Leilu Restaurant Of Huntington To Close After 5 Years With 'Incredibly Heavy Heart'

HUNTINGTON, NY — Leilu, a restaurant in Huntington, announced "with an incredibly heavy heart" it will close after five years in business.

The restaurant is at 10 New Street.

"We have tried with all we were capable of, to fight some inevitable odds against us, but after wildly unpredictable circumstances (COVID happening only 6 months after opening being just one of them) we can’t sustain our business and still provide for our family or take care of our staff who have become a second family to us and our girls," James and Meghan LaCourte, the owners, wrote on Facebook.

The LaCourtes said the closure was "inevitable" and that the decision to announce it took "longer than it should have."

"We worked so hard for our dream … made it happen, and we hoped it would last longer than this. We wanted to, and tried to fight to keep our special place in this town that provided comfort, happiness, memories and of course a good meal — yet we find ourselves faced with no other option than to close our doors. We did, however, accomplish our mission, it unfortunately was cut short."

The owners thanked everyone who supported Leilu and "became part of our lives — in most cases, our family." The LaCourtes are still figuring out their next steps after they said they put all their "eggs in one basket" with Leilu.

"We know we will land on our feet and come out even stronger," they wrote. "Who knows what the future holds, but we are proud to have followed our dreams and made our restaurant happen — not only for us, but for each and every person we were able to serve, chat with, hug, provide a place to play music, host your event, mix you a drink, or simply cause you to leave with a smile. If you are one of those people, we know our mission was accomplished. While we wish it was longer than these five years, we are certainly grateful to have had them with each and every one of you!"

Leilu served salads, soups, small plates and sharables, and entrees such as steak, chicken, burgers, pork chops, salmon, ribs, pasta and more.