Gentile's Fine Foods, the family-owned market that served the Upper East Side on Madison Avenue since 1927, shut its doors for good on Thursday, October 22, after 100 years on the avenue. The closure came after the unexpected death of longtime owner Anthony “Tony” Gentile, who died this spring at age 75.
The family told the community that the decision to close followed Gentile's death, according to East Side Feed, which reported the market shut its doors as of Thursday, October 22. The outlet noted that Gentile's had been part of the Madison Avenue community since 1927, making its closure the end of a 100-year run on the avenue.
A Family Legacy Cut Short
Gentile died on April 11 surrounded by his family, per the same report. His obituary, published on Legacy.com, identified him as Anthony Gentile. The family business had been on Madison Avenue for 100 years.
The obituary also noted that some of Gentile's Market's employees had been with the business for more than 50 years, a detail that underscores just how embedded the shop was in the daily rhythm of the neighborhood. That kind of staff longevity echoes a 2020 Avenue Magazine feature, cited by the same East Side Feed report, which highlighted Harry Solomon, a worker who had been with the market for half a century.
What Made Gentile's a Neighborhood Staple
That 2020 feature also detailed what kept customers coming back for generations: roasted chicken and veal-and-pork meatballs, both made from family recipes. The market was listed at 1118 Madison Ave., between 83rd and 84th streets, according to a location listing on Atly, placing it squarely in one of the Upper East Side's most storied retail corridors.
The abrupt end of Gentile's run adds to a string of long-running New York food businesses that have closed their doors this year. On the Upper West Side, Barzini's, an independent grocery store on Broadway between West 90th and 91st streets, permanently closed on August 31 after 43 years in business, as reported by Time Out. Liquidation discounts climbed from 30 percent to 40 percent in the days before it shut.
A Wider Pattern on New York's Retail Corridors
A report from the NYC Comptroller's Office found that citywide storefront vacancies had declined overall, even as some neighborhoods continued to face vacancy rates as high as 20 percent, describing an uneven rebound in retail activity since the pandemic.
Whether that pattern played any role in the end of Gentile's Fine Foods or Barzini's is not established in either report. What is clear, from the family's own account, is that the Gentile family's decision to close followed Tony Gentile's death this year, bringing to a close a market that had served Madison Avenue for 100 years.
