New York has another addition to the growing list of grocery stores closing across the U.S. in 2026. Gentile’s Fine Foods closed October 22 after serving generations of Upper East Side shoppers for 99 years.
The family-run specialty market at 1118 Madison Avenue sold produce, prepared foods and groceries with a level of personal service that became increasingly rare. A notice posted in the window said the decision followed the unexpected death of longtime owner Anthony “Tony” Gentile.
A four-generation market closes
The Gentile family traced the store’s Madison Avenue history to 1927. Founded by an immigrant from Salerno, Italy, the business moved to different storefronts along the avenue over the decades before operating between East 83rd and East 84th streets.
Tony Gentile represented the family’s later generations at the market. He died April 11 at age 75, and the closure notice described him as the store’s leader as well as a brother, father and friend. The family did not cite a separate financial or lease-related reason for closing.
That also leaves unanswered questions for the staff. Public announcements have not disclosed the number of employees affected, whether severance was offered or whether workers found positions elsewhere. Some employees had reportedly spent more than 50 years with the business, making the shutdown especially significant for its longtime team.
More than a place to buy groceries
Gentile’s built its reputation around careful service and family recipes. Its roasted chicken and veal-and-pork meatballs became neighborhood favorites, while fruit was individually wrapped and displayed in trays. Employees would even collect items from other nearby businesses to complete customer delivery orders.
The closing notice thanked shoppers for their friendship and loyalty, noting that the market had served children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren from the same families. That history helps explain why losing one small specialty grocer can feel different from losing an ordinary retail storefront.
Other food markets remain nearby
Upper East Side shoppers still have specialty-food options close to Gentile’s former address. Butterfield Market operates at 1150 Madison Avenue, while E.A.T. remains open at 1064 Madison Avenue. Citarella also has a larger market at 1313 Third Avenue.
Those businesses offer produce, prepared foods and delivery services, so the closure does not leave the neighborhood without grocery access. What disappears is Gentile’s particular combination of four-generation ownership, familiar staff, old family recipes and highly personalized service.
What happens next
No replacement tenant or future use for the Madison Avenue space had been announced. The employee total and any transition assistance also remain unknown.
Gentile’s closed just one year short of its centennial. For a neighborhood with plenty of places to shop, the lasting change is the loss of a market that had been part of the same avenue since the 1920s.
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