Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Sharaku Japanese Restaurant emerges from plywood frozen in 2020 time

We continue to be curious about what's next for the empty storefronts at 8-14 Stuyvesant St. Workers have been renovating the spaces on this strip between Ninth Street and Third Avenue.

Now, the plywood is off the space at 14 Stuyvesant, and it almost looks as if the previous tenant, Sharaku Japanese Restaurant, was still here...as they were from 1984 to the early days of the pandemic in 2020...
As previously reported, Village Yokocho, Angel's Share and Panya closed in the other spaces in April 2022. Sunrise Mart also shut down in a separate building next door on the second floor.

This post has more background. 

3 comments:

Xeo said...

A really big shame that this building has been closed and vacant for so long. It had thriving businesses in it. Angel's Share was also a relatively historic bar... it started the "speakeasy" style bar trend in the city (arguably the country).

M said...

These businesses are missed, particularly since they were not part of big chains. Note to first poster, Chumley's and Beatrice Inn, both of which closed in 2020, and Ear Inn, serving since 1817, all downtown and all former real speakeasy's during Prohibition.

Misook said...

It's a bummer that Saraku's gone. Even after leaving the East Village, whenever I was around, I'd swing by for a solo dinner at the sushi bar. I never really cared about how it ranked on social sites because what mattered most was the good food and friendly vibes. The sushi chefs and staff always treated me like family, and it became my go-to spot since my NYU days back in '94 when there weren't many Japanese joints around. Their spicy tuna roll was big and had a unique taste that I had not seen in other places, and I always loved the freebie grilled fish appetizer they'd hook me up with. Now, it's all just memories.