Monday, December 5, 2022

1st Avenue old-timer Royal Bangladesh Indian Restaurant is being replaced by — obviously — a smoke shop

There's a new era for 93 First Ave. just south of Sixth Street. 

A smoke shop is taking the storefront on the lower level, space that Royal Bangladesh Indian Restaurant had from 1978 to late this past spring. (We first reported on the closing here.) 

Smokers Basement (please leave your thoughts on apostrophes in the comments) is the latest entrant in an already-crowded smoke-related market. (Exotic snacks too, maybe?) It appears Smokers will only be leasing the spot on the left.

For decades, hosts from the three restaurants at the address — Royal Bangladesh, Milon and Panna II — theatrically tried to get passersby to eat in their establishment, insisting that their food is superior. 

Milon closed at the end of 2020. While the sign remains, Panna II serves from both upper-level dining rooms (adding more to the urban legend that the three restaurants shared a kitchen!). 

Given how quickly the tacky-looking smoke shops are opening, it wouldn't be inconceivable to have three weed-related businesses here shortly... with bud hosts out front saying that they have the best CBD flower.

Thanks to the EVG reader for this tip!
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7 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 5, 2022 at 10:08 AM

    The restaurants never shared a kitchen and all three are still there. Panna uses the one they always had, and use Milon's as a back-up (prep and storage). The Royal had their own kitchen downstairs and it's likely still being offered as a restaurant space as I believe they divided the lower level into two spaces.

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  2. XTCDecember 5, 2022 at 10:20 AM

    Won't be long before the basement on the right becomes a Mushroom Dispensary. Weed, shrooms, trippy lights and a spicy curry. What's not to like.

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  3. SarahDecember 5, 2022 at 11:33 AM

    They cannot get the regulatory regime in place fast enough. No problem with weed legalization, and of course the stores were always going to be tacky, but this is ridiculous.

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  4. AnonymousDecember 5, 2022 at 11:41 AM

    Weed is the future of our entire civilization, apparently. Not a good indicator, IMO, when people *need* to be buzzed to cope with life.

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  5. AnonymousDecember 6, 2022 at 11:19 AM

    How many fn smoke shops do we need?

    ReplyDelete
  6. GiovanniDecember 7, 2022 at 1:09 PM

    While it is true that all of the Indian restaurants on 6th Street did not share the same kitchen, in order to keep prices low they did share the same chef, who had to run back and forth in a back alley between all the different kitchens all day long. That's why most of the food tasted the same.

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  7. AnnieDecember 7, 2022 at 1:41 PM

    Omg.

    ReplyDelete

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