Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Empellón al Pastor wants to add sidewalk seating on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place


[EVG photo from last October]

Empellón al Pastor, the third restaurant from Alex Stupak (Empellón Cocina, Empellón Taqueria), opened last October on Avenue A at St. Mark's Place.

There's now a online petition to drum up support for sidewalk seating for the bar-taqueria.

Per Change.org:

We are asking for your help with expanding our venue. We would love to offer you outdoor seating during the summer and need your support when presenting this idea to the Community Board. If you would like to see this expansion as much as we do, please sign ...

At last look, the petition, launched yesterday, has 23 signatures, including someone from Canyon Lake, Texas.

Community Board 3 approved the liquor license (a PDF of the minutes is here) for the address back in January 2014. According to one of the notarized stipulations for the approval, the applicants "will not commercially operate any outdoor areas."

Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updated] Chef Alex Stupak vying for former Sushi Lounge space on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

As the for rent signs turn on Avenue A

Here are a few scant details about chef Alex Stupak's new venture on St. Mark's Place

CB3 OKs liquor license for Alex Stupak's new restaurant on St. Mark's Place

More about Empellón al Pastor, opening this fall on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place

Empellón al Pastor is now open on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place (39 comments)

51 comments:

Walter said...

Of course they do!

nygrump said...

Let's just close off the sidewalks. Fro now on if you want sot go anywhere you have to take a cab or own a car. Its a fucking obstacle course trying to get down 2nd Avenue with all the sidewalks taken up by the alcohol dealers and all the other junk in place. I particularly hate Quinn's. And the server's use the sidewalks or they have their dogs sitting next to them in the sidewalks - its a fucking ordeal just walking down the street. But like I said, that should be banned. Just give everything over to the alcohol dealers.

Anonymous said...

FUCK NO. This is out of control.

Anonymous said...

The sidewalk is not wide enough for for this, why should pedestrians give up public space to a private business without any benefit to the public? More street noise from loud bar/restaurants with open facades is not progress and harms the quality of life for residents.

JJ said...

Yeah.... NO.

I went here about a month after they opened to see what the fuss was about. I was The Invisible Man. It was busy, and staff did their best to ignore me. I left. Never again. I live on the block and do not want sidewalk seating for a place that ignores local residents

dwg said...

Sidewalks on this section of Avenue A are already packed and congested. In addition Empellon's huge open windows create a wall of sound. If their license approval was based on the stipulation that they agreed not to apply for seating they need to abide by that agreement- if not their license needs to be brought up for review.

Anonymous said...

Since when did Change.org go from political drives and social activism to "help us get sidewalk seating!" Kind of sad.

And I agree with all comments here. NO. It's already limited space and besides..do you REALLY want to hanging out on that sidewalk trying to eat on a summer night with colorful battles on Ave A?

Gojira said...

Seems like most of the comments were written by the same person, I'm guessing they're all friends of Alex Stupid's and he told them to sign frothing at the mouth about how much they want to eat tacos outdoors. As if.

Marcos said...

It's not possible to voice opposition on the change.org page so I'm doing it here. This is a bad idea and it reminds me of the Jane's Sweet Buns/Proletariat affair.

Giovanni said...

I fully support this valuable addition to our neighborhood, which will help create a cult following for one of my favorite hangouts.

Sincerely,
David Koresh
Waco, Texas

Anonymous said...

No.

Anonymous said...

No, for all the taking-of-public-space reasons mentioned by others.

Anonymous said...

I HATE the dog-taking-up-half-the-sidewalk thing. Entitled owners are endangering their dogs! Because people like me who LIKE DOGS, but feel that human pedestrians should be reserved a wee bit of walking space, become possessed by an overwhelming desire to KICK THE DOG.

Dog owners, you are endangering your dogs by letting them take up too much sidewalk space, whether while you dine or walk with Spot on a loooong leash.

Maybe I should transfer my hostility to punching the owner?

blue glass said...

st marks place is already a zoo.
they signed a stipulation - they should have to abide by it.
it's like the folks that ask for a beer/wine license and say they'll not go for a full license, and then of course they will.
of say they will close at 2am and then change it to 4am.
folks, remember this is a residential neighborhood and not everyone is a college student, party animal, or tourist. many are families and the very people that serve you all during the day.
have a little consideration.
change has no place in the discussion. nuf said.

Anonymous said...

Nope; really hope they don't get an approval for this. The dog thing really is minor; few people actually keep their dogs like that. Just the fact that this cafe would take up space on a very crowded sidewalk is a no-no. It's bad enough as is with people often spilling onto the street and crowding when businesses claim public space for their own use.

Anonymous said...

Warm weather seems like ages ago. But do ANY of the bars/restaurants on St Marks b/t A and 1st have sidewalk seating?

The Crooked Tree has maybe 2 tables. Yaffa had some seating.

This A -St Marks corner is far too busy and cramped for outdoor seating

Anonymous said...

If these guys try to take a sidewalk cafe application to CB3, I'm going to the meeting with a printout of these comments.

