Viking Waffles opens on Avenue C

[Photo by Vinny & O]

The Viking Waffles retail space is now open at 137 Avenue C near Ninth Street.

The storefront now sells the popular protein-rich waffles that were previously only available online and in several health-food stores and gyms, including Barry's Bootcamp. (Benedicte Engen, a Crossfit trainer, is the founder of Viking Waffles.) There are several tables and chairs inside, and you can order your waffles with a variety of toppings.

Here's the menu...



The space will continue to serve as the HQ for Viking's wholesale manufacturing business.

It's a new era for the address, which went under extensive renovations (it's basically a new building) in recent years. The building's ground-floor was previously home to drunk-brunch magnet Sunburnt Cow until April 2014.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Sunburnt Cow space on Avenue C is the new home of Viking Waffles

Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

Viking Waffles signage arrives on Avenue C

Some signage arrived Friday at 137 Avenue C near Ninth Street, which is home to Viking Waffles...



The space serves as both a wholesale manufacturing business and (eventually) a retail outlet for the popular protein-rich waffles that are sold online and at several health-food stores and gyms, including Barry's Bootcamp. (Benedicte Engen, a Crossfit trainer, is the founder of Viking Waffles.)



In any event, it doesn't appear that the Avenue C space is ready for retail just yet.

No. 137 went under extensive renovations (it's basically a new building) in recent years. The building's ground-floor was previously home to drunk-brunch hotspot Sunburnt Cow until April 2014.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Sunburnt Cow space on Avenue C is the new home of Viking Waffles

Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside


[Photo from April 2014]

Checking in on the future home of Viking Waffles on Avenue C

The recently renovated storefront at 137 Avenue C near Ninth Street will be the new home of Viking Waffles... the space will serve as both a wholesale manufacturing business and a retail outlet for the protein-rich waffles that are sold at several health-food stores and gyms, including Barry's Bootcamp.

The Commercial Observer first reported on this on Nov. 29. The article stated that the space was "slated to open this Sunday" (Dec. 4.).

Last we looked, the space was still raw. But you never know. So we checked it out again... Maybe it was a quick build out...



Well, hopefully the wholesale operation will feature more than one waffle maker.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Former Sunburnt Cow space on Avenue C is the new home of Viking Waffles

Former Sunburnt Cow space on Avenue C is the new home of Viking Waffles

The retail space at the renovated (and taller by one floor) 137 Avenue C has been on the market for the past 15 or so months. The building's ground-floor was previously home to drunk-brunch hotspot Sunburnt Cow until April 2014.

Now The Commercial Observer has the scoop on the new tenant — Viking Waffles, which is opening its first retail space here. The location will also serve as Viking's wholesale manufacturing business, currently housed in Long Island City.

So what are Viking Waffles? Per the VW website:

Unlike Belgian waffles, Norwegian waffles are thinner, softer, fluffier and their heart-like shape fits conveniently in your hand making for a great snack on the go.

Viking Waffles are all-natural, gluten free, ready-to-eat and packed with 24g of protein and only 2g of sugar!

A photo posted by Viking Waffles® (@viking_waffles_) on Nov 25, 2016 at 9:46am PST

The packaged waffles are currently sold just in gyms around the city such as Barry's Bootcamp and Solace Crossfit as well as retail outlets like Westside Market on Third Avenue and 12th Street.

The broker at No. 137 noted that Benedicte Engen, a Crossfit trainer who founded Viking Waffles, only signed a five-year lease because "if their sales continue the way they’ve been going they will surely outgrow the space."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

137 Avenue C — still standing!

137 Avenue C getting its extra floor


[Photo from April 2014]

Look at 137 Avenue C now

Been meaning to post photos showing how the renovated (and taller by one floor) 137 Avenue C looks these days now that workers finally removed the plywood from the future retail space.

Streeteasy shows two rentals that have been available here between East Eighth Street and East Ninth Street: Both are three-bedroom units, from $4,995 to $5,395. (Both apartments were de-listed on Friday.)

Here's the pitch via Streeteasy for the second-floor rental:

Featuring a BRAND NEW renovated modern 3 bedroom with 2 full bathroom unit! The apartment boasts hardwood flooring throughout, recessed lighting, stainless steel appliances, dishwasher, in unit washer/dryer, energy efficient CENTRAL HEAT AND A/C with an abundance of great light!!! Call me crazy, but no need to go to the beach for sun, simmer out on your own PRIVATE ROOF DECK with gorgeous East Village park view. Be the first to live in the amazing East Village abode!!!

And two photos from the unit...

The building's ground-floor was previously home to the Sunburnt Cow until April 2014.


[Photo from April 2014]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

137 Avenue C — still standing!

137 Avenue C getting its extra floor

A mural continues to grow on Avenue C

[Photo Wednesday by Peter from 8th Street]

On Wednesday, artist Zio Ziegler began work on a mural on the north-facing wall of the recently unveiled 137 Avenue C at East Ninth Street …

Here's how the mural was looking last evening in this photo via EVG Facebook friend Karen Platt…



The mural kinda looks like the plot of a Ridley Scott film. Actually though the building owner commissioned the wall to a nonprofit, the Solutions Project, to paint on in conjunction with the launch of their clean energy NYC campaign.

On Thursday, the Solutions Project held a kick-off event next door in La Plaza Cultural Community Garden where Mark Ruffalo, co-founder of the campaign, and Leonardo DiCaprio spoke while launching a national campaign that aims to "make clean energy more accessible and affordable for 100 percent of the people." (Read the news release about the campaign here.)

Several community leaders and activists were also in attendance.

