[Photo from 1997 by @JenniferKellow]
As we first reported yesterday, Yaffa Cafe is now officially closed at 97 St. Mark's Place.
The DOH temporarily closed the restaurant on Sept. 5. In addition, the city ordered Yaffa's owners to shut down the backyard garden.
Last night, ownership posted this statement to their Facebook page:
Yes, Yaffa is closed. We really want to thank everybody who came to Yaffa and kept it open for 31 years.
I know we helped a few families to start a relationship at our establishment.
We had a great years and some not great, but now its time to go.
The city closed our garden, one of our not friendly neighbours complained to the building department, and they came and put 35 families out of work.
I am sure she is very happy.
Thank you all for supporting us.
Throughout the day yesterday, Yaffa fans took to Twitter to express their feelings.
I wouldn't care if the backyard was on fire or a rat was tap dancing on my tuna melt. I wish I could sit down at @YaffaCafe one more time.
— Francine (@FrancineD) October 2, 2014Heartbroken over the closure of @YaffaCafe. It held a very special part of my soul. #stripperinmanhattan #nyc pic.twitter.com/qb0r2kpGcr
— Bella Luna (@bawdybelle) October 2, 2014I have lots of fond memories from @YaffaCafe in #NYC; so much good conversation and carrot-ginger salad dressing. Now it has closed :-(
— Elizabeth Landau (@lizlandau) October 2, 2014Grub Street has a collection of the tweets here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
A Google ad now covers the iconic Yaffa Cafe mural on St. Mark's Place
Yaffa Cafe will be back, though likely without its backyard garden
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled
35 comments:
It's a good thing for all of us that FrancineD doesn't influence city policy!
garden restaurants/bars/coffee shops, etc. can be a problem for residents living near it.
if a resident complained to the DOB there probably had been an ongoing problem between the cafe and the resident.
i really hate it when an owner blames a resident (i consider them victims) for complaining about noise or other quality of life issues that the establishment did not deal with before the situation got out of hand.
think prune.
You know where business and residential areas are separated? The suburbs! You know what that means, right?
I second East Village Today's comment 1,000 times. If you don't like the dirt and noise and chaos of the East Village, then get the fuck out. I feel like walking up and down in front of the Yaffa space at 3 in the morning every morning with a drum and cymbals.
honestly, if that person can't handle the noise then get out or deal with it...people can't use the "i was here before you" type argument for a place that has been there that long. And if this person just moved to the neighborhood...wtf were they thinking?
10:24 me too!:D
And this from today's Eater, mentioning Yaffa:
http://ny.eater.com/2014/10/3/6899865/katzs-deli-is-shilling-for-google-with-a-neon-sign-on-east-houston
I think it's a little shitty of the owners to pin their closure on the complaints of one resident and the closing of the garden. Plenty of restaurants survive without a garden, and Yaffa benefits from having a large indoor space compared to most East Village joints with lots of tables. I suspect there was another reason for their closure that had to do with the Department of Health violations they kept getting. I was about to order breakfast there one morning last year when the waitress told us it might be best for us to go elsewhere because the DOH was there doing an inspection, and she didn't know if the kitchen was going to reopen. It's a good thing we left because the restaurant did get shut down for some violations. Also, the quality of the food and the service has gone down in recent years, and I stopped eating there as often. I remember it being a lot better in the '90s when I would go all the time. You can't take your customers for granted and assume that they will keep coming back no matter what. The crazy thing is that after saying all of this, I am going to miss this place. It's a part of the East Village I didn't want to die.
david
if you are serious you are are a perfect example of the stupid, self-centered, sarcastic (did i say stupid) psychopaths it would be nice to send back to your original planet of origin.
the still responsible human adults that moved here because it was what we could afford, or for the freedoms the neighborhood provided, did not stick it out so schmucks like you could party.
go back to the rock you crawled out from.
I totally agree with 11:50---very lame and pathetic of them to snark at one person when there was probably a lot more going on, such as too many food violations, etc.