Anonymous said...

7A had outdoor seating for years, so did Benny's Burritos, both of which are now closed. I didn't hear anyone complaining about those places having outdoor seating, in fact everyone was sad to see them go, so why is this any different?

Randall said...

They should give them sidewalk seating and then take away the liquor license. That would be some sweet poetic justice.

BTW @NYGRUMP No one going to an Empellon takes cabs anymore, it's Uber or nothing.

Anonymous said...

This place, before it opened, was being billed as a restaurant. But when it opened, it turned out that it's just a bar that happens to sell a couple tacos. That they now want to be a bar with a sidewalk bar is laughable.

Anonymous said...

Exactly. The dog owners think they own the sidewalk. There is nowhere to fucking walk. Most are in their own world in NY and don't care if they run into you. Plus, I used to be a waiter. Most don't care either. They are there to make money and could give two shits about you. I think its a bad idea.

Anonymous said...

I would encourage everyone on this string who opposes this to attend the meeting where they will appear. It is not on the agenda in March so most likely in April. I would also encourage everyone to go to the CB 3 web-site and sign-up to receive the CB 3 monthly meeting agenda and attend whatever meetings you feel have items that will impact you in a way that is either positive or negative. I know, I know everyone is busy and CB 3 is far from perfect, but frankly it's in many ways our only line of defense against this stuff, zoning changes etc. So bite the bullet and attend and speak. It has made a difference in a great more cases then you might imagine.

Anonymous said...

This guys is one greedy SOB who has misrepresented his intentions from Day 1. The SLA will not look kindly on the fact that he signed a stip saying he wouldn't do this and less then 6 months later now saying he will. This can be stopped if people want it to be stopped.

Anonymous said...

@12:23 PM

The difference is 7A was low key, and not filled with noisy assholes nor was there loud music spilling out to annoy the shit out of neighbors.

Anonymous said...

I hope he gets the permit. It would be a nice addition to neighborhood.

Anonymous said...

@12:23 7A opened in a much different time, when the sidewalks were way less crowded. 7A was also a DINER. It was not a bar with tacos, with an already open facade, on an even more crowded, bar filled street.

Anonymous said...

Maybe we should let the ave A Block association decide whether they should get the permit. If it was up to that group and there miserable existence manhattan would be a dry city. U would have to go to bklyn for a beer.

Anonymous said...

I tried the tacos there recently. It is shit. The meat was overcooked. The chips were stale. The salsa tasted like something from a jar. There is mass confusion as to where to order, who to order from, and the environment reminds me of a frat house with music from the 90's and bros drinking beers. Not my scene whatsoever. This is why I don't like the EV anymore. It is one big frat party. Feels like I am living deep in the south or midwest somewhere. Fucking sad.

Anonymous said...

@ commenter 2:51

I liked the food much more than you. However, you do touch on 2 good points. The CONFUSION! There are 50 people working in there yet no one seems to be paying any attention. And the place was filled with bromosapiens when I was there. It feels like an anti-neighborhood bar.

Anonymous said...

How did this place, rather the East Village, become the bro/frat boy mecca for Manhattan? I don't get it. I avoid going out on Fridays or Saturdays for this very reason. Sickening what is happening to NYC. What a damn fucking shame.

Anonymous said...


@Anonymous 2:46 pm "Maybe we should let the ave A Block association decide whether they should get the permit. If it was up to that group and there miserable existence manhattan would be a dry city. U would have to go to bklyn for a beer."

Who are you and who exactly are you referring to? Perhaps you should give your name and exactly who you are talking about so they can respond to you?

Do you live here and on this planet? The EV certainly isn't lacking for places to eat and drink and no one wants a dry city, just one that has something other then nightlife establishments that don't cater to anyone who lives here.

Might be worth hearing what people who live and work here actually think, because if you look at the people supporting this on the petition, it isn't those of us who live and work here.

Russ said...

Hey 2:46

Have you ever been on Avenue A? There are many places for beer and food. Something for everyone.

Boulton & Watt, The Library, Kelly's, Double Down Saloon, 2A, Two Boots, Upright Citizen's Brigade, Angelina Cafe, Mary O's, Crossanteria has a bottled beer, Sing Sing, Drom, Kakuza, Mini Thai Cafe, Sidewalk, Somtum Der, Cienfuegos, Miss Lily's, Yuca Bar, the 10 Degrees/Flea Market Cafe, Lucy's, Doc Holliday's, Cafe Pick Me Up, HiFi, Horus Cafe, Flander's Lane, Cork N Fork, El Camion, Au Za'atar, Common Ground, Percy's, Fat Buddha, Horsebox, Drop-Off Service, Zaragoza, the new Destination.

And I know I am missing some. So no need to go to Brooklyn to find a beer.

Anonymous said...

Russ:

Nicely done - Planet Rose, Ethos Mezze, Niagara, Black Burger and Oysters, La Lucha

Anonymous said...

