STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The space at 2005 Forest Ave. in Mariners Harbor, the former Staten Island outpost of the international fried‑chicken chain Pollo Campero, has gone dark.
The Forest Avenue storefront opened in the spring of 2024 but shuttered earlier this month. The boarded-up building marks another chapter at a location that has seen a steady cycle of restaurant tenants over the past 15 years.
Plans for the location were first announced before its spring 2024 opening with the Guatemala‑based chain expected to bring hand‑breaded fried and grilled chicken, empanadas, yuca fries and signature beans to the North Shore. The construction process took several months and encountered delays, including a partial stop‑work order issued in April 2024 that further slowed completion of the project.
The address itself has a long and uneven restaurant history familiar to Staten Islanders. Pollo Tropical opened there in 2009. A Nathan’s Famous later moved in, briefly co-existing with Joey D’s Pizza. Impeccable Burger later took over the space before closing in 2015. A Dairy Queen Grill & Chill opened in 2016 and shut its doors about two years ago…