Former Chao Chao space for rent on Avenue A

The for rent sign has arrived at 171 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street.

Chao Chao, the 6-month-old contemporary Vietnamese restaurant, closed without any notice to patrons in late May. Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. Soothsayer, from the same operators, also closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016. Brown paper covered the front windows for several months before the space re-emerged as Chao Chao last November.

171 Avenue A was also the onetime home of Rat Cage Records and 171A, the illegal club-turned-rehearsal studio that produced records by Bad Brains and the "Polly Wog Stew" EP by the Beastie Boys.

The listing for the space is not yet online.

Previously

H/T EVG reader dwg!

Chao Chao has not been open lately

Chao Chao, the 6-month-old contemporary Vietnamese restaurant at 171 Avenue A, has not been open for business the past two weeks, according to multiple neighbors.

There isn't any notice about a temporary closure on the front door or online. While the phone number is still active at owner and chef Stephan Brezinsky's restaurant, reservations aren't available and delivery via Caviar notes that Chao Chao "does not exist." We reached out to the publicist last week who sent us Chao Chao's opening notice and have yet to hear back.

Chao Chao evolved from Soothsayer, which opened in January 2016. The restaurant then closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September 2016. Brown paper covered the front windows for several months before the space re-emerged as Chao Chao last November.

In October 2016, CB3 issued a strong, two-plus page denial for an upgrade to Soothysayer's beer-wine license to full liquor. You can read the official meeting minutes here. The denial starts on Page 12.

Among other reasons, "the applicant proposed using the backyard area for dining, although no certificate of occupancy was provided to demonstrate the legality of the commercial use of the backyard and there had been numerous complaints from residents regarding commercial use of backyards in this neighborhood."

Upon seeking their initial full liquor license in July 2015, Soothysayer placed signs around the storefront asking residents to "join us as we rally for our liquor license and for the approval to open a cozy back patio."

The previous tenant here, B.A.D. Burger, closed in January 2015 after three-plus years. B.A.D. Burger was never able to secure a beer-wine license for the space. After CB3 denied his beer-wine request in 2012, B.A.D. Burger owner Keith Masco reportedly called the board "fascist."

On Avenue A, Soothsayer is now Chao Chao

The family-owned Soothsayer, a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant at 171 Avenue A between 10th Street and 11th Street, is now going by Chao Chao.

Here's more about the new venture via its website:

Chao Chao means a number of things in Vietnamese, depending on various accent marks and their placement. All meanings are food and hospitality related: a welcoming “hello”, a warming “soup”, delicious “meatballs”, or “shrimp balls” a sizzling “wok”, and, the accentuation used for the restaurant’s name, tangy “fermented tofu”.

Chao Chao is the brainchild of Stuy-Town native, Stephan Brezinsky. The concept is based in his life experience, growing up around Alphabet City in the 90s, listening to the Beastie Boys, and going home to feast on his mother’s Vietnamese home cooking.

Here's a look at the menu...


[Click for more detail]

Soothsayer closed without any notice to patrons at the end of September. They were on CB3's SLA October docket for an upgrade to a full liquor license. (CB3 issued a denial on the license.) Soothsayer opened in January.

As for No. 171, it was the former home of 171A, a studio used by the Beastie Boys, Bad Brains and Reagan Youth, among other bands.