Uptown seafood restaurant cuts bait after three years

Manzo Lobster & Oyster Bar had its fair share of challenges after opening in September 2020.

The Uptown seafood restaurant was sued by a former tenant a month later. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, after a year of operating. And it was temporarily closed for entire months in 2022 because of “labor constraints,” according to bankruptcy court filings.

And now, the restaurant at 500 E. 19th Ave. has closed for good.

Its 2,980-square-foot space is being marketed for lease by CM Commercial Partners. CM owner Mike Lindemann said the space was released on the market yesterday — asking price $52 a square foot annually — and he’s already received a dozen calls.

Owner Richard Manzo said he’d been in the restaurant business for over 36 years and he opened the business during the height of the pandemic but suffered hardships.

“I just want to basically move forward in a positive way,” Manzo said. “We had a great team, but it was a long haul. During COVID, we were one of the only operators that stayed open and we didn’t receive any PPP (paycheck protection program) loan or governmental assistance. I got COVID twice and my chef got COVID twice.”

Manzo Lobster & Oyster Bar offered a variety of different items, from roasted oysters and beet salad to lobster rolls and mussel curry. Items on the dinner menu ranged in price from $6 side plates to $32 entrees. The restaurant also had a generous selection of wines and spirits available from $5 to $58.

The restaurant was also equipped with ornate, “state-of-the-art” lobster tanks that stimulated controlled ocean environments, according to bankruptcy court documents. The restaurant also had a seafood market and offered meal kits after Manzo established friendships with fishermen on the coasts to bring in daily seafood catches.

He also said he plans to open another location in the near future.

“I now own the business 100 percent and it’s time to reorganize in a way that’s basically more conducive to my business,” Manzo said. “I’m basically reorganizing the company, and selling all the assets of the company and I’m moving to another location.”

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