certainly had an impact on businesses,” Elicker said. “Remarkably, there have been more businesses opening during the pandemic in New Haven than closed, which is a good sign. We are seeing in general a very active downtown, a lot of the business in the service sector being much busier now.”
Liese Klein can be reached at lklein@newhavenbiz.com.
