The now-former home of Bait & Hook is for lease on the northwest corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue.
EVG reader Jimmy reports that a "closed for renovations" sign arrived last week...
... followed by the arrival of the for rent sign on Friday. (And H/T Shiv and Pinch!)
Bait & Hook opened as an alleged seafood restaurant in September 2012.
Per the press release at the time:
Bait & Hook offers a laid-back, relaxed atmosphere where seafood is the star. Diners can enjoy a reasonably priced meal without compromising high-end, quality cuisine and service. Bait & Hook provides the perfect destination for a quick bite, affordable date or a group gathering, with something on the menu to please everyone in your party.
"We wanted to open a place that offered New Yorkers an affordable, casual dining experience, with the feel of a seafood shack but the taste of an ocean-side eatery," said Executive Chef Joe Bachman.
The space soon earned the nickname Bait & Switch via a few neighbors when the place became a sports bar (an Eagles gathering spot during the NFL season) and SantaCon stop.
There were signs on trouble early last year when the "closed for renovations" signs arrived along with a three-day rent demand from the landlord.
Before Bait & Hook, the space was the Meatball Factory then Hole Foods ... and before that! The Pizza Hut-Nathan's-Arthur Treacher's combo, which vanished in 2010...
Ate there twice ages ago. Their fish & chips was commonplace so we never bothered to go back.
ReplyDeleteAnd before that, in the decades when there was stability in the commercial rent market, it was The Lunch Box diner, with a quirky red-painted wood shingle sign and down-to-earth comfort food. Still miss it.
ReplyDeleteI just hope the replacement emphasizes luxury. I'll never eat there but you can't have enough luxury!
ReplyDelete"but you can't have enough luxury!"
ReplyDeleteOr Gastropub.
Would always snort dismissively walking by this place but alas, they lasted a lot longer than I expected.
ReplyDeleteOr a luxury gastropub with a salt cave and a foot spa.
ReplyDelete@ hywel dda now I have a craving for fish and chips. Anyone know of a good place for fish and chips? In the neighborhood of course, willing to travel outside too. i know the chippery is supposed to open on 1st ave, thanks to evgrieve for the heads up. But until then, open to suggestions.
ReplyDelete@1:57 am I used to get good fish and chips at Tracks in Penn Station (the only decent place to eat there). Tracks had to relocate due to station renovations and I haven’t been to the new location yet; near Penn Station still. Not sure I would journey there but maybe a good choice if you’re in the area.
ReplyDelete@1:57 we used to enjoy the fish and chips at St. Dymphna's. We have not been to the new location.
ReplyDeletenow's the time to get that nuisance exhaust fan replaced before new tenant comes in and can hold landlord responsible. !!
ReplyDeleteI try stay clear of that side of 14th Street, too many sporty bro's carrying on, my sympathies to all that live above those places.
ReplyDeleteI live in the neighborhood, and have said for years that that location is cursed. I liked Bait & Hook, though my wife did not.
ReplyDeleteGenuinely surprised it lasted this long. The angry ghost of Arthur Treacher is not so easily appeased.
ReplyDeleteIt is time for Starbucks to come front and center and claim this space. East Village has not had a Starbucks in this vicinity for years. This space is conducive to a great location.
ReplyDeleteThe Starbucks on 2nd Avenue and 9th Street closed last April. There's also a Starbucks on 3rd Avenue at 15th Street.
ReplyDeleteTelephone Bar had fabulous fish-n-chips. Now it's home to crapulous douche-bro, dicks-n-chicks (13thStep).
ReplyDeleteFish 'n Chips are OK enough, but the Telephone Bar had British phone booths. Classy and unique.
ReplyDeleteI once opened a Lonely Planet tourguide for New York, and a top recommended restaurant for the east village was Bait & Hook! Made me question a lot of things . . .
ReplyDeleteStarbucks on 15th Street and 3rd Avenue has little to no impact on the street traffic of 14th Street and Second Avenue. This major thoroughfare would be a phenomenal place to land a new Starbucks. There is a significantly larger number of foot traffic at this intersection than the 3rd Avenue location. In addition, the space at 3rd Avenue is the size of a studio apartment. Second and 14th affords a large, spacious environment for patrons to relax, socialize and enjoy their brew.
ReplyDelete