Fort Reno Closed: Will Reopen as a Taqueria

dinosaur barbecue is across the street in the backgroundThe city is a funny place. Nowhere else in the world can a handful of restaurants with similar menus remain open within a one or two mile (even few block) radius of one another. Barbecue exploded in New York over the past year and a half to the point that we felt pizza was threatened as New York's food. In the past two years, Brooklyn welcomed Briskettown, Fletcher's, Morgan's, Hometown, Fort Reno, and Dinosaur Barbecue. The last two operated a stone's throw from each other: Fort Reno on the north side of Union between 4th and 5th and Dinosaur on the south side of Union between 3rd and 4th. Quality and price aside, we wondered how long Fort Reno could survive in the shadow of the juggernaut that is Dinosaur Barbecue.

Here's Park Slope revealed over the weekend that Fort Reno's time has come to an end. The restaurant closed for the holidays and will not be reopening. The owners (who also own Palo Santo on Union Street closer to 5th Ave) are keeping the space and turning it into a tortilleria/taqueria, where they'll be making their own masa and $3 tacos. The new project is slated to open by mid-February. We're excited, given the smart, forward-thinking food that's been served at Palo Santo since the restaurant openedin 2006. But it's a funny thing, because Rachel's, Jalapeno, Oaxaca Taqueria, Mezcal's, and Lobo all sell tacos and they're all very close by.