The former Tatsu Ramen space is for lease

Closed for renovations notices remain posted outside Tatsu Ramen, 167 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

If there was any doubt about a permanent closure ... the storefront is now on the rental market, as EVG regular Upper West Sider points out. (No rental signs on the space just yet.)

The restaurant went dark earlier in the fall of 2021... the "closed for renovations" signs soon followed, though there was never activity inside the space. Still, patrons who liked their offerings — a few EVG readers said they enjoyed the vegetarian ramen — hoped for a return.

The Southern California transplant opened here in a competitive ramen market back in July 2018.

Gia Trattoria has closed on the Bowery

After four months, Gia Trattoria has closed at 334 Bowery between Bond and Great Jones.

The Italian restaurant had been dark in recent weeks, its website offline. Ownership confirmed the closure via an Instagram message but did not cite a reason.

Gia opened in late July with promises of "craveable Italian food, handcrafted drinks and much more.

Unfortunately, this space has been challenging to make work through the years. For starters, there was already a restaurant called Gia Trattoria at this address. Actually, there were a lot of places here for a brief time between November 2014 and June 2015 ... this is when the storefront was divided into two spaces, and Forcella, Espoleta, Gia Trattoria, Slice of Naples, SRO and Bowery Pizza came and went over six months. 

This space was Gino Sorbillo, the first U.S. pizzeria from "the Neapolitan celebrity super-chef" of the same name. The "temporarily closed for renovation" sign arrived here in early January ... after a November 2017 opening.

The storefront next door remains vacant too. Burkleman, a home and lifestyle brand based in Cold Spring, opened here in 2018. 

Late last year, a "closed for the winter" sign arrived on the door, which remains outside the now-vacant shop...  they relocated to Elizabeth Street between Houston and Prince. 

Esperanto has apparently closed on Avenue C

Several readers have noted that Esperanto has not been open lately on the northwest corner of Avenue C and Ninth Street. (H/T Salim!) 

There aren't any notices about a temporary or permanent closure on the restaurant's website or social media channels. However, the interior is now mostly empty...

Open Table also lists them as permanently closed. And the phone has been disconnected.

Esperanto, which served what they called "Latin fusion," had been open dating back to March (after a winter hiatus) ... with its usual sidewalk seating — offering views of La Plaza Cultural and 9th Street Community Garden & Park — as well as two curbside dining structures.

Esperanto first opened in 1999.

Brooklyn Bean Roastery closes on Avenue A

The Brooklyn Bean Roastery Cafe cleared out of 23 Avenue A late last week just south of Second Street.

There was some talk, several months back, that the cafe was relocating to another neighborhood (maybe Brooklyn?!). No word about a new outpost — or anything about this closure via the Roastery's social media.

The cafe debuted on Feb. 21, 2020 — and roughly had one month of business before New York went on PAUSE.

However, owner Khaled Abdelhaleem decided to keep the shop open for takeout. And during the spring of 2020, Abdelhaleem provided free meals to first responders from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily and free coffee for first responders and law enforcement at any time. 

The previous tenant at 23 Avenue A, Yerba Buena, closed at the end of 2017.