A bubble tea shop for this long-vacant storefront on 14th Street

Pila de Boba, offering bubble tea, macarons and ice cream, is a new tenant for 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The shop was scheduled to open this past Friday, per its Instagram account.

This space — now divided into two storefronts — has been vacant since Artichoke Basille's Pizza relocated across the street in June 2017. Before the move, the pizzeria suffered damage during a two-alarm fire. The FDNY said the fire was accidental — "due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

Various brokers have been trying to lease this space since early 2018. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo, and Pinch for keeping a watchful eye on the space.

Detroit slice city: Artichoke bringing an outpost of Lions & Tigers & Squares to 2nd Avenue

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

The owners of Artichoke are using the former location of Nicoletta on Second Avenue and 10th Street for the next NYC outpost of their Detroit-style pizza shop Lions & Tigers & Squares.

Here's more about the concept via the EVG inbox:

Lions & Tigers & Squares was conceived in 2018 by Artichoke Basille’s Pizza co-founders and pizza aficionados, Francis Garcia and Sal Basille, who were inspired to open a Detroit-style pizza shop after visiting Buddy’s Pizza in Detroit ... They were impressed by the quality of pizza and wanted to bring a taste of Detroit to New York City, thus deciding to open a shop dedicated to the Motor City’s signature square pan pizza with a crunchy, caramelized cheese crust. While LTS is a Manhattan-located pizzeria, it’s also an ode to all things Detroit: Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, and Detroit-style square pizza.

The new restaurant, expected to open before year’s end, will have indoor and outdoor seating ... with a menu showcasing four-slice Detroit-style square pies featuring pepperoni, baby meatball, black olive and their Mustard Pie with spicy brown mustard and cheddar cheese. (This is the neighborhood's second Detroit-style pizzeria following Emmy Squared's arrival in July 2018.)



The first Lions & Tigers & Squares opened in the spring of 2018 on 23rd Street in Chelsea. Over at Eater, Robert Sietsema noted their "greasy but solid pies." (As for Artichoke, he writes in the same post that they're "a local pizza chain that turns out some awful pies as far as I’m concerned — especially its vaunted artichoke slice, which tastes like someone poured cream of artichoke soup in its canned and concentrated form on the pie.")

The ever-expanding Artichoke started its empire in the East Village in 2008 on 14th Street. They moved to a larger space across the street in June 2017.

Nicoletta closed last December at this address after six-plus years in business. They are still delivering pizzas from an undisclosed location.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke Basille’s Pizza vying for former Nicoletta space on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street

Artichoke Basille’s Pizza vying for former Nicoletta space on 2nd Avenue and 10th Street

Looks like the Nicoletta space will remain a pizzeria on Second Avenue at 10th Street.

Reps for the ever-expanding Artichoke Basille’s Pizza chain, which started in the East Village, are on this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a liquor license for 201 E. 10th St.

This questionnaire for the Sept. 16 meeting isn't online yet. However, the name of Artichoke co-founder Francis Garcia is on the application posted at the CB3 website.

Renovations are currently underway at the former Nicoletta space, which had a sizable dining room and outdoor cafe. Artichoke's plans for the venue aren't immediately known.

This would mark the second East Village location for Artichoke, which moved from its original East Village home (circa 2008) on 14th to a larger space across the street in June 2017.

Artichoke has been expanding nationwide with multi-unit franchise deals, most recently opening in Oakland, Calif.

As for Nicoletta, the much-heralded pizzeria from Michael White closed last December at this address after six-plus years in business. They are still delivering pizzas from an undisclosed location.

This corner space on 10th Street and Second Avenue had been on the retail market with a nearly $18,000 monthly ask.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

FDNY says fire that started at Artichoke was accidental

EVG Etc.: Emmy Squared signage; Prune vacation; Artichoke flags

Emmy Squared looks nearly ready to open on the corner of Fifth Street and First Avenue in the former Three of Cups space... no official opening date just yet for the pizzeria-burger joint ...





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On First Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue... Prune closed after service Friday for a mid-summer break... back Pruning on July 9...





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And an EVG reader wondered if the flags outside Artichoke on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue were really necessary...

Former Artichoke Pizza space for rent on 14th Street

The for-rent signage has arrived atop the former Artichoke Basille's Pizza location on 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Kinda interesting that the high-end Nest Seekers International has the rather pedestrian property. Didn't spot the listing online just yet.

The storefront suffered damage last May during a two-alarm fire. According to the FDNY, the fire was accidental — "due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

At the time Artichoke was still the tenant, though they were nearly ready to relocate across the street... the growing pizzeria chainlet opened that spot in June...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

FDNY says fire that started at Artichoke was accidental

[EVG photo from May 26]

The FDNY took to Twitter yesterday to cite the cause of the fire at 328 E. 14th St. on May 26...

Per #FDNY Fire Marshals: Cause of 5/26 2-alarm fire at 328 East 14 St MN was accidental, due to heat from the pizza oven flue.