A lot more places including some obnoxious bars around here would have long been closed by now if all it took was one person moaning about noise levels.
The so-called entitled old timer's that love chaos, noise, loud music, etc... and claim that the EV is known for this are full of shit and nobody need pay them any attention. As a real long tome resident (33 years) I can tell you the EV got loud in the past 5 years. Friends staying over from other parts of the city would comment that it was like being in the country when they visited. The explosion of bars with open facades, the affluent 20 somethings that can afford to get piss drunk on $15 cocktails did not exist until recently. Dive bars ruled the landscape for many years and everyone stayed inside including to smoke. I have never been to this restaurant and have no opinion on its food, atmosphere but all indications point to a place past its prime which got sloppy with maintaining a clean kitchen and an outdoor space that besides being illegal (danger to tenants needing to escape in case of a fire) the management could care less about their neighbors above, behind and side to side of this garden.
I agree with 1:02 about how a lot more places would be closed by now if all it took was one person moaning about noise levels. Good point.
I would have to say I am definitely not sad to see Yaffa closed after seeing this update. Tenement rear yards are defined as "places of refuge" by the FDNY. This means that if there is a fire residents need to be able to safely get down the rear fire escape and gather in a space that is far enough away from the rear façade of the burning building. They also need to be able to exit the rear yard to the right or left and get in the adjoining yard. If the yard in Yaffa in any way prevented them from doing this, by blocking the drop ladder, having tables blocking people from getting to the rear portion of the yard, or not having exits from the yard to the adjoining yards, then they were endangering the lives of the residents who lived above, as well as the FDNY who might come to rescue them and finally their own staff and patrons. Restaurants and bars all over the EV are doing this as we speak and these yards - really court yards were not built for this purpose. The folks from Yaffa should be happy that there wasn't an emergency that resulted in harm to anyone, because instead of just losing the rear yard, they would be facing possible criminal negligence charges. This isn't about noise - it is about life and safety. I'm sorry all these illegal backyards need to be dealt with before someone gets hurt. This isn't the suburbs - it is a densely populated residential neighborhood and businesses should not be allowed to put profits before people.
I hope the FDNY inspects more of these outdoor dining spaces. It's scary to think of what would happen in the event of a fire.
I was sad to see Yaffa close until I read their comment blaming a neighbor. And then all the yahoos after who believe it's true! The points made here are so obvious I can't even believe there are people who eat this shit up and are ready to actually tell people to move to the suburbs. Say that in front of me and I'll move your teeth to the suburbs.
First, one complainer cannot close anything, there has to be actual violations. Second, safety first, even if it's your favorite place to eat in the universe. Third, I can't think of a third, but you know what I mean.
Third, you have no idea whether that resident was there prior to Yaffa, plenty of people lived here before they opened, it's not like 31 years is so long ago anybody that old must be dead, and for all we know they've been having problems since Day 1. Why does your enjoyment of a backyard trump someones enjoyment of their apartment? Ridiculous.
Signing anonymously because of the teeth thing.
Glad to see the "if you don't like noise, move to the suburbs" crowd being rebuffed by the EV regulars. It's a distinctively suburban attitude, as in the city, one man's floor is another man's ceiling. I was sad to see this place go until I saw their ridiculous message. I'm sure the owners will be generously donating the profits they accrued over the years to the "35 families" allegedly put out of work until they get back on their feet, right? And I'm also sure the owners live in the city, and in an apartment above or adjacent to a bar/restaurant right? What a way for a neighborhood restaurant to blow years of goodwill in its death throes.
I have to rant for a minute about the move to the suburbs thing, which I haven't done in a while, so forgive me in advance. It occurs to me that anyone who says that must come from the suburbs themselves because they came to the big city thinking it's freedom from the gated community they grew up in, a place where shouting in the street at all hours and screaming from a backyard is what everyone does, because, duh, it's the city, where buses shake the house and the subway runs all night, and so do the people. But people who grew up in a city, in an apartment building, in close quarters, learned early on that you have to tone it down in order to live in peace with 100 other people who are sleeping within 50 feet, the same way you learn to not talk to strangers and to stand to the side when the subway doors open, unless you want constant threats of physical violence.
