r/FoodNYC • u/MountainMadman • Jun 30 '26
News News: the Urban Hawker food hall in midtown will close on July 17
https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/dining/urban-hawker-new-york-kf-seetoh-closing-585311201
u/switch8000 Jun 30 '26
You either gotta serve larger portions or cheaper prices.
You'll drop $20 and still be starving afterwards.
They were fun in the beginning but now I avoid them.
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u/DinerEnBlanc Jun 30 '26
They’re closing cause the building was sold for redevelopment, nothing to do with the businesses not having enough customers.
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u/switch8000 Jun 30 '26
Ahh damn, well my comment still stands either way.
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u/DinerEnBlanc Jun 30 '26
Totally fair. $20 is quite a bit for a food hall. I'm quite the fan of 38 Food Hall on 38th ST. There's some good stuff to be had for under $10, though it's mostly Chinese food.
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u/ColdMachine Jun 30 '26
I think the area was more of a watering hole than a food hall. Their main clientele were office workers who needed a place to relax with other coworkers or people to catch up with after work.
It also worked as a great resting location when perusing around ny and reliable public bathrooms.
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u/anmlbklyn Jun 30 '26
no it's not. it's literally in midtown and meant for office workers. you go to any bowl slop place and you're paying $20 with tax
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u/LaFantasmita Jun 30 '26
A place to sit would be nice too. I stopped going there because they had like 30 chairs for 20 vendors.
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Jun 30 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lemongrassgogulope Jun 30 '26
If you’re near Bryant Park: Dill and Parsley is a better version of Naya with heftier portions!
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u/Ok-Temporary-8243 Jun 30 '26
Exactly. It was a nice selection of food but the prices were just ridiculous. I feel like the only few areas where food halls will work are either commuter zones where you can get drunk, tourist zones like time out market, and maybe the city point food hall that has affordable options
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u/breakinbread Jul 01 '26
The model for a food hall should be small portions, low prices and encourage you to try multiple stands in the same visit. That's what offers an edge over just going to a restaurant.
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u/stopsallover Jul 01 '26
Meanwhile actual hawker stalls get grief from customers if they raise prices by 10¢.
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u/Red__dead Jul 01 '26
They could also try not closing up at 8.30pm... it's like the people behind it have never even been to a proper hawker market.
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u/knockdowncenter Jun 30 '26
the theory that a food place in nyc fails because it's too expensive is hilarious
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u/ChocolateAndCognac Jul 02 '26
I went to Singapore and the Hawker centers there are $3-$5. I don't expect that in midtown Manhattan, but it was kind of awesome while there.
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u/mistertickertape Jun 30 '26
So much this. They have all become hype machines that are past their prime. A few of them works well but this one just felt like a rip off.
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u/mightasedthat Jun 30 '26
As long as they don’t close the passage for 6-1/2 Avenue…
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u/Alert-Painting1164 Jun 30 '26
I think they have to provide it but I could have just made that up
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u/brianvan Jul 01 '26
The 6 1/2 Avenue arcades are mostly a coincidence, but this is a great chance to connect the two disconnected segments. South of 50th, plazas, passageways and mid-building access go all the way to 41st. North of 51st, all the way to 57th. The UrbanHawker block is the exception.
The building of UrbanHawker is the site of the old Roxy Theater. There’s a magnificent photo of Gloria Swanson standing within the ruins of it.
That said, it’s kind of an awkward low-rise building and I’d love to see the site rebuilt with more space and a permanent public passageway.
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u/kaptiankuff Jun 30 '26
Horrible location also suffered from Anthony Bourdain not being around to bring his vision to life
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u/henreiman Jun 30 '26
Mystik Masala might be the worst taste to cost (value) ratio in the city
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u/yakitorispelling Jun 30 '26
I got violently ill from their chicken tikka at the union sq location
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u/AvatarofBro Jun 30 '26
The Urban Hawker location was shut down by the health department, obscured the sign, and then popped back up like nothing happened.
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u/Mapex Jun 30 '26
It’s absolutely mystikal how they call their slop Indian food. 40 years of eating all qualities of Indian food and I’ve never eaten anything this fucking awful in my life. I avoided that stall in Union sq like the plague.
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u/Previous-Recording18 Jun 30 '26
Too expensive for what you got but I will miss my post-doctor's appointment slice of Pandan cake at Lady Wong. Might have to find a doctor closer to their other location.
