City seizes final Nello rez

ICONIC overpriced Upper East Side spot Nello was closed yesterday with a note from New York City Marshals on its door stating the “landlord has legal possession of the premises.”

The swanky Madison Avenue spot’s owner, Thomas Makkos, apparently failed to pay around $5 million in back rent, a source tells Page Six, forcing an eviction.

Nello’s rep, Todd Shapiro, insisted, however: “The number is not correct. There is a discrepancy in the amount.” He says they’re still negotiating.

We hear issues paying the rent have been going on for years, dating back before the pandemic, which put many NYC eateries in peril. A source told us Makkos had not paid rent since 2019. “He never paid a dime. It’s insane.” They added, “The courts were very friendly to renters during COVID. But that time is over.”

Staffers were seen yesterday moving furniture out after midnight, and the landlord, MBS Real Estate Group LLC’s Khedouri Ezair, got the keys back, a source said.

The restaurant also owed $240,996 to Con Edison. “How is that even allowed to happen?” the source asked, showing a copy of the bill.

Opened in 1992, the Italian joint was known as much for celeb sightings as its infamous $275 pasta dishes. Mick Jagger, Beyoncé, Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway, Paris Hilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more have dined there. Nello was also where Donald Trump famously wooed Melania.

“They are still negotiating and they hope to reopen,” Shapiro told us, further insisting, “Right now, it’s a temporary shutdown.” He also said, “if it doesn’t work out, Nello’s will be opening in another location. [It] will be around for the next 100 years, I can personally guarantee. Nello’s will be back.”

However, we hear the landlord is in talks to open a new restaurant with — or without — the Nello name. And a source told us that no matter what, they’d want Makkos out.