Those complaining about excessive noise popping up in new and unusual places in the past few years are those that have lived in a city their whole lives, or most of it at the very least, have never before experienced continued and unrelenting shouting at 3am in their formerly urban yet residential neighborhood, have never lived in a suburb, and are least likely to leave because you say so.
However, the shouters and binge drinkers will eventually leave when they sober up and yearn for the happy reliving of their 4 bedroom house with a minivan.
Same crap happened years ago to Cney ISland High. Some yuppie moved on top of a famous club and started complaining. You can thank Giuliani of course, and the illustrious Antonio Pagan for their 'QUality of Life' campaign. Now, there's no quality in anything.
Some of this fire stuff is pretty weird. I think we're at least six months away from a population that would remain seated and continue to eat and drink while an adjacent building was burning down.
Outside of Yaffa, and The Cloister , backyard cafes are a newer NYC phenomenon. It was the gentrifying hipsters of the past 10 years that really made them take off. I'm so glad I don't have one on my block. Yet.
There are quite a few bars & restaurants with outdoor seating that are good citizens and respect their neighbors, so please-you whining bitches, quit painting everyone with the same brush!!! There are more noisy places that have no outdoors who have patrons screaming while they smoke, etc. This neighborhood is the deadest that I have seen it in the 25 years since I have lived here and there is little or no foot traffic after 10pm on most nights. So all of you NIMBY's can go eff yourselves! The East Village now has no defining characteristics and might as well be any other part of the city. You suburban twits have and NIMBY's have ruined the place.
The law regarding the backyard: If you notice, most backyard restaurant spaces on on the avenues, not the streets. The zoning states that a restaurant may not use its backyard for the public if that backyard is situated more than 100 yards from an avenue. Yaffa has illegally used that space for 31 years. Yes, a single complaint can close an illegal backyard space; however an owner can stretch out the inevitable. From what we understand, Yaffa has received other violations over the years for this problem and has quietly paid off the violations without correcting them. In time, the buildings department will catch up with you.
So, Sixth Ward in the LES still have their garden, which also does not have a permit to operate, and DOB shut this down quickly. Just a telling what gets prioritize on the new EV. F--k the neighbor, the DOB, and theEV today.
Not a "neighbor", but a shill either married or fucking someone in real estate. This is typical among suburbanites who want all of the myths associated with New York City and none of the reality.
It really irks me when someone moves into a neighborhood with an existing business or situation (a restaurant, nightclub, slaughterhouse, garage) and then sets about dislodging the existing business as a nuisance.
31 years in business? You can bet the complaints came from some newcomer/arriviste. They think they want to live in a city, but they try to control the life of it and act as a spoilsport.
yaffa was around for 31 years, it wasn't some new sports bar. all of you losers whining about their backyard should have had plenty of time to get used to it.
no, don't move to the suburbs, move to a fucking old age home, whiners.
Loved Yaffa - the decor and the fact they were open 24 hours. Hated the food. How can you get food sooooo wrong? As a night owl I'm making a point of dining in 24-hour restaurants après midnight once a week or so as a "voting with my feet" sort of thing. Which is how I got to sample so many of their dubious recipes. RIP my late night pal.
When Yaffa Cafe closed down, half the comments here blamed the new resident upstairs who complained about the noise to get the Cafe shut down, the other half blamed the customers downstairs who were making the noise. But thise comments are missing the point: the people upstairs who are complaining about noise are likely from the exact same tribe of Yunnies who are also downstairs making too much noise.
They are like the guy who complained about the Halal cart, posted nasty fliers and forced it to move. First people move to the EV for the color and life, and then complain when it gets too colorful and lively.
The Yunnies are rude to others and intolerant of people who they think are being rude to them, and that includes members of their own tribe.
The irony here is that the Yunnies are creating a world in which they also hate Yunnies; it's a world that they themselves do not want to live in.
