El Gran Castillo De Jagua to Move into Z-7 Diner Space up Flatbush
Monday, March 10, 2025 at 7:48AM 
It's been known for a few months that the landord who owns the building that's home to Dominican restaurant El Gran Castillo De Jagua has been trying to push them out, and it appears as if he's accomplished that task. They'll be closing up shop at the end of March, but luckily, they're not moving far.
Over the weekend 7-Z Classic Diner, the mediocre eatery that replaced the popular Parkside Diner in 2012 on 7th between Park and Sterling, shut down, and signs were put up in the window saying that "El Gran Castillo de Jagua is relocating to this location." I took a short walk to Gran Castillo, which has occupied the corner space six storefronts away for the past 40 years, and a manager told me that they'll be leaving the space on March 31.
It was previously rumored that they'd be moving into the gutted space up the block last occupied by a mattress store if forced to close, but this is actually far more promising news, for obvious reasons. It's still a decent-sized space, and there's already a long counter and a full kitchen. It appears as if the Z-7 folks packed up pretty quickly and left most of their equipment behind, so hopefully the closure doesn't last for too long.
This stretch of Flatbush Avenue is one of the most-coveted stretches of real estate in the city at the moment, and landlord Stuart Venner of Vlacke Bos Realty has been in the process of booting out other tenants of this prime corner, including a barber shop and bakery Little Miss Muffin ‘N’ Her Stuffin', for months. An emergency care facility is slated to move in the space next door that has been vacant since 2011; hopefully the fact that temp signage has been up for 10 months is not an indicator that this corner will remain vacant for years as well.
Gran Castillo has been the anchor of this block for decades, but it's nice to see that they'll just be moving a few storefronts up. The manager assured me that the menu will remain exactly the same.
Moving in Food, Scoops, Storefronts
Reader Comments (11)
Great news - thanks.
Sad only because it's been here longer than I have. It's finding a new home, though, so those who are fans will enjoy it.
Little Miss Muffin moved into a bigger space on Washington.
While it's utterly ridiculous what's becoming of some of Flatbush, we can also hope that the new landings for these businesses will bring them much joy, success, and sustainability.
What part of Flatbush has become 'ridiculous?'
The part with The new Franny's that replaced a blockbuster? The part where Marco's (incredible place) replaced Franny's? The part where fortune ave dollar store is being replaced by Alberta expansion? The part where woodland replaced another video store the size of Walmart?
Sorry but flatbush is nicer than it's been since I've lived here. On all counts.
So nice that you can't even spell "Elberta?"
Or so nice that businesses that even survived the boom of the previous decade are now being pushed out by Ratner, and not because of lack of sales?
Have you ever been to Woodland? They served good food for about the first month of opening. It's an utter embarrassment now that sits half-empty 80% of the time.
Who exactly shops at the Rocawear store adjacent to the arena? At the J-Lo cel phone store? Shouldn't there be more people inside Atrium and Kith? At least Vinnie's is some sort of local success.
The Fortune dollar store was around about a year. How about giving me some examples older than that which show you've been around, jerkoff? Typical smart-mouthed Sloper living off someone else's dime. Go back to where you came from.
I was born and raised here.
Ratnee doesn't own flatbush avenue. In fact the great guys from Pintchik Hardware own about 75% of the real estate on flatbush between Barclays and GAP.
You don't own Brooklyn because you liked the bodegas, video stores and vacant burned out hovels that lined Flatbush up until about 10 years ago.
Sorry about the typo Elberta.
Also besides Christies Jamaican patty, who has been 'pushed out?!'
El gran Castillo is relocating so is the bakery.
The video stores where woodland and Franny's are didn't get 'pushed out', the world simply modernized.
I hate old timers like you. So ignorant and full of themselves getting by on 8th grade intelligence.
So what else that was so important to you got pushed out? I really want to know. I go to Flatbush more now than I did 20 years ago. It used to be terrible, now it's filled with life and people and vibrant stores like BKLYN larder and hungry ghost.
People who go to sporting events go to the rocawear and mobile phone store. And soon there will be a shake shack too in what was that horrible furniture store.
Do you miss the 10 places you used to be able to buy futons? Or that terrible little drug front that's now. Red mango. Come on, give me the list of flatbush mainstays that are now gone and make you so mad you call someone who's lived here all their lives some stupid park slope stereotype?
"You don't own Brooklyn because you liked the bodegas, video stores and vacant burned out hovels that lined Flatbush up until about 10 years ago."
You're lying. If you were actually around 10 years ago, you'd know that statement couldn't be further from the truth. Ten years ago, there was plenty of renewal going on on Flatbush.
Jeremiah's Vanishing New York did a wonderul article on hyper-gentrification that illustrates my point perfectly. When your mother sends you your rent check this month, have her read it to you.
Typical person wasting their day on derelict blogs like these. On actual neighborhood blogs, you wouldn't be talking so tough. I hope you get run over by a bus.
"Jeremiah's Vanishing New York did a wonderul article on hyper-gentrification that illustrates my point perfectly"
Oh God. Come on. You're citing to that blowhard transplant who's too afraid of change to switch pairs of socks everyday? Get over it.
And still no list of what's been truly lost on Flatbusb Avenue. Not one thing. Says it all. Complaining for the sake of complaining. And THAT is what is truly sad about New York now. Too many people with a pissy attitude that will complain about anything and everything.
And btw I own, not rent in Park Slope within spitting distance of flatbush and have for decades. You are a fool 'Ted Nelson'
Btw, the not-so-great Pintchik Brothers own about 65%of Flatbush and Lina Fang owns the rest. These slumlords are responsible for "pushing" small businesses out and replacing them with stores paying up to 250 to 300 dollars a foot when previous tenants were paying less than 50. They are greedy and dirty. They needed plenty of money to build their new luxury high rise on the block where Cinderella Cleaners is located.