El Bandido, which closed temporarily in November 2023 and reopened in December, closed permanently in mid-June.
Spring Valley Restaurant is a long-established Mexican restaurant that has been in business for over 48 years and was owned by the Tello family.
The Middletown store, operating under the name Viva Bandido, remains open.
Though he didn’t have an official title, one of the owners — brothers Tony and Angel — told The Journal News/lohud there were financial reasons behind the decision.
New City resident Etty Znamirowski-Lumolek was one of the regulars who shared her memories on Spring Valley Forks’ Then and Now Facebook page. “We went to El Bandido the day it opened and Manny treated us like family from day one,” she said. “We’ve had so many family celebrations there, so I’m sad to see it close.”
dining:Three more restaurants close in Rockland, Westchester
Rumorek also said that when she was president of the East Ramapo School District PTA, her job was to increase membership, so she decided to hold the meetings at El Bandido and membership tripled.
This is a real shame for Steven Schloss of Chestnut Hill, who has been going to the restaurant for 35 years: “The service has always been great, the staff has always been friendly and the food has always been good.”
“We had a really great time.”
Similar sentiments were echoed on the Clarkstown Community Facebook page, with more than 200 comments sharing memories of birthdays and the restaurant’s “best chimichangas.”
El Bandido isn’t the only restaurant citing rising rents and financial issues as reasons for closing.
In Sparkill, longtime Rockland restaurateur Dennis Whitton closed his short-lived Speakeasy on June 8, while Hertel’s Jukebox Deli in Upper Nyack announced its closure on Facebook on June 29. “Have a great summer everyone! Thank you for all your support and kindness. We’ll post when we find a new location,” it read.
Food Truck Season:New mobile snacks come to Westchester, Rockland
Any food news?
Have any opening or closing information? Email me at JRMuchnick@gannett.com.
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here to see her latest articles and follow her latest food adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or in the lohudfood newsletter.
