Looks like Al Diwan on Avenue A and 13th Street has closed up... In June, the Al Diwan folks received permission to transfer their license... as we reported, this space will become home to Percy's Tavern, a "Gaelic gastro pub." You can read all about that here. Percy's owner, Larry Watson, has lived in the East Village for 25 years, arriving here in 1986 to work as a building super on 11th Street and Second Avenue...
I would have happy eaten at Al Diwan, but did you ever take a look at the menu. Expense! Way too expensive even for our increasingly yuppified hood!
ReplyDeleteI live across the street and while I would not wish for another bar on our oversaturated block, maybe Percy's Tavern will be a nice, grown-up pub like Telephone was, more a restaurant than a bar. Larry Watson seems to have good bona fides. I'll try to be optimistic and keep an open mind.
ReplyDelete@ anon 10:42
ReplyDeleteHe pitched Percy's as a grown-up pub... Larry seems like a decent guy... Maybe we're all being duped and this will become Percy's Beer-Pong Palace with nightly DJ competitions... but I have a good feeling about him.
Al Diwan was actually one of the better Middle Eastern restaurants in the city and the food there was delicious, but like the first poster said, their menu was way overpriced.
ReplyDeleteSo Al Diwan, if you are reading this, lower your prices and I'll be happy to go back, but $30+ per person with no alcohol is just too much!