After 30 years of entertaining the Bay Ridge community, Hunter’s Steak & Ale House announced it would be closing its doors officially on April 13.
Founded in 1996, Hunter’s “grew from just another restaurant into a cherished gathering place for generations of neighbors,” according to its website. “For three decades, the restaurant has been the backdrop for countless family celebrations, first dates and business meetings, earning a reputation for its excellent food, warm atmosphere and, in recent years, its live entertainment,” its online description reads on.
That legacy was echoed in a final message left at the restaurant’s Fourth Avenue entrance, where a handwritten letter greeted passersby on Monday.
“Dear friends and neighbors, it is with a heavy heart and deep sense of gratitude that we announce Hunter’s Steak and Ale House is closed,” the sign read. “Thank you for 30 years of loyalty, laughter and friendship. It has been an honor to serve you.”
In 2025, the restaurant faced talk of closure but said it had “no plans to do so” anytime soon.
Steve Gannon, longtime co-owner of Hunter’s Steak & Ale House, said the restaurant has been his “life’s work.”
“Saying goodbye is incredibly difficult,” he said in a statement to Brooklyn Paper.
Co-owner Tom O’Sullivan added that the two aren’t “just closing a business” — “we’re closing a chapter of our lives we have deeply loved.”
Hunter’s Steak & Ale House is at least the third Bay Ridge establishment to close this year, joining The Leif and Emphasis Restaurant, which announced their closures in January just days apart.
In comments on a South Brooklyn Facebook page dedicated to promoting local eateries, residents shared fond memories of Hunter’s and bid the neighborhood institution farewell.
“30 years in a great run,” wrote one user.
