Heartbroken fans of NYC eatery Sammy's Roumanian are mourning the loss of the iconic basement restaurant

• Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse, a New York City institution among foodies, announced on Sunday that it had closed.
• Though the owner told Gothamist that it would reopen eventually, he said it would likely be in a new location.
• Fans of Sammy's took to social media to share their memories of the historic Chrystie St. basement eatery that once housed garlicky steaks and hora dancers under the same roof.
• One loyal customer who shared her fondest memories of Sammy's told Insider she loved it so much that she wanted to have her wedding there some day.

It's sadly no surprise that a restaurant that thrives on the atmosphere of a dance party in a packed basement space with family-style meals did not survive the pandemic, which has kept people outdoors and socializing at a distance. But that doesn't make the closure of Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse any less heartbreaking.

The Sammy's team confirmed the iconic New York City eatery would be closing with an Instagram announcement on Sunday thanking their "dearest guests and friends" for 47 years of memories and business.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that the rumors are true and we have had to shut the doors to the infamous basement," the caption reads. "Sammy's Roumanian is more than just a restaurant. It's a community. A celebration of tradition. An experience difficult to put into words."

The Lower East Side institution was known for its garlicky steak, syrup dispensers filled with schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), and its famous "vodka in ice" (a bottle of vodka that had been frozen in a block of ice and arrived at the table that same way). According to The New York Times, Sammy's was New York City's original bottle-service restaurant.

Customers would sing along to whatever the house DJ, Dani Luv, was playing on the piano, join hands to dance the hora, and hoist some lucky guests close to the ceiling on a chair like it was their bar mitzvah.

In 2014, The Times' restaurant critic Pete Wells called it "the most wonderful terrible restaurant in New York" and "a permanent underground bar mitzvah where Gentiles can act like Jews and Jews can act like themselves."

In the Instagram caption announcing the closure, Sammy's wrote, "What began 47 years ago in a basement in the Lower East Side, on grungy Chrystie Street, grew into a place that welcomed hundreds of thousands of guests and employed thousands of people over the years. [...] So chins up fellow schmaltzers. All the years of devouring chopped liver with our special schmaltz, schmered on rye bread with a side of pickles and a shot (or glass) of frozen vodka to wash it down will be remembered fondly."

Many of those community members and fans of the 'Jewish disco' joint took to social media to sit virtual shiva for the Chrystie St. basement eatery

They shared videos, photos, and written memories of nights that were so enjoyable they didn't even take out their phones to record it.

Loyal customers also remain hopeful that the party will start again at some point since Sammy's vowed to return, writing in their Instagram announcement: "We may be closed now, but when all this is over and we feel safe enough to hold hands during the hora, we will be back stronger, louder, and tastier than ever before."

Owner David Zimmerman told Gothamist that a location and timeline for his intended reopening will come at a later date.

One woman from a long line of Sammy's fans shared her memories with Insider

Rachel Whiteman, an Atlanta native, also has a large collection of memories in the New York City basement.

In an email to Insider, she reminisced on her evenings spent at Sammy's, including the night before she moved into her first dorm at New York University in 2012, her 21st birthday party (which happened to fall on Passover that year) three years later, and even her grandmother's 80th birthday celebration.

Whiteman loved Sammy's so much she says she wanted to have her wedding there some day.

"For years, I had heard my parents' stories from Sammy's - dancing with strangers, being the last people forced to leave at closing time, getting 3 a.m. pizza on the way home," she said.

Whiteman remembers Passovers at Sammy's filled with dancing on the tables, "although your head could hit the ceiling," singing the traditional Four Questions with Dani Luv, and "dancing in the 'strobe lights,' which is literally just a guy standing in the corner flickering the lights on and off."

But the most memorable night for Whiteman involved watching her grandmother dance the hora around the room. "It is something I will never forget," she said.

"A Polaroid photo of my parents was on the wall, alongside photos of other strangers, a photo of Anthony Bourdain, and a sign saying 'book your Passover Seder at Sammy's,'" she continued. "One of my last times at Sammy's my dad and I stuck my photo in the ceiling and the last time I went it was still there."

"To me, Sammy's will always feel a little like home," Whiteman said. Knowing it was closed during the pandemic, she found comfort in knowing her photos were still on the wall, "filling the room with the most joyful of memories. I'm heartbroken knowing those photos are gone."

Whiteman said some of the best nights of her life and happiest memories were in the dark, grungy, Manhattan basement: "Many nights I'll never remember and many nights I'll never forget."

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