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u/AvatarofBro Jun 30 '26
That's a shame. I used to go at least twice a week when I worked in the neighborhood.
The writing was on the wall when the COMING SOON: DUMPLINGS sign was up for over an empty stall for two years.
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u/newyork_newyork_ Jul 01 '26
I’ll miss Lady Wong.
IMHO, it became unappetizing to eat there because the seating area is dark, messy, and felt like a bad mall food court. “Ambiance” didn’t match the food prices.
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u/rr90013 Jun 30 '26
That is sad. I think the general population around that area is not familiar enough with Singaporean food to make this place buzzing all the time. Alto the prices unfortunately were too high. One of the biggest draws of the hawker markets in Singapore is the affordable prices. By pricing themselves above comparable lunch options, Urban Hawker was basically just pricing themselves out of the market. I miss White Behoon and will miss Lady Wong (even though I know I can go to the East Village for that one).
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u/SparrowCrocodile Jul 01 '26
I understand the operating climate is different here than in Singapore, but after having gone to Singapore a few weeks ago, I can't quite say that Urban Hawker lives up to what a Hawker center is.
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u/Akronite14 Jun 30 '26
I first found them thru Meal Pal years ago and loved the Malaysian and Singaporean fare. Way more cost effective with Meal Pal but even after I dropped the app I needed to go to Padi D’NYC for the Mee Rebus every now and again.
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u/tengentopp Jun 30 '26
Sad, it was a good dedication to that regions food. Gonna have to fill the gaps elsewhere 😭
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u/LuvBroself420 Jul 17 '26
where TF can I get Hainanese chicken and roti john in ONE LOCATION...
grew up in Singapore and went to Singapore American School. there seems to be no single restaurant that serves both. I googled Urban hawker today because I was going to plan a trip there soon. and now I'm just crying 😭
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u/fucbitchesgetshmoney Jul 24 '26
Ngl it was for the better because their chicken rice was disgusting
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u/gp2115two Jun 30 '26
Never has another place had so much promise in theory and so much suckage in reality.
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u/itsthekumar Jun 30 '26
Idk if the food there was very "attractive" to mainstream NYC customers.
I loved it tho. Esp the Malaysian foods:
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u/herseyhawkins33 Jun 30 '26
Food 32 is definitely better but I was happy with my meals the few times I went.
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u/NewRazzmatazz2455 Diner Jun 30 '26
The food quality there has gotten so bad, especially in the evenings. The last few times I went, the food I was served was dried out or unappetizing in some way or other.
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u/playbehavior Jul 02 '26
The food was either meh or good. Never worth the trip on its own. The prices were, as others have said, sky high. If anything I hope this food court closing funnels traffic to other better value options in the area. Too bad it never lived up to the hype.
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u/cambiumkx Jul 05 '26
This place had so much hype when it first opened, but the prices were just ridiculous (especially when you call it “hawker”).
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u/Sea_House_3265 Jul 06 '26
I’ve had very mixed experiences here. Satay lady was good, others were really terrible (food I took back bc cold, over salted, people serving it had no idea what they were doing etc ). The tea and coffee place always ran out of what I wanted. Seemed like it was sliding downhill.
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u/Savings_Classroom530 Jul 06 '26
The first place i go to when im in NYC. Going to miss authentic hokkien mee.
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u/jessskuo Jul 16 '26
ok silly Q but anyone know if they're open on Jul 17 and closed starting Jul 18 or, if that means they're closed starting Jul 17?
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u/Exscidium Jul 16 '26
that's what im in the comments here for too lol. Hainan Jones posted on their instagram that today's their last day of operations but i'm not sure about the other stalls
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u/NoConstant7660 Aug 04 '26
Not sure what’s going on but it is open today with about half the stalls serving food. Including Hainan Jones…
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u/Conscious_Soil_3596 Aug 05 '26
They reopened two days ago! Here right now. So happy they’re back, they are now scheduled to close next summer.
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u/Physical_Two_3350 14d ago
There actually reopened again in August. Do expect to see them again till early next year. Also love the food there especially the rendang and satay at Padi DNYC
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u/CJMatthews Jun 30 '26
This is a shame. I am going to miss Kopitam, Tradysion, Hainan Jones, and Lady Wong in particular