I guess everyone who complains on this site should give there names if that was the case there would be zero comments . Signed yours truly. P.S. moron

Russ said...

Thanks 4:15!

How could I forget Niagara!? I was just there Friday.

Anonymous said...

These guys can't even put out a sign without it being in the way. Outdoor seating on one side with the right restrictions could be fine but not on both sides, that's insane.

Considering he said he was putting in paper plates so people could go and sit in the park when they put together the plan for the space, he is obviously changing his mind on that. So if he gets seating I doubt they will keep to the minimum amount of seats they get approved - if the have their a-frame advertising boards in the way of pedestrians on icy sidewalks you can guarantee the will have two lanes of tables taking it up too.

As for the lies to CB3 - I wouldn't worry too much the place isn't exactly packing them in and they must be hurting to some extent.

The food is okay but pricy to actually get full on this food.

PS - Being a 34 year old male that has occupied the area for a good 5 years and can be seen in a sports cap - am I a BRO?

Ken from Ken's Kitchen said...

March 4, 2015 at 5:26 PM

I don't know. Are you a drunken alpha male idiot who enjoys hanging out with other drunken alpha male idiots and screaming random stuff that demonstrates how much you enjoy partying?

Anonymous said...

I don't know what I did in a past life to deserve this shit. I live in this building right now and this place is loud as a rap concert every night of the week and weekend with everything indoors!! I don't even want to think about how little I'll sleep with outdoor seating.

This CANNOT be approved. Anyone want to live above an inconsiderate taco club? Let me know...

Anonymous said...

Absolutely Not. No room for sidewalk seating there

Anonymous said...

It looks like they already have one.

Anonymous said...

Monday night is the new Friday. Friday is for staying put...or maybe a museum.

Anonymous said...

I agree that the food is overpriced and terrible, just like it is at all of Stupak's restaurants. Tacos Morelos around the corner is 100x better and so much cheaper. Don't believe the hype.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the last commenter. Friday night is for bridge and tunnel (God love them). I am not looking forward to the warmer months. I also think some of the sidewalk cafes are growing out of hand. It leaves little room to walk and is a little too close for comfort. I think the owner of this spot knew all along what his vision was. When I first spotted them, I was under the impression it would be similar to the Spanish restaurant, also by the same owner on Sixth in the West Village. This neighborhood does not need more bars or bro bars. Sometimes when I walk the streets or open my windows, I feel I am back at Chapel Hill in North Carolina, listening to frat boys screaming at the top of their lungs, walking into you, just to assert their masculinity, wearing their sports teams on a cap, and speaking in their low, alpha male tone, some of which throw up on the streets, and call everyone, "dude." I digress. Sorry.

Anonymous said...

I'd heard good things. I finally stopped in: this place is crap. Small drinks, a surly bartender, the worst guac ever, small almost ingredient-less tacos. Go to one of the many many other Mexican places around. They're better and cheaper.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah, I TOTALLY think this is just some person who likes tacos. It's definitely not a fake signature from an owner.

"Lisa Zebro WOODMERE, NY about 3 hours ago Liked 0
I would love to sit outdoors in the warm weather and it is a great site for that because the sidewalk is wide and is also on a corner so it wouldn't impede pedestrians. Also, sidewalk café expansions always add a bit of character to a neighborhood as in the European tradition. It is good for business as well as gentrifying the area with charm."

Walter said...

Hahahahaha, best comment in a long time 'gentrifying the area with charm.' Thanks, you just made my night!

Anonymous said...

To the person who lived in the building who is having issues with the noise, please call 311 and e-mail Susan Stetzer at CB 3 and make sure they have a record of the complaints. If this clown shows up and has all these petition signs and says there aren't any complaints he stands a chance. CB 3 needs documented complaints to really act effectively.

nygrump said...

Randall,
I'm taking to carrying a sharp object for the next uber fuck who turns after the light is red and cuts me off. hey, uber fuckhead if you don't want to scrape your car against sharp objects don't run the red light while pedestrians are in the crosswalk. There seems to be a belief among drivers that if they want to turn, they get to turn even during a red light. If one more fucking cab starts beeping while people are crossing I might flip out. People should be handing me small candies as I walk up the street to keep my blood sugar in line. the veneer of civilization keeps getting thinner, and I suspect this is all part of a plan to keep us all occupied with things that don't matter. I mean, Fukushima is still dumping massive amounts of radiation into the ocean, what 4 years on now?

Anonymous said...

Gentrification with Charm. Can someone make this tee shirt? And the "60 Blocks North"one I suggested months ago? That's a gentle suggestion for people offended when they experience anything not suburban when in the EV. Which is becoming more rare. although the sharp object idea could be a move in the proper direction.

Anonymous said...

They have shitty food. I agree with the last commenter. Worst guacamole ever. Small, nondescript tacos. Bro/frat boy environment. Pass.

Anonymous said...

Send your thoughts to Susan Stetzer on Community Board 3 if you can't attend the meeting: sstetzer@cb3manhattan.org