New Yorkers Mourn Cafe Colonial; No Love For Keith McNally

15 Year-old Cafe Colonial closed its doors for the last time last night, after the opening of Keith McNally's Pulino's raised rent on East Houston to the astronomical level of $30,000 a month. Grub Street is of the opinion that the corner is "a pretty sweet spot for a cupcake shop", but we have to disagree...-

There are plenty of places to get cupcakes in the area (and a billion Cupcake Carts popping up every minute or so...), but only one place (that we know of?) to get a plate of yucca fries and some Brazilian Mate.

In any case, it's clear from Twitter that Cafe Colonial is already missed...

@MetromixNewYork: Top Café Colonial memory. Interviewing then little-known band Franz Ferdinand for Devil in the Woods feature. RIP

@LaPantin: nooooooo! cafe colonial!!! i hate you and all your cougar dens, kieth mcnally!

@JillGrafflin: Walked by Pullino last night (Monday) at 10pm. Packed. Then saw the "Last Night" sign for Cafe Colonial. Pioneer in the area.

@evgrieve: Thanks Keith McNally! Cafe Colonial is closing today: http://bit.ly/9q49jJ (expand) #Pulinos #TheBowery #KeithMcNally

@hellastoops: kind of bummed to see Cafe Colonial close.

@ThistleClover: nooo! cafe colonial has closed!

@missinfo: omg...cafe colonial in nolita is gone? damn u rent hike.

@asjs: Goodbye Cafe Colonial. I loved your breakfasts, but apparently that wasn't enough for this cruel city

@cbishopblack: sad day in nyc. cafe colonial - I will forever miss your pao de queijo.

Cafe Colonial's loyal patrons may not be ready to forgive Keith McNally, but the owner is.

“I think that he is genuinely a good restaurateur and he does good — the problem is that the landlords think, Oh, because he’s a good guy he’s going to bring a lot of customers around. So people get greedy and make rents go up."

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