Today marks the final week of service at Edith Eatery & Grocery, a Jewish restaurant and grocery store that aspired to be a modern-day Zabar’s when it opened in Williamsburg last year. Owner Elissa Heller announced the decision. Post on social media on monday morning. Sunday, May 28th will be her last day at 312 Leonard Street, on the corner of Conserie Street, as she prepares for her expansion in Manhattan.
“We’re trying to build Edith’s as a brand, not as an independent restaurant,” Heller said. She will close the full-service restaurant, which opened in January 2022, to focus on expanding her first brick-and-mortar business, Edith’s Sandwich Counter. Edith’s Sandwich Counter is a casual take-out spot a few blocks away known for its bagel sandwiches. A second store will open in Tribeca in about a month, followed by a mix of Edith’s pop-ups and brick-and-mortar sandwich shops scattered across Manhattan. Heller did not disclose the address or opening date of the new store.
“The whole city needs bacon, eggs, cheese, Sephadic wraps and slush,” Heller says of her menu, which includes tahini coffee slush. “Who am I to deny theirs?”
Edith’s, two restaurants located within a few blocks of Williamsburg, continue their storied history. The business started as a pandemic pop-up selling wood-fired bagels at Paulie Gee’s, a pizzeria in Greenpoint. Lines line the block most mornings, and in 2021, Heller found Sandwich’s settlement at 495 Lorimar Street near Powers Street, where the brothers restaurant closed, even though it was closed. I decided to continue my business.
The following year, Edith Italy and Restaurant opened, a restaurant, bakery, Jewish deli, general store and bar under one roof. A native of Highland Park, Illinois, Mr. Heller sought to launch a business that would both rival and contribute to the city’s iconic Jewish restaurant scene. “Many of the shops that still exist are so old and iconic that they have become tourist destinations,” she said ahead of the restaurant’s opening. “This is the next generation Zavar.”
