One of the longest-standing “gay restaurants” in New York City is closing its doors after 25 years.
Elmo Restaurant, a legendary fixture in Chelsea, will serve its final meal on March 13, founder Bob Pontarelli said in a post on Instagram.
The building that’s been home to Elmo for the past 25 years has been sold, according to Pontarelli, ending their long-standing lease. The new owners are set to turn it into a residential building.
“For nearly 25 years, Elmo has been the destination for hundreds of thousands of guests to enjoy some of life’s best moments,” Pontarelli wrote.
In the post, Pontarelli reminisced that the restaurant had been a neighborhood staple for late-night dinners, birthdays, Pride celebrations, drag shows, marriages between guests and also co-workers, memorial services, political fundraisers and more.
“It’s been a place for a first date or dinner with friends. A place for important celebrations and fabulous parties….or simply a place to gather comfortably with members of your community at a home away from home. Elmo has also been a space for hundreds of staff to build lifelong friendships,” Pontarelli continued.
“Sadly, all things must come to an end and Elmo will serve its last meal on Friday, March 13.”
Since opening in 2001, Elmo has thrived as a neighborhood hangout and an iconic LGBTQ+ destination.
Chelsea was widely considered the heart of the gay community in Manhattan in the early 2000s. Elmo became an “unofficial clubhouse,” as Time Out called it, welcoming queer New Yorkers into the dining room visibly and confidently.
In a 2025 interview with Chelsea Community News, Pontarelli said it took him and his original co-founders, his late business partner and best friend Stephen Heighton and Bruce Hermann, almost two years to acquire the space for the restaurant on Seventh Ave.
The restaurant quickly became an institution for New Yorkers with its diner-style restaurant, celebration space, and living room feel.
Pontarelli noted that the restaurant survived all kinds of hardships, such as Hurricane Sandy and several blackouts and snowstorms. They also survived COVID “with style” when they launched the Coby Club speakeasy downstairs, offering post-dinner nightlife.
“We’ve enjoyed so many proud moments I lost count a long time ago,” he said. “With this news I personally will try to embrace all the beautiful memories and wonderful experiences Elmo has given me and will move forward with new ventures and philanthropic projects that hopefully will have a wide impact.”
“There are few businesses as challenging or as exciting as owning a restaurant in New York City. 25 years is a very long time. To own a restaurant that has enjoyed the astonishing success and iconic stature that Elmo has is a privilege and an honor. It has been a wonderfully exhilarating ride.”
A 2021 New York Times article regarded it as one of the neighborhood’s last-standing gay restaurants, so the closure is especially devastating to the community.
Chelsea resident Sarah Leonard has been dining at Elmo for the past eight years and was devastated to learn the restaurant would be replaced by a modern condo building.
“Elmo in and of itself is an institution, and it’s such a go-to place. I think it’s a haven for people who are in the gay community, and even though I’m not gay myself, that’s part of the uniqueness of Chelsea, that we have this warm, loving environment. It’s places like Elmo,” she told The Post.
Leonard, 38, shared that she loves the familiarity of Elmo and patrons get to see familiar faces every time they go — like the old guy who goes every Wednesday for his standard dirty martini and talks about his stories from when Stonewall was happening.
“That’s what helps to make New York — and especially Chelsea — feel more like a home and residential place as opposed to just a tourist destination,” she said.
Another enterprise owned by Pontarelli, a gay bar called Barracuda Lounge in Chelsea, also recently closed in March 2025.
Leonard acknowledged that more housing is needed, but believes that tearing down neighborhood staples will take away from what makes Chelsea unique and interesting.
“We’re just turning into some bad version of a Pixar movie,” she quipped. “It kind of reminds me of that, where everything just feels so mechanical and devoid of personality.”
“That’s what Elmo was. It had a lot of love and personality.”
Many patrons mourned the loss of the beloved neighborhood spot on social media.
Bravo host and producer Andy Cohen commented with a sad face, “Bob, this sucks. What an incredible run. This news is Bad for NYC and bad for the neighborhood.”
“We will miss you! The last vestige of old gay Chelsea — so many memories there over the years! Thank you for all the amazing years,” fashion designer Peter Som chimed in.
“Elmo has always been the start or end of so many of my days. In my head, she was going to be here forever. Reality hits me hard today. I love you, Elmo,” someone else wrote.
“I am heartbroken to hear this news. First Barracuda and now Elmo. Both places filled with amazing memories. Much love and light always,” one fan said.
“No matter the occasion, you and your team did everything to make us feel like we had a home and a family to come back to. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. There’s no place like Elmo. There’s no place like Elmo. There’s no place…” another user commented, referencing “The Wizard of Oz.”
“This one hits the hardest — without you, so many of us wouldn’t be who we are or have what we have – forever indebted and forever loved,” someone shared.
