Calexico Reopening, Says Construction Next Door Led To Closure

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – When Patch published its regular list of restaurants closed by the city’s Health Department last week, Upper East Siders may have noticed a familiar name: Calexico, located at 1491 2nd Avenue between 77th and 78th Street.

The restaurant, which operates four locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, is known for its Cal-Mexican cuisine and lively atmosphere.

Closure

Calexico received an 86 from the Health Department before it was shut down last week.

During inspections, restaurants aim for a low point value; an A grade, for example, means a restaurant has accrued between 0 and 13 violation points. For a B grade, inspectors may only spot between 14 and 27 points worth of violations.

On a previous visit in April, inspectors spotted 24 points at Calexico. Back in 2022, the restaurant maintained an A or B grade, with scores as low as 13 points.

News of last week’s closure also appeared on the social media site Reddit.

“Their food quality went downhill in the past year or so,” one user commented. “Not surprised.”

255 East 77th Street

For more than a year, a major construction project has been underway next door to Calexico, at 255 East 77th Street, where the Naftali Group is building a massive 500-foot-tall residential skyscraper that’s reportedly due to be completed in 2026.

“It's been a terrible disruption to our business,” Calexico co-founder Jesse Vendley told Patch. “We’ve had all kinds of problems with them parking equipment in front of the restaurant, there was so much vibration [during foundation work] that people didn’t want to sit inside, and then we discovered these cracks that had formed in the walls themselves,” he said.

“Our landlord had somebody come look at it and it's not dangerous, but the tiny breaches were enough for pests to get into the basement,” Vendley continued. “Luckily, it's not where we prep or store food, it was kind of the opposite side of the basement, but it was an issue that had to be addressed. It was a total overhaul that took a lot of time and energy and expense, required us to shut down, and was really a big problem for us."

Vendley’s landlord, Junction Management, has been an “ally” throughout the process, and despite his frustration, Vendley doesn’t believe that the Naftali Group has acted in bad faith.

“I think they’ve made efforts to be good neighbors. I understand that they're permitted to do this work and they're certainly following all the rules and regulations, but it’s tough: scaffolding, dust, noise, vibration, particularly for a business where people want to sit down and eat, it's made it really difficult for us.”

Patch contacted the Department of Buildings (DOB) regarding the site, and will update this story when we hear back.

Patch also reached out to the Naftali Group for comment. “We will get back to you shortly,” a spokesperson wrote, via email.

Accusations of violent threats tainted the emptying of the buildings Naftali demolished to construct 255 East 77th Street, with business owners alleging that their then landlords, including Benjamin Ohebshalom, moved to aggressively oust them in anticipation of a big Naftali payout.

In one lawsuit, a restaurateur claimed an unidentified man appeared at his home, telling him, "You better give up this place or you will end up in the back of a garbage truck."

Reopening Wednesday

As for the closure, Vendley is happy to report that after a follow-up inspection on Tuesday afternoon, Calexico on 2nd Avenue should reopen on Wednesday.

"It’s been embarrassing,” he said. “I hope customers are understanding, because it’s just not who we are at all. The Department of Health has been extremely strict, as they should be, which is another reason to trust that we're in good shape once we reopen, because they’ve made sure that everything is perfect.”

Update:

DOB inspectors last visited 253 East 77th Street on Aug. 20, a spokesperson told Patch, following a complaint regarding the site's crane operations. "Inspectors determined that the crane aerial swing radius exceeded the specifications listed in the submitted construction plan, and as a result issued an OATH/ECB violation to the General Contractor," the spokesperson wrote, in an email.

A previous inspection on April 17 resulted in multiple OATH/ECB violations, the spokesperson added, "including for accumulation of debris, hazardous placement of a welding machine near a water tank, and missing guardrails at an excavation site." Violations may be viewed here.

"All construction must conform to NYC Building Code, which prohibits creating hazardous conditions to neighboring buildings and the public. We strongly encourage anyone who observes hazardous conditions related to a work site to call 311 so that the conditions can be investigated by the appropriate responders," the spokesperson concluded.

Are there restaurants on your block that need an inspection? Is there a building site in your neighborhood you're concerned about? Email michael.mcdowell@patch.com.