Caffe Vivaldi Will Close After 35 Years in West Village | Eater NY

"At 32 Jones St. in the West Village, a long-running Italian restaurant and live-jazz venue that opened in 1983 will close at the end of the month after more than three decades of serving food and music. I noted that it survived a massive 2011 rent hike when landlord Steve Croman tripled the rent and later got locked in another legal battle with Croman in 2016; Croman was eventually sentenced in 2017 to a year in jail for grand larceny, tax fraud, and mortgage fraud. Owner Ishrat Ansari published updates about ongoing disputes and even disclosed he had a stroke two weeks before a crucial court hearing about the restaurant’s future. The restaurant posted a statement on its website (first reported by Gothamist) explaining the closure—“In brief: our legal and financial difficulties with our landlord came to a head this spring. To continue to fight would be self-destructive in many, many ways for the business and for all of us.”—and has asked people to share personal stories there, where over a dozen patrons and former employees have already left memories. Known for its live jazz performances and a pasta-heavy menu, it has served as both a romantic neighborhood spot and a place for musicians from across the city to perform; the last day will be June 23rd." - Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya