Outdoor dining season returns this week as curbside setups reappear

Wednesday (April 1!) marks the start of outdoor dining season in NYC. 

Under current city rules, licensed roadway cafés can operate from April 1 through Nov. 29.

In recent days, we've spotted curbside dining setups of various sizes going up around the East Village (bottom two photos by Stacie Joy)...

Meanwhile, the City Council is expected to advance legislation that would again allow year-round operation of roadway dining setups. 

The change would eliminate the need for restaurants to dismantle and rebuild curbside setups each season. This costly and time-consuming process has contributed to a sharp drop in outdoor dining citywide, according to Crain's. 

The proposal, led by Brooklyn Council Member Lincoln Restler, reportedly has support from Council leadership, the mayor's office and hospitality groups. However, opponents have concerns about sanitation, design, and the loss of parking spaces. 

A City Council Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing on the bills was held on March 3. During roughly three hours of public testimony — with 47 speakers — some opponents of the year-round plan noted that only one committee member remained in the room for the duration. 

Supporters of the measure say a permanent program would better support small businesses and neighborhood activity. 

"Seasonal outdoor dining has shown how our streets can serve people first," Sara Lind, co-executive director of Open Plans, told EVG via email. 

Restler told Crain's that it's important the measure passes before summer so businesses have time to plan ahead for 2027. 

For now, the seasonal setups are back — and the debate continues.

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• City Council weighs big roadway-dining changes; opponents claim bill burying

10 years later: Ninth Ward announces itself again on 2nd Avenue

Ninth Ward signage is now up on the new building at 180 Second Ave. (H/T Choresh Wald!)

As previously reported, the New Orleans–themed bar closed here after service on Feb. 14, 2016, with plans to return following a gut renovation of the building between 11th Street and 12th Street.

That timeline — initially expected to be about 18 months — stretched into nearly a decade amid construction delays, landlord issues and the pandemic.

In July 2024, the owners were back before Community Board 3 seeking a new liquor license for the address as part of their long-awaited return.

Now, with the signage in place, it's one of the clearest signs yet that the Ninth Ward is getting closer to reopening here.

Good news for those who've been waiting a decade for that next drink here.

The Gray Mare has closed; new concept planned for the space

Image via @thegraymarenyc

After nearly 10 years at 61 Second Ave., the Gray Mare closed after service this weekend. 

However, the owners have plans for a new concept for the equine-inspired pub between Third Street and Fourth Street. 

Here's part of their farewell message on Instagram:

We are so humbled and deeply grateful for all of the love & support we have received over the last decade. It's on occasions like this that we take a moment to look back over those years and actually marvel at how genuine and decent the vast majority of our patrons have been. We love our neighbors & our East Village home. It has been such a pleasure to serve you. As we look ahead, we are beyond excited to begin a new chapter right here with a new concept in the very near future.

The Gray Mare took over from Dempsey's, which closed in 2016 after a 24-year run. 

Reader report: Apna Pind debuts on 4th Street

EVG reader Danimal let us know that the quick-serve Indian restaurant Apna Pind opened yesteday at 128 E. Fourth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Signage alert here.) 

Apna Lind, which began as an outpost on Rockaway Boulevard in Jamaica, offers an array of Indian staples ... with four daily specials in the $13-$15 range from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

While it's mostly a to-go operation, there are seats for up to 16 people.

Last night, Danimal, who lives on the block, tried the chicken korma with white rice and got an order of garlic naan on the side. 

Per Danimal: "The food itself was excellent, served nice and hot, and super flavorful ... pretty large menu for such a small place — very happy with this new addition to the block!" 

Google lists its hours as 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Sunday's parting shot

Slowly spring in Tompkins Square Park...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with an early Father's Day scene on Avenue A via Derek Berg). 

Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• Remembering longtime East Village artist and activist Agosto Machado (March 25) 

• Two Boots' longtime Avenue A home listed for the first time in 30 years as lease talks continue (March 24) ... Checking in with Phil Hartman on Two Boots' future on Avenue A — and the East Village (March 26) 

• 11 years after the deadly Second Avenue gas explosion (March 26)

• DOT plans bike and pedestrian changes around Astor Place and the East Village (March 26)

 
• Commemorating the 115th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire (March 25) 

• The CityBench that baffled residents on 3rd Street has been removed (March 26) 

• A timely discussion on Iran at the Francis Kite Club (March 27) 

• Inside the New Museum's reopening on the Bowery (March 23) 

• A cold Spring night with the waxing Moon (and a reminder the Earth keeps moving) (March 25) 

• Photos by Francesca Magnani: ImillaSkate at Ninth Street Espresso (March 27) 

• A surreal sendoff to winter at Parkside Lounge (March 24) 

• Signage alert: JoJu on St. Mark's Place (March 25) … Wine Art Laboratory on Avenue B (March 24) … Fire Escape on Avenue A (March 23) … Whits on St. Mark’s Place (March 23) 

• And now, your Paulie Gee's East Village Slice Shop signage (March 27) 

• $1 slices mark Emmy Squared’s East Village return (March 23) 

• Pizza Hub's run on 1st Avenue appears to be over (March 24) 

• Fresh pavement for Avenue A (March 24) 

We mentioned that Tropic Berry had quietly shuttered at 45 First Ave. ... EVG reader Taz Urnov shared this pic showing that the for-rent sign has arrived...

A moment inside MERV 1

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

On Wednesday afternoon, there was a sizable FDNY response to a report of a fire on the SW corner of Avenue A and Fourth Street. 

Multiple fire trucks and emergency vehicles lined Avenue A and Fourth Street during the response, drawing a crowd of onlookers on a sunny spring afternoon. 

According to FDNY sources, facade work sparked a small fire involving a resident's AC unit. The blaze was quickly extinguished, with no injuries. There were reports of broken windows and water damage in several apartments. 

Among the responding units was MERV-1 (Major Emergency Response Vehicle), a large-scale ambulance typically deployed for mass-casualty incidents, building collapses or major fires. 

Per the FDNY, it serves as a mobile treatment unit capable of handling multiple patients on-site. 

Given the initial report of a high-alarm fire, MERV-1 was dispatched as a precaution. 

Once it was clear the situation was under control, I asked for a look inside — and a crew member was kind enough to give a quick tour.

As always, we appreciate the FDNY response — and it was much better to see MERV-1 parked than in use.

Sunday's opening shot

Photo by Jason Newton 

From last night outside Search & Destroy on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue...

Saturday's parting shot

Brooklyn's quietly intense Nara's Room tonight at Night Club 101 on Avenue A ... the band's next record is out on May 15.

A Tompkins Square Park sendoff for the No Kings march

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Local residents assembled in Tompkins Square Park early this afternoon, setting off for Columbus Circle and the No Kings march, part of coordinated protests across the U.S. and overseas.

Attendees included local City Council Member Harvey Epstein and Council Speaker Julie Menin...

... Assemblymember Grace Lee...

...former District 2 City Council member Margarita López...

... and Matthew Marrero, whose husband Allen Dabrio Marrero is still being held in ICE detention despite an order for his release... seen here with Rev. Amanda Hambrick Ashcraft of Middle Church...

Saturday's opening shot

Photo by Derek Berg 

Alley Cat at the excellent Village Works, 12 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

And NOT for #Caturday!

Friday's parting shot(s)

Photos by Cecil Scheib 

The March 27 sunset as seen from the East Village ...

... and earlier...

Mad world

Surfbort is back with their first record in five years, the delightfully absurd Reality Star. 

The video here, which includes a dancing chicken, is for "Jessica's Changed." 

Surfbort has a few local shows — next Friday at Night Club 101 on Avenue A, which is SOLD OUT, and Market Hotel in Brooklyn on Saturday.

Photos by Francesca Magnani: ImillaSkate at Ninth Street Espresso

Photos courtesy of Francesca Magnani 

A series of portraits taken on the Lower East Side — featuring members of the Bolivian skate collective ImillaSkate — remains on view at Ninth Street Espresso, on 10th Street near Avenue B, through April 10.

The exhibition, titled "The Blue Bridge," includes 10 images by local photographer Francesca Magnani, shot beneath the Manhattan Bridge. 

The subjects — Huara, Tefi, Belen, Elinor, Brenda, Zusan, Fabi and Deysi — are seen skateboarding in polleras, the traditional layered skirts worn by Indigenous Bolivian women.

The group has built an international following for skating in traditional dress ... once a source of discrimination but now embraced as a symbol of cultural identity and pride. Magnani's project explores themes of migration, exclusion and resistance, connecting stories across the city. 

The series has previously been shown at the EMOP Biennale in Berlin and Sydney's Head On Photo Festival.

ImillaSkate's work extends beyond performance — the collective is currently raising funds to build a skate park and cultural center in Cochabamba to support young people in their community.

The exhibition is on view daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Ninth Street Espresso, 341 E. 10th St.

And now, your Paulie Gee's East Village Slice Shop signage

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The old-school signage arrived yesterday for the incoming Paulie Gee's East Village Slice Shop on the NE corner of First Avenue and Sixth Street...

The pizzeria will be opening later this spring at this former Dunkin' outpost. 

Read more below...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Paulie Gee tells us more about his slice shop opening on 1st Avenue in the East Village

A timely discussion on Iran at the Francis Kite Club

Photos and text by Daniel Efram 

Earlier this month, the Francis Kite Club, 40 Avenue C, hosted O/R Books author Behrooz Ghamari, of the Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali Institute of Iranian Studies at the University of Toronto, just in time to discuss the release of his timely new book "The Long War On Iran" amid rising tensions involving Iran. 

The talk drew a standing-room-only crowd seeking background on the political and social forces shaping the long-misunderstood country as the United States and Israel launched wide-ranging attacks on Iran.

The conversation focused largely on post-1953 Iran. 

"From my childhood, I remember even in the first grade in childhood, everyone knew that the U.S. and the British committed a coup in 1953 to overthrow Mosaddegh (Prime Minister at the time) against the nationalization of oil and brought back the Shah," Ghamari summarized. "It was a given. We didn't need to wait until the declassification of documents to know that the CIA was involved. Everybody knew. It was common knowledge." 

Ghamari also expressed bewilderment at members of the Iranian diaspora celebrating in the United States following the Feb. 28 death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"How puzzled I am by what is going on — these kinds of bizarre ideas about how the world works, from subscribing to the 'civilizing' mission of the West to basically celebrating the bombing of their own neighborhoods in Tehran. It's so puzzling." 

Throughout the evening, the historian discussed what he described as the influence of Western political and cultural ideology in Iran over the decades — ideas that, he said, framed outside intervention as a form of liberation.

He also argued that the 1978-79 Iranian Revolution, which overthrew the Shah and established an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini, should be understood as an anti-imperialist revolution — a perspective he said is often misunderstood in the West.

"The idea of social justice was very very key in the Iranian Revolution (after the imperialist planting of the Shah). The question of freedom was very much important at the center of this revolution," he said. "And the question of sovereignty… it was always inherently an anti-imperialist." 

Ghamari ended the conversation by suggesting that many immigrants arriving in the United States encounter dominant Western cultural narratives and often feel pressure to adopt them to avoid marginalization.

Discover more upcoming events at Francis Kite Club here. 

Find Efram's recently launched Substack here.

11 years after the deadly Second Avenue gas explosion

Photos by Andy Reynolds for B&H 

Today marked the 11th anniversary of the deadly Second Avenue gas explosion. 

The blast killed two men, injured two dozen people, and leveled three buildings (119, 121 and 123 Second Ave.). 

At the memorial plaque outside 45 E. Seventh St., Ola, a co-owner of B&H Dairy a few storefronts away, paid tribute to the two men who died that day — Nicholas Figueroa and Moises Locón. (You can watch a short clip of her remarks on Instagram.)

Officials dedicated this plaque in May 2021. The Village Preservation advocated for its placement here on the new residential building at 45 E. Seventh St. 

According to a lawsuit filed March 13 in Manhattan Supreme Court, four rent-regulated tenants say the owner of the condo at 45 E. Seventh St. — through Avenue Second Owner LLC — has not paid any of the funds they are owed following the destruction of their homes on Second Avenue. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• RIP Nicholas Figueroa 

• RIP Moises Locón

Checking in with Phil Hartman on Two Boots’ future on Avenue A — and the East Village

Photos and interview by Stacie Joy 

As we reported on Tuesday, the longtime home of East Village mainstay Two Boots Pizza — at 42 Avenue A on the NE corner of Third Street — has been listed for lease for the first time in 30 years. 

At the time, owner Phil Hartman said they were hoping to negotiate a new lease with the landlord while remaining in the neighborhood. 

With the listing now public and questions swirling about what's next for the Cajun-Italian slice spot (and its corner, which once housed the Two Boots video store and Pioneer Theater), we checked back in with Hartman yesterday afternoon for an update — and what the future might look like.

How do things stand with the landlord right now?

Talks are ongoing. I got a counteroffer yesterday, which I appreciated. At the same time, we're looking at other spaces in the neighborhood just to get a sense of comparison. I'm very emotionally tied to this spot, so we're cautiously optimistic. 

Did the listing change the tone or urgency of negotiations? 

A little. It was somewhat unexpected, and it affects the staff — you want to reassure them that things are going to be OK. But I've been doing this for 43 years. I've opened 34 businesses. Nothing really shocks me anymore.

Were you expecting the listing? 

There had been some talk, but the timing was a surprise. 

The asking rent is listed at around $22,500. Is that realistic? 

 

I'd call that aspirational. Landlords tend to be aspirational. I have a sense of what a business can do here to survive — and that number is high. 

Do you have a timeline for a decision? 

No hard deadline, but it's pressing. I'd say we'll know more in the next few weeks. 

How likely is it that you will stay at this location? 

As I said, cautiously optimistic.

If not here, would you stay in the neighborhood? 

Absolutely. Two Boots is staying in the East Village. It might be a few blocks away or right here. 

You've mentioned your ties to the neighborhood — how much does that factor in? 

A lot. I raised my kids around the corner, and now my daughter is raising her daughter here. My grandparents lived on Henry Street — we're five generations in the neighborhood. And we work with so many community groups. The Lower Eastside Girls Club alone is reason enough to stay. 

If you do stay in this space, would anything change? 

Yeah — I'd love to lean into the history. Turn this into the birthplace of Two Boots. Maybe a little museum feel, a self-guided tour, a kids' pizza-making station. Make it more fun. 

And if you have to leave? 

It would be emotional. There's a lot of art in here that's part of the space — mosaics, paintings, the floor. Some of it we can take, some we can't. You start thinking about all that.

How do you see this situation in the broader context of running a business right now? 

Third-party delivery apps are a huge problem — they take a big cut and add very little. And this stretch of Avenue A has a lot of vacancies, which makes things tougher. But we've been through 9/11, Sandy, everything. Pizza is perennial. 

What would you want people in the neighborhood to know right now? 

Two Boots will be here. Whether it's this spot or another nearby, we're not leaving the East Village.

The CityBench that baffled residents on 3rd Street has been removed

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Ding-dong, the bench is gone. 

That was the word on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B yesterday after the much-debated CityBench was removed from outside a residential building mid-block. 

Lorna Lentini, who lives directly in front of where the CityBench had been installed, was surprised when it first appeared last June — and just as puzzled to see it quietly removed this week. 

She and her neighbors had previously questioned the placement, noting it wasn't near a bus stop or park. Unlike other CityBench installations in the area — such as the leaning bar by the M9 stop on Avenue C and Sixth Street or the backless benches on 10th Street near Avenue C — this one had full back support and was positioned close to a residential entrance, facing directly toward her front door. 

Lentini said the bench was taken out Tuesday night.

"I heard nothing, nor did my upstairs neighbor," she said, noting that it appeared workers simply unbolted it.

As previously reported, Community Board 3 and several elected officials had supported its removal following complaints from nearby residents. 

According to CB3 District Manager Susan Stetzer, the bench is slated to be relocated down the block to the Ryan Nena Community Health Center on Third Street between Avenue C and Avenue D.

Lentini, who helped organize a petition that drew nearly 200 signatures, said she was relieved to see it go.

"I'm grateful to the neighbors, friends and supporters who signed the petition to move this bench to a more appropriate public space," she said. "I am just over the moon that I am not facing another summer season with that chronic audience!" 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Residents baffled by new CityBench outside their door on 3rd Street