All the people who have lived here for decades and complain about the rapid changes are just doing exactly what these woo-hoos would do if a bunch of East Villagers moved into their podunk suburban hometowns and pushed longtime residents aside with high rent and rude behavior.
The woo-hoos would be the first ones demanding respect from the newcomers. How would they react if the East Villagers told them to "get over it, times change" and "If you don't like it move back to wherever." In the South there are still Sundown Towns where if you don't live there or are of the wrong persuasion, if you are not out of town by sundown bad things will happen.
Maybe it's time to enact those same Sundown Rules in the EV for the ewcomers, I'll bet then they will feel right at home.
oh lord, such drama. get over it already.
good riddance to a mediocre cafe at best.
Why couldn't they have continued on after the garden was closed even for a little bit so we could have one last meal there? I don't get it. There is more to this story. It doesn't make sense.
Dear mediocre,
Don't forget to let us know when your pet rodent or whatever it is you care about disappears so we can tell you to get over it already. Until then have a really nice day.
If the garden having no egress were really true then Paquitos and Netunes on 1st Ave as well as many other restaurants with gardens in the rear would have been shuttered long ago.
I could see one or more unfriendly neighbors withholding rent [and suing] until the landlord relented. But all the whining here, about the neighbor, is pointless since she wasn't named [at least its known it is a she] eventually more of the story will leak out.
I liked the place it was a step above diner food as far as 24 hour joints was concerned.
Sad, but nothing lasts forever.
If the "noise" at Yaffa was too much for you, you don't need the suburbs, you need a mental institution.
No one will ever really know why Yaffa Cafe closed. The fact that this Cafe was able to stay open for 32 years during such a drastic change to the Village is huge!For all the negative comments, its unfortunate that either the food was not up to your standard nor the service. No one should walk in to a place and be disappointed but it does happen. The Nursery school next door to Yaffa Cafe was reported and the City came to inspect the school. Since the school was using Yaffa Cafe as an another exit, the City came to Yaffa Cafe and closed the backyard patio. Due to the unfortunate circumstance the backyard patio did not have an legal exit for the restaurant. Even though, there is an exit from the basement from the back garden and from back of the restaurant; the City after 32 years decided to close it. This whole process took about a month. From what we were informed, the backyard patio is now being turned into a playground for the school. The DOB said they were summoned to the site following a complaint but that is simply not true.The DOH did give Yaffa Cafe 100 points but it wasn't for the upstairs of the restaurant. Downstairs, Yaffa only uses a very small section of the basement (the right side). There are freezers downstairs and a storage area. But on the other side, the side that Yaffa Cafe does not use was a disaster. Since the basement was not clearly "divided" Yaffa Cafe was responsible for the whole basement. The basement should of been up to date by the landlord but unfortunately was put on Yaffa Cafe. This particular woman from the DOB came in, very unfriendly sat down and waited for a couple of hours before beginning her work. She spent most of the morning on the phone or standing in the kitchen waiting. Once people came in which was around 1pm since that when Yaffa Cafe gets busier during the week, she started moving around very slowly. Just taking her time. Letting all the customers know she was there. I can understand why people would say all these negative things especially since there was no real concrete answer to what happened. And these young reporters/writers are very good at leaving things out of their story. This is the real story. I know. Not only was I there but I have been at Yaffa Cafe for many years. The reason why it worked in the 90's was because the owners were there but when they moved back to their homeland, all the managers took over and brought the place down. The amount of theft that went into this place was beyond imaginable. I am very disappointed that I was apart of it but as time passed and working with the owners' family to pay back all the debt, I felt that I should say something. Its hurtful to see things written about the owners and their families when these people have no idea what happened and what really went on. Regardless, owning a business is a huge challenge and it only works if the owners are there to make it work! I wish nothing but the best to the owner and his brother and wife whom worked to keep Yaffa Cafe open as long as it could.
@ anon 11:15
Thanks for the comment.
The owners of the new restaurant are removing the backyard dining area and turning it into a garden. According to published reports, the restaurant will have windows overlooking the garden.
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