Union Square's Blue Water Grill Closes After 20 Years

by Stephanie Maida · January 2, 2019

    The rent is too damn high - and it's caused yet another New York mainstay to shutter.

    On January 1st, jazzy Union Square favorite Blue Water Grill closed its doors after more than 20 years in the neighborhood, meeting the same fate its neighbor across the street, Coffee Shop, did back in October.

    The swanky seafood spot and oyster bar, which operated at the high-ceilinged, former bank space since 1996, had faced financial troubles in recent years due to million-dollar rent hikes. And though owners considered relocating in 2014, the restaurant was able to hold out for a few more years.

    Like Coffee Shop, and a number of other now-closed NYC institutions, Blue Water Grill was immortalized in an episode of Sex and the City.

    The restaurant's parent company, Landry's, seems to be redistributing staff to other BR Guest restaurants, including Atlantic Grill on the Upper West Side.

    Sigh. We'll miss you shellfish tower.

    [Photo via @tourguidebarbie_nyc]