Luke Palladino Sued by Landlord, Closes Palladino’s on Passyunk “for Renovations”

I haven’t had a chance to eat at Palladino’s on Passyunk yet, and it sounds like I may have missed my opportunity.

On Tuesday night, Michael Klein over at Philly.com reported that the restaurant from local chef Luke Palladino had closed “for renovations,” as they say in the biz, with Palladino telling Klein that he’s planning to “evolve” the restaurant and reopen on Friday, September 9th.

But diners may not want to make reservations just yet, as Palladino’s landlord on Passyunk Avenue has sued him for back rent. According to the lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia Municipal Court, Palladino hasn’t paid rent on the restaurant since March and owes the landlord more than $25,000. There’s also the rent going forward, since Palladino just signed a new lease in May that doesn’t end until April 2017. He was served with the papers on July 8th, four days before he announced the restaurant’s closure.

Palladino’s on Passyunk has had a respectable reputation since its opening in 2014. It earned a good review from Philadelphia magazine and a better-than-good review from Craig LaBan of the Inquirer.

If Palladino’s on Passyunk doesn’t resurface, the chef still has other restaurants. His Linwood, New Jersey restaurant Luke Palladino Seasonal Italian Cooking is well-regarded. And then there’s LP Steak at Valley Forge Casino Resort, which fared better with our critic than you’d expect from a restaurant inside a suburban casino.

But then there’s also the matter of a $117,931 judgment entered against Palladino in Atlantic County, New Jersey in March, because Palladino defaulted on a loan made to him by New Jersey restaurateur Kenny Guerrier. Plus, his ex-wife obtained a judgment against him in 2015 for $3,770.

“He’s one of these ‘celebrity chef’ types who leaves a trail of destruction behind him,” Guerrier told Foobooz.

Palladino is due in court on July 27th in the Passyunk Avenue landlord-tenant dispute. He did not immediately return multiple calls seeking comment.

This story has been updated to reflect new court information.

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