Shuttered celebrity haunt Nello to reopen at luxe – Business News
Fabled celeb-magnet restaurant Nello, which closed final 12 months after 25 colourful years on uptown Madison Avenue, is coming back in a new Midtown location, The Post has discovered.
Real property mogul and former scorching canine franchise king Thomas Makkos signed the lease at 62 W. fifty fifth St., which is an element of SL Green’s not too long ago modernized 1350 Sixth Ave. workplace tower. The location was most not too long ago home to Bice Cafe.
Although Nello Balan’s first identify adorned the unique Italian restaurant till its last days, it was really run by Makkos after the companions cut up up in 2015.
Nello closed final 12 months after 25 colourful years on uptown Madison Avenue. Brigitte Stelzer
The new Nello may have 2,300 sq. ft on the ground ground, 1,500 sq. ft under ground, and a giant sidewalk patio.
The block between Fifth and Sixth avenues can be home to Alain Ducasse’s Benoit Bistro and media-favorite Michael’s.
“Nello is an institution and it needed a prime location that reflects its reputation,” mentioned Meridian Retail Leasing president James Famularo, whose firm brokered the deal.
Makkos hopes to lure back Nello’s many boldface regulars equivalent to J.Lo, Uma Thurman, Harrison Ford, Pierce Brosnan and Jennifer Aniston.
One A-lister unlikely to return anytime quickly is President Trump, who as a frequent buyer reportedly courted Melania there.
One A-lister unlikely to return anytime quickly is President Trump, who as a frequent buyer reportedly courted Melania there. The couple in 2002, above. Getty Images
Jay-Z and Kanye West eating at Nello in 2010. WireImage
“If you ever wanted a plate of pasta that cost $275, with a side of Beyoncé and Jay Z, then you went to Nello,” Page Six wrote when Balan died in 2023.
It wasn’t identified whether or not Romanian-born Balan’s expensive dishes, equivalent to a $55 asparagus plate, can be half of the new menu.
The outdated place was typically besieged by papparazi longing for pictures of celebrities coming and going. It even had a aptitude for showmanship during the 2020 COVID lockdowns. Its liquor license was briefly suspended after it was accused, as many different eating places had been at the time, of serving a few clients indoors towards state guidelines.
Real property mogul and former scorching canine franchise king Thomas Makkos signed the lease at 62 W. fifty fifth St., which is an element of SL Green’s not too long ago modernized 1350 Sixth Ave. workplace tower. Tamara Beckwith/NY POST
The outdated place was typically besieged by papparazi longing for pictures of celebrities coming and going. Robert Miller
Makkos put in a dozen giant crimson teddy bears on its out of doors seats in 2020. Steve Cuozzo
To improve its image, Makkos put in a dozen giant crimson teddy bears sporting masks on its out of doors seats. The jumbo plush toys had been so standard, they remained within the seats with out masks long after the risk abated.
Famularo was mum on rent at the new Nello, however sources mentioned it was within the $250-$300 per square-foot vary.
