Restaurants continue to close in Harlem...

November 12, 2008, 1:55 pm

Stick a Fork in Harlem Soul Food? It Seems Done

By Timothy Williams

M&G Diner, famed for its fried chicken, has been closed since the summer.

(Photo: Chester Higgins Jr./The New York Times)

As recently as 15 years ago, there were few dining options available in Harlem aside from soul food.

But the neighborhoods’ collection of soul food restaurants has long been dwindling — as tastes change, health concerns intensify and costs rise — and recent weeks have yielded yet more bad news.

M&G Diner, opened in 1968 and famed for its fried chicken — and a neon sign that reads, “Old Fashion’ But Good!” — closed for its annual July sabbatical this summer and has not reopened.
Louise’s Family Restaurant, opened in 1964, has been shuttered since it was ordered closed by the city health department in late summer. Charles’ Southern Style Kitchen, in business since 1977, also failed a city health inspection. It has been closed since last month.

The owner of Mobay, a popular spot on 125th Street near Fifth Avenue that serves healthy soul food-inspired dishes, declared bankruptcy last month, although it remains open. Sheron Barnes, the owner, has blamed layoffs among Harlem’s Wall Street employees for the slowdown at the restaurant, and has vowed to introduce lower-priced items to the menu, which has several entrees that cost more than $20.

Other survivors include Edmonds’ Cafe, Margie’s Red Rose Diner, Billie’s Black, Londel’s Supper Club, Sylvia’s and various branches of Manna’s.

The current economic downturn seems to be hitting Harlem businesses particularly hard. On some blocks of Frederick Douglass Boulevard, closed storefronts outnumber businesses that remain open.

On a nostalgic note: Am I the only one that remembers that the "Southern Fried Chicken - Old Fashioned But Good" neon sign was left behind when the old Southern Fried Chicken Restaurant (with the nasty pink RAW chicken!) was on that corner? M&G used to be a real tiny "greasy spoon" hole in the wall located across the street next door to LaGree Baptist Church. My mama used to bring their takeout home - even back then they had the best potato salad ever!

“We cook the kind of foods you eat at home. They're not fancy or complicated. Besides, you can't trust a skinny cook.”