Mark Ruffalo & Leonardo DiCaprio in the Lower East Side--100% clean energy campaign #100isNow http://t.co/wTrtrzXS4H pic.twitter.com/z59YHqwiZh

— GoLES (@GOLESNYC) June 18, 2015

A mural grows on Avenue C

The owners of the recently unveiled 137 Avenue C brought in artist Zio Ziegler to create a mural on the new residential building's north-facing wall here at Ninth Street...

EVG reader Peter from 8th Street notes that work started this morning...





Here's more about Ziegler per his bio:

His work reflects the diverse influences of late medieval and quattrocento painting, aboriginal, African and naive art, and the European graffiti movement.

We'll check back later to see how the wall is shaping up...

Here's the new-look 137 Avenue C

[Old-look No. 137 from April 2014]

After nearly a year of building-wide renovations that saw the addition of an extra floor at 137 Avenue C, workers this week removed the construction netting from the new-look structure, as EVG regular Dave on 7th tells us …

And now!



… and some views from East Ninth Street and La Plaza…





For awhile the site seemed to be some kind of construction miracle, with the remains of the building — just the north wall and some joists — held up by some scaffolding and not much else.

Thoughts on the new building? (The old version did have a bit of a lean to it.)

Approved DOB permits show one residential unit (condo?) on each floor… with a ground-floor retail tenant. The DOB lists Ramy Issac, no stranger to the East Village, as the architect of record.

As for the retail space, we understand that a bar-restaurant of some sort is in the works. (The applicant withdrew from the November 2014 CB3/SLA licensing meeting.) The building's ground-floor was home to drunker-brunch hotspot Sunburnt Cow until April 2014.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

137 Avenue C — still standing!

137 Avenue C getting its extra floor

137 Avenue C getting its extra floor

We've been meaning to check in on the building-wide gut renovation underway at 137 Avenue C near East Ninth Street. Workers pretty much gutted the place, leaving, as far as we can tell, just the north wall and some joists from the old place.

Anyway, the city-approved extra floor is well on its way...



Probably eventually the address will look like the rendering via architect Ramy Isaac …



Approved DOB permits show one residential unit (condo?) on each floor… with a ground-floor retail tenant.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

137 Avenue C — still standing!

We continue to be intrigued by the building-wide gut renovation underway at 137 Avenue C near East Ninth Street.

Workers are adding an extra floor to the existing structure… what's left of it. It appears from the street anyway that only the north-facing wall remains…



... and a view to the south...



EVG regular Dave on 7th is equally as intrigued, and he notes that workers dug out and built a whole new foundation. "It will be all new but two walls and some joists. Maybe!"

Here's what to expect here one of these days...



Meanwhile, there is a potential new tenant for this storefront. An attorney for the applicant — an unnamed person seeking a full liquor license for a restaurant — had filed paperwork with CB3 for the October and December SLA committee meetings. In both cases, though, the applicant subsequently withdrew from the agenda.

The ground-floor space was previously home to the Sunburnt Cow, which closed on April 27 after 11 years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

Amateur building inspector offering input outside 137 Avenue C

As we've pointed out, there's a building-wide gut renovation underway at 137 Avenue C … somehow, they're going to throw an extra floor atop the building that seems to lean a bit…



Meanwhile, someone has written this on the plywood …



… and does this read "this will fall" or "this will fail"? Well, either way — we get the idea…



If this is helpful…



Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

137 Avenue C, hollow on the inside

The inside of 137 Avenue C just south of East Ninth Street is pretty much gone…



As previously reported, there's a building-wide gut renovation underway (obviously), which will see the addition of an extra floor all via architect Ramy Issac.

The renovations include shoring up the exterior wall … which resulted in the (temporary) destruction of the sliver of a garden to the south of No. 137...





As we understand it, the regulars who tend to the garden are unfazed by the construction. They were made aware of it and plan to restock the garden once the work is complete next door.

One last note. The ground-floor space was previously home to the Sunburnt Cow, which closed on April 27 after 11 years.

There is a potential new tenant for this storefront. An attorney for the applicant had filed paperwork with CB3 for the October SLA committee meeting, accidentally citing 137 Avenue A on the paperwork. (Result of the confusion is here.) The applicant subsequently withdrew for the October agenda.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

Gutted Cow

[Photo yesterday by EVG reader jcroot]

The Sunburnt Cow closed for good on April 27 after 11 years at 137 Avenue C near East Ninth Street.

Work has started on a building-wide gut renovation, which will see the addition of an extra floor all via architect Ramy Issac.

EVG regular Dave on 7th got a look inside the former Sunburnt Cow yesterday, and didn't find much resembling a bar left...





Previously on EV Grieve:
Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

The Sunburnt Cow closes for good at the end of this month

Renovations in store for 137 Avenue C, home to the Sunburnt Cow

Several things are going on over at 137 Avenue C… just south of East Ninth Street. The building was sold last February for $2.45 million to 137 Avenue C, LLC. (The address eventually leads to Corigin, a private holding company specializing in real estate and private equity investments.)

A plan to renovate the entire building is in process, dated Wednesday, with the Department of Buildings. Per the DOB's all-cap job description: "INTERIOR RENOVATION OF FIVE STORY MIXED USE BUILDING AMENDED CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY WILL BE OBTAINED."

The DOB lists Ramy Issac, no stranger to the East Village, as the architect of record. Issac specializes in penthouse additions here, legal or otherwise. To date, there isn't any sign of an extra floor for No. 137.

Meanwhile, the ground floor is home to the Sunburnt Cow, now just a weekend-only bar. Last Sunday, the Cow didn't open. According to the Cow's Facebook page: "Unfortunately we experienced a major water leak during the night and the FDNY have shut off all water to the building. We will not be open for brunch today."



The sign on the door says closed due to building maintenance. The bar, which remains for sale, is next scheduled to be open this evening.

This building has changed hands several times in recent years… last going for $1.48 million in 2004, per public records.