Double Zero, the plant-based pizza and wine bar that had anchored the corner of 65 Second Avenue at Fourth Street for 12 years, has permanently closed. The East Village restaurant's exit comes just months after it briefly returned to its original branding, and its own farewell message points to rising costs, lease pressures and what it called a broader slowdown in the plant-based dining trend.
The closure was first reported by EV Grieve, which noted that Double Zero had operated in the East Village for 12 years and thanked customers for their support over that time. The restaurant eventually took on the Double Zero name. According to the same report, Double Zero determined that continuing operations were no longer financially sustainable, even as it maintained strong customer demand as recently as this past May.
A Complicated Final Chapter on Second Avenue
Double Zero's last year at the address was anything but straightforward. In 2025, Double Zero merged its space with neighboring sister restaurant Bar Verde to form PlantMade, a combined concept serving vegan pizzas and Mexican fare, according to EV Grieve. That outlet reported the merger was explicitly meant to ease financial strain after occupancy costs at 65 Second Avenue had tripled since Double Zero's 2016 debut. Then, in May 2026, Matthew Kenney rejoined the operation and Double Zero reopened in the storefront next to its original space under its original name, per EV Grieve.
The instability wasn't limited to that single storefront. The closing note came amid a broader pattern of restaurant turnover on Second Avenue.
Part of a Wider Pattern for Matthew Kenney's Empire
Double Zero's struggles echo well beyond the East Village. Reports about Matthew Kenney's hospitality group have described burned investors, bounced paychecks and graphic messages. The struggles also extended to other locations in Kenney's portfolio.
The East Coast tells a similar story. Double Zero's Baltimore location, along with sister concept Liora at the 414 Light Street tower, permanently shut down in April 2023 after less than two years in business, with a general manager at the time saying he wanted to reopen without help from Kenney, according to SouthBMore.com.
A Tough Season for NYC's Vegan Dining Scene
Double Zero isn't the only long-running Manhattan vegan institution to fold recently. In February 2026, 24-year-old Greenwich Village staple Red Bamboo permanently closed on West 4th Street, citing post-pandemic revenue losses, high rent and escalating operating expenses, per Vegpreneur. And just this week, pioneering vegan brand Candle announced it will close its Kips Bay storefront on Third Avenue at the end of September, unable to navigate rising operating costs after reopening there in 2023 — a closure Hoodline covered in Kips Bay Vegan Icon Candle Shuts for Good.
The East Village itself is losing more than just its vegan restaurants this month. Mimi Cheng's, which had operated on Second Avenue just blocks from Double Zero for 12 years, permanently closed after its lease expired. Taiwanese night-market restaurant 886 on St. Mark's Place, open for eight years, also permanently closed; no official reason was given for its closure.
Why Standalone Vegan Restaurants Keep Struggling
Industry reporting has examined the challenges facing standalone vegan restaurants.
The plant-based food market and the restaurant sector are distinct parts of the food business. Packaged plant-based foods and full-service, brick-and-mortar vegan restaurants like Double Zero therefore represent different parts of that market.
