WATCH: The South Bronx’s Famous Yolanda’s Restaurant to Close Next Week

Back in the beginning of the year, Welcome2TheBronx broke the news that Yolanda’s Italian Restaurant, which has been serving the Melrose community for 59 years on 149th Street, would close and be replaced with an 8 story residential building with 123 units.

Well the day is almost here when the famed restaurant will temporarily close its doors.

Next weekend on July 27th, the restaurant will close its doors to make way for the new building but fret not as they will return once construction is complete in a couple of years.

Rendering of 290 E 149th Street which will replace Yolanda’s current buildings

According to an interview with News12 The Bronx, the owner said they will come back, “…in our same location just looking a little different, a little more modern and complimenting the neighborhood, that’s our dream.”

Yolanda’s restaurant is one of the last remnants of when the neighborhood was settled by Italian immigrants, mostly from the island of Ponza off the coast of Italy.

An end of an era as Yolanda’s closes its doors on July 27th for 2 years as the a new 8 story residential building is constructed on its site. The restaurant will return once construction is complete.

The fact that they’re still around long after the vast majority of the Italian community left the Melrose and the South Bronx is a testament to just how good their food is.

We’re looking forward to them reopening in the near future.

Watch the newsclip below:

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Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.