You are reading

John Brown Smokehouse in Long Island City to Close, Owner Puts it Down to ‘Pandemic’ and ‘Idiot Politicians’

Google

Aug. 19, 2020 By Christian Murray

The owner of John Brown Smokehouse is closing his Long Island City restaurant citing the pandemic and “idiot politicians” as the reason.

Josh Bowen, who opened the restaurant at 10-43 44th Dr. eight years ago, said his lease had come to an end and that it made little sense to renew it at a time when there is so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.

The venue, best known for its traditional sweet and smoky style barbecue, has yet to close and he will be making announcement as to a closing date soon.

Bowen said that he will convert his second restaurant—Mothership Meat Company located at 27-20 40th Ave. in Dutch Kills – into a John Brown Smokehouse. The 40th Avenue venue, he said, is more geared toward outdoor dining, with a garden that can seat 100 people in normal times.

Bowen said that it had become difficult to operate on 44th Drive and called the strip “a ghost town.” Earlier this month LIC Market, another restaurant on 44th Drive, closed.

Josh Bowen at Mothership Meat Company (Photo: Courtesy of Mothership Meat Company)

“Business has become untenable at our present location and it’s time to move on,” Bowen wrote in a social media post Tuesday.

“It is bittersweet to leave 44th Dr but between COVID and our idiot local politicians, nothing will ever flourish there for decades,” Bowen wrote, referring to the elected officials who opposed the Amazon HQ2 development—after initially calling for it to come to Long Island City.

Bowen, a fierce advocate for the Amazon deal, got into a public spat on twitter with local elected officials over their change of heart. He said that these spats, however, didn’t lead to a decline in business.

“It didn’t put a dent in business because everyone hates these politicians,” Bowen claimed.

Bowen, however, said that their anti-business rhetoric has put a damper on the growth of 44th Drive.

“We thought the neighborhood would grow around us, and it was, until the worst political regime in modern memory started doing things other than cashing donor checks,” Bowen wrote.

Bowen, however, said that he is still all-in on New York City and rejects those rooting against the Big Apple.

“We will stay and we will fight,” he wrote. “NYC isn’t a playground or a political experiment for us. It is our home….and we will do what real NYers do, go to work.”

email the author: news@queenspost.com

4 Comments

Click for Comments 
John B.

I went to Mothership once and was seriously let down by how dull & expensive everything was (despite having a very nice & large outdoor space). Now it makes perfect sense that Bowen is the owner. JB has been going downhill with quality each time I visited before giving up, and, along with the owner’s blatant disrespect for others and outlandish behavior in the public eye, I guess we’ll see how the updated location fares. And Astoria / LIC continue to search for an above average BBQ place (Pig Beach…you there?)

15
6
Reply
Carbie Barbie

Too bad so sad. We need more vegan restaurants anyways. It’s better for the environment.

3
35
Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Catch the fall vibe at these western Queens breweries

Sep. 3, 2025 By Jessica Militello

September rings in the start of Oktoberfest from mid-September through October, featuring special brews, fun events and more fall fun. Western Queens is filled with breweries to enjoy seasonal brews, fall flavors and the start of cooler weather as Autumn approaches, making it a perfect time to meet up with friends at these local spaces.

Op-Ed | Four years after Hurricane Ida, Queens deserves real climate resilience

Sep. 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas

Four years ago, Hurricane Ida tore through our neighborhoods of East Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights, leaving behind devastation we will never forget. We lost neighbors to the floodwaters. Families saw their homes destroyed, their basements wiped out, their lives upended. Immigrant families—so many of them undocumented—were hit the hardest, often excluded from relief altogether. Ida was not just a storm; it was a wake-up call.

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.