Hanoi Soup Shop's on for 115 St. Mark's Place

The owners of Hanoi House at 119 St. Mark's Place have designs on opening a soup-centric cafe a few storefronts away here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Eater brings the news of the incoming Hanoi Soup Shop at 115 St. Mark's Place:

It will be a far more casual affair than their original restaurant, with sandwiches, coffee, and of course, pho. Hanoi House’s well-known, funky and fragrant pho bac — beef-based pho, here with oxtail — will be an option, as will pork terrine banh mi (banh mi cha lua) and Hoi An chicken over rice. Here, a chicken and vegan pho will also be available. Unlike Hanoi House, Soup Shop will be open during the day instead of just for dinner. It’s also about half the size, with counter seating, takeout, and delivery.

No. 115 last hosted the pop-up shop Mr. Bing... The previous tenant, Water Witch Mercantile, closed at the end of 2016 after just two months in business. Past tenants included Box Kite Coffee and the Tuck Shop.

Hanoi House opened in January 2017.

Mr. Bing will sell traditional Northern Chinese street crepes on St. Mark's Place

[Reader-submitted photo]

Yesterday morning, workers put up the signage for Mr. Bing at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Mr. Bing has been a regular on NYC's food market and festival scene the past two years, selling jianbing, "scallion- and sesame seed-studded crepes stuffed with eggs and other fillings that are artfully composed on a flat-top grill," as Eater describes the popular street food in Northern China.


[Photo by Steven]

Here's more on Mr. Bing's founder, Brian Goldberg via a piece in the Times back in January:

Mr. Goldberg, a Chinese scholar who grew up in Spring Valley, N.Y., in Rockland County, became a professional luge racer and worked in finance before running a couple of places in Hong Kong. He decided a few years ago to do something, he said, “that would be interesting and make people happy.” He’d like to do his part to make jianbing as mainstream as ramen.

Aside from various pop-up locations, Mr. Bing currently has a presence in the UrbanSpace Vanderbilt food hall ... this appears to be the first traditional storefront for the operation.

Mr. Bing is also on this month's CB3-SLA committee docket for a beer-wine license. (This item will not be heard before the committee.)

The previous tenant at 115 St. Mark's Place, Water Witch Mercantile, closed at the end of 2016 after just two months in business.


[Photo by Steven]

The rent is due at Watch Witch on St. Mark's Place

Watch Witch, the specialty food shop at 115 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue, has not been open since the end of December.

We've been waiting for a for rent sign to arrive on the space. However, on Monday, legal papers were attached to the front door... noting that the latest rent is due. In total, the operators owe a little more than $7,500, which includes the $4,699 rent, $2,256 real-estate tax escalation, $500 legal fee and $100 late fee. (So, even though the storefront was closed, someone paid rent January through March?)

The shop opened in early November, and sold a variety of specialty sandwiches, cured meats, artisanal cheeses and drip coffee, among other items. The previous tenant, Box Kite Coffee, closed just as abruptly last August.

Village Joker turns itself into Augurs Well on St. Mark's Place

[Via Instagram]

Since opening two years ago, the bar-restaurant at 115 St. Mark's Place has gone through several identify changes ... from the Burger Shop ... to the Village Joker. And now the bar has transformed itself into Augurs Well.

We asked Queens native Gregory Nardello, who opened the space with his father, about the change.

"I just decided to switch up the name. We have been zoning in more and more on the craft beer side of things," he said. "[There are] also a couple of small interior makeovers, and I'm working hard on some new menu ideas. Hopefully everything works out for the best."

The Burger Shop, sans burgers, now open on St. Mark's Place

Well, we were a little surprised to walk by 115 St. Mark's Place on Friday and find something called The Burger Shop up and running... Most recently, Michael "Bao" Huynh ran DOB 111 and then BarBao here. A tipster had said that Bao was opening another corny-sounding eatery here... (Turns out a father-son team from Queens is running the place.)

We stopped by and learned that they opened Halloween weekend... and that they weren't serving any food yet — likely have the kitchen in operation this week ... for now, just $10 pitchers of PBR all day/night... as well as a 2-for-1 beer happy hour... and organic wines...

So far, they are keeping the Beau art on the gate that went up in January for Barbao...

Then!

Now!

Anyway, trying to recall a little liquor license history here... In April 2010, the CB3/SLA committee rejected Huynh's request for a beer/wine license for DOB 111.

The six-foot bar at DOB had six seats, and was mainly used for people waiting for tables. However, several Board members looked through the pile of signatures that Huynh brought, noting there were only 29 signatures from residents who lived on that block from Avenue A to First Avenue. Board chair Alexandra Militano scolded an increasingly incredulous-looking Huynh for not doing better community outreach, something that a well-known restaurateur should know.

Plus, this permit request was within the so-called resolution area... because there are 18 liquor licenses or so along here on St. Mark's Place...

Anyway, we don't recall seeing this item on the CB3 agenda... There was something called "The Saint Mark's Red House (TTD& G LLC), 115 St Marks Pl (wb)" on the agenda in June, but that was a scratch. There's now an active liquor license here ... and one more place for a 2-for-1 happy hour.