Moxi Moxi Closes Yet Again, Owners Vow to Open Elsewhere Soon

Popular Israeli hutong restaurant Moxi Moxi suddenly closed its doors this past Friday morning (Aug 25).

"It happened because the city engineer department decided to remove the second floor of our current structure, or at least to make it smaller," co-founder Moshe Levi tells the Beijinger. He adds that, on Friday, the laborers practically "came from nowhere and started to break the roof. We knew about it like two days in advance, but we were all waiting for this to happen, since it was not 100 percent [confirmed]."

The news is sure to disappoint the restaurant's dedicated following, considering Moshe and cofounder Igal Paikin moved Moxi Moxi just under two months ago from the municipal development-plagued Fangjia Hutong to what he thought would be a more stable locale at Beixinqiao Santiao. Distraught as those fans might be to see Moxi Moxi gone yet again, Levi remains resolute, saying: "I actually feel almost nothing about it. It's not like Fangjia, with the heartbreak. We've only been here (at Beixinqiao Santiao) for two months. Nothing can surprise us anymore."

An even greater reason for Moshe to remain upbeat: "We are not saying goodbye. Moxi Moxi will return before you can say 'falafel.'" 

While Moshe, Paikin and their colleagues are hurriedly working to reopen, it's too soon for him to say when or where that will happen, simply saying when asked, smiling all the while: "To be continued." 

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Email: kylemullin@thebeijinger.com
Twitter: @MulKyle

Photos courtesy of Moxi Moxi