Babbo’s revival loses its chef as Mark Ladner apparently exits the Greenwich Village kitchen

Mark Ladner seems to have left the kitchen at Babbo, less than a year after Stephen Starr relaunched the Greenwich Village Italian restaurant with the chef in charge, according to people inside the restaurant.

Word of the exit emerged Thursday, Sept. 17. No reason has been given. Ladner has stayed silent, and so has Starr Restaurants. Babbo’s own site still identified him as its executive chef.

Why Ladner was central to the Babbo reopening

Ladner was the centerpiece of the relaunch. In 2025, Starr acquired Babbo along with its sibling, Lupa, from Joe and Lidia Bastianich, then hired a chef with roots in both kitchens. Ladner had cooked at each of them when Mario Batali was still part of the business, and he went on to lead Del Posto, which won two Michelin stars during his tenure.

Babbo came back in October 2025. Lupa stayed closed, and by December the Bleecker Street space it had occupied was up for lease. Ladner’s menu kept Babbo favorites such as beef-cheek ravioli and added dishes found at other Starr restaurants, including his 100-layer lasagna. At the reopening, he said the menu drew on 22 regions: Italy’s 20, plus the old Babbo and the new one. Critics gave the reboot mixed reviews.

The restaurant dates to 1998 and ranked among the most influential Italian dining rooms of that era. Batali left the restaurant group in 2017 after he faced sexual misconduct allegations, and he eventually gave up his stake. Starr held on to the Babbo name, and Ladner offered diners a link to its past without making the comeback about Batali.

Changes may also be coming for Le Coucou in SoHo

Starr’s downtown lineup could face another shift. Since 2016, his French restaurant Le Coucou, which holds a Michelin star, has operated inside 11 Howard in SoHo, and that property appears headed for new ownership. The apparent buyer is Ennismore, the company behind the Hoxton and 25hours hotel brands. Chef Daniel Rose, who lives in Paris, heads Le Coucou, which reached its 10-year mark this spring.

Company records link a planned 25hours Hotel New York to 11 Howard St. Leaseco LLC, which Ennismore controls. The building’s owner has claimed in court that the hotel operator fell behind on about $18 million owed for rent, taxes and other costs, an allegation described in an appellate ruling dated April 23, 2026. Le Coucou is open for now, and 11 Howard still lists it as the hotel’s restaurant.