RedFarm West Village Has Reopened After Fire and Two Year Hiatus

Since its August 15, 2011 debut, RedFarm’s West Village outpost redefined Chinese-American cuisine with farm-to-table sensibility, playful dim sum, and signature fusions like “Pac-Man” shrimp dumplings and Katz’s pastrami egg rolls  . Housed on the parlor floor of an 1828 brownstone at 529 Hudson Street, this experiment by restaurateur Ed Schoenfeld and dim sum master Chef Joe Ng quickly became one of New York’s hottest reservations  .

Founding & Rise to Prominence

Ed Schoenfeld, a self-described “walking encyclopedia” of Chinese food, partnered with Hong Kong–trained Chef Joe Ng to launch RedFarm as a “farm-to-table” Chinese spot, sourcing produce from the Greenmarket and emphasizing freshness over strict authenticity  .

The 42-seat dining room, above a laundromat at 529 Hudson Street, features white brick walls, exposed beams, and communal farmhouse tables—an intentionally casual backdrop for refined small plates  .

Early hits included the video-game-inspired “Pac-Man” shrimp dumplings, yuzu-wasabi shrimp, mushroom spring rolls evoking chanterelles, and the Katz’s pastrami egg roll with honey-mustard kaffir lime dip—each balancing whimsy with technical precision  .

Building on West Village’s success, RedFarm opened sister venues: Decoy (a Peking-duck–focused bar) beneath the original space, an Upper West Side location in 2014, and international outposts in London (2018), Austin, and Miami in subsequent years  .

Schoenfeld’s unexpected passing in January 2022 marked the end of an era; he had been gradually stepping back from daily operations but remained a guiding force until the end  .

The October 22, 2022 Grease Fire

Date & Response: At 3:55 PM EDT on October 22, 2022, FDNY units were dispatched to 529 Hudson Street after a kitchen grease fire erupted in the frying station. Firefighters declared the blaze “under control” within 30 minutes; thankfully, there were no serious injuries  .

Cause & Damage: An employee on Reddit later confirmed that a grease-fueled fire had “burnt down” the Decoy kitchen, while smoke and water damage rendered the upstairs dining room unusable  .

Immediate Aftermath: A storefront notice declared RedFarm “closed due to a fire,” igniting concern among its dedicated following  .

Two-Year Hiatus & Community Response

Patrons and neighbors watched the boarded-up brownstone with anxious anticipation. Reddit threads from late 2022 saw fans pleading for news, while staff hinted at an eventual reopening once major rebuilds were complete  . With the West Village flagship offline, RedFarm’s other locations—Upper West Side, London, Austin, Miami—continued to satisfy cravings for its inventive menu.

Spring 2025 Reopening

On March 28, 2025, RedFarm West Village has reopened but no news about the reopening of the favorited downstairs attachment Decoy, known for their peaking duck and cocktails .