After nearly a year serving up some solid slices, Nolita Pizza has left its East Village outpost at 128 Second Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place.
Saturday was the last day in business for the pizzeria, which is now operating from a newer outpost down on Kenmare Street. (H/T Lola Sáenz!)
[Photo yesterday by Steven]
We reached out to owner Tony Salihaj for comment. Unofficially, we heard that it was a combination of the COVID-19-related slowdown in business bumping up against the high rent for the space.
Kati Roll Company bowed out here in April 2019 after just under three years in business.
The longtime previous tenant at the address, The Stage, the 35-year-old lunch counter, closed in March 2016. Stage owner Roman Diakun had been involved in an ongoing legal/eviction battle with Icon Realty, who had taken over as the landlord.
Previously on EV Grieve:
The Stage Restaurant will not be reopening
This is sad news. Nolita had very good food for a decent price. They will be missed in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteSo disappointed! It was the best slice around. And with friendly staff.
ReplyDeleteWhile I usually hit up stromboli, they had a good slice I would buy to mix it up.
ReplyDeleteIcon Realty is their landlord, yuck. Still miss the Stage which they forced out. I wonder if the rent went down as it has for their luxury dorm apartments that have been renting for a lower price since the kids are fleeing NY. Watch out new restaurant! Horrible landlord.
ReplyDeleteProto's Pizza on Second between 2nd and 3rd is good. Was speaking with the owner recently. He says the homeless encampment next door at the abandoned and derelict church, oops, meant soon to be luxury condos, is killing business though.
10:27 Thank you for pointing this out. I was okay with Probto until Nolita came along. I will go back to support them particularly as an antidote to the loss of business due to the encampment.
DeleteA little further east on Ave B bet 2/3 Solo Pizza has an amazing grandma slice at a decent price
ReplyDeleteIcon, again.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how businesses lease from Icon Realty! Don't the businesses do their homework?
ReplyDeleteThis should be a caution to any other business that would think of renting this space. My feeling is this is now one of those cursed locations where nothing will ever succeed long-term.
ReplyDeleteBring back the Stage Deli - that is the ONLY business I would ever patronize in this now-Icon-owned building.
They were some nice in there with great pizza. Sucks.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Kati Roll company, the ladies who worked there were so sweet and the food was awesome.
ReplyDeleteThey should've kept Stage. They would've had a good, long-term, viable, subtle and quiet business with a loyal following that would pay a fair rent each month. So dumb.
ReplyDeleteI second the thought on Solo Pizza. Solid slices.
ReplyDeleteSo miss Stage, loved Kati, will definitely make an effort to walk down to Nolita’s Kenmare location. Their square slice quickly became my guilty pleasure.
ReplyDeleteGreat pizza, great crew. They will be missed.
ReplyDelete