— FDNY (@FDNY) June 7, 2017

Per the fire marshals, the blaze "was accidental, due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

As previously reported, the two-alarm fire reportedly started inside Artichoke shortly after the pizzeria closed at 5 a.m. The fire spread from the ground level to second- and third-floor apartments through walls in the six-story building, according to the FDNY.

The Post reported on the way the pizzeria apparently learned of the fire: "A manager said he called 911 after a neighbor texted him a photo of the burning building."

The city has ordered a partial vacate on the building. An unknown number of residents have been displaced from their homes.

The pizzeria opened at 321 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue, in their new home across the street from their previous location, on Tuesday. We first spotted plans for the new Artichoke last November.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

The new 14th Street location of Artichoke Basille's Pizza is now open

The new 14th Street location of Artichoke Basille's Pizza is now open

EVG reader Pinch shared this photo from tonight... the pizzeria opened today at 321 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue ... leaving behind their (now fire-damaged) home of nearly 10 years across the street.

Arthur Bovino at Best Pizza NYC noted the possibility of this opening earlier today. As for the new space, he writes that it's "about six times the space for customers, and about 15 times more room for the Artichoke crew to sling their signature pies."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage arrives at new 14th Street location

[Photo by Pinch]

Back on Friday, workers hoisted the new Artichoke Basille's Pizza signage at 321 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue — across the way from their current location that has been closed since the fire on May 26.


[Photo by KT]

We first spotted plans for the new location this past November.

Team Artichoke hasn't offered up much about the new 14th Street Artichoke. Co-owner Francis Garcia told Eater in April that the lease is up at No. 328, "so they took that as an opportunity for bigger and better. The new location will allow for expanded offerings, like cauliflower fritters, broccoli rabe sandwiches, and more."

There also hasn't been much more on the fire, which started as the pizzeria was closing up for the night/morning. An FDNY source told the Post that the fire didn't appear to be suspicious.

The Department of Buildings issued a partial vacate order on the building:

DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE 2 STORES AT LEFT AND RIGHT OF 1ST FLOOR, 10 FRONT APTS AT LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE FROM 2ND STORY TO 6TH STORY, 4 APTS AT MIDDLE OF RIGHT SIDE OF BUILDING FROM 2ND STORY TO 5TH STORY

It's not clear how many residents are currently in the building.

Artichoke's first location opened on 14th Street in 2008. There are now eight other locations, in Brooklyn, Queens and Berkeley, Calif.

In addition, the Artichoke website is featuring information about franchising...



Thank you to EVG readers Pinch, KT and Tyler for sending photos!

A look at the fire-damaged 328 E. 14th St.

Here's a look this morning at 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. Early yesterday, the FDNY responded to a two-alarm fire that reportedly started inside Artichoke shortly after the pizzeria closed at 5 a.m.

Here's more via the Post:

The fire spread from the ground level to second- and third-floor apartments through walls in the six-story building, according to the FDNY.

A manager said he called 911 after a neighbor texted him a photo of the burning building.

Firefighters had the fire under control by 6:27 a.m. There were no injuries, and it is not clear how the fire started, officials said.

One fire source said the blaze did not appear to have been intentionally set.

The city posted vacate notices on Artichoke ... and the newish Alibaba Smoke Shop next door (which does not look to have sustained any damage)...



Artichoke has yet to comment on the fire, at least via their website or social media properties.

As you can see, most of the windows facing 14th Street have been boarded up. One 328 resident left this comment on yesterday's post: "Few of us have been displaced and need to find a new home because of the extensive damage to our apartments."



The 14th Street Y down the block opened its doors for residents ... and the Red Cross was on the scene to provide immediate assistance.

[Updating] Report of an early-morning fire at 328 E. 14th St., home of Artichoke Basille’s Pizza

A two-alarm fire tore through 328 E. 14th St. early this morning. According to the official FDNY Twitter feed, the fire started just before 6 a.m. in the ground floor, which is home to Artichoke Pizza here between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL,

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

A large number of firefighters were congregated outside what is Artichoke's dining room...





The damage extends to the second and third floors of the building...





The FDNY called it under control by 6:30 a.m.

FDNYalerts MAN 2-ALARM 328 E 14 ST, MULTIPLE DWELLING FIRE ON THE 1ST FL W/ EXT TO 2ND AND 3RD FLRS, UNDER CONTROL

— FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) May 26, 2017

No word just yet on cause or injuries or extent of the damage. As of 7 a.m., the NYPD still had 14th Street closed off between First Avenue and Second Avenue.



Artichoke is planning on opening in a new location directly across the street from here. Artichoke debuted at No. 328 in 2008.

Updated 10 a.m.

The Daily News reports that the fire caused "extensive damage" to Artichoke.

Witnesses said that the fire started right around its 5 a.m. closing time.

"I woke up to drunk girls on the street eating pizza and taking Snapchats, saying 'Holy s--t! There's a fire,'" said Morgan Crouse, 25, who lives above the pizzeria.

Updated 2 p.m.

The story in the Post noted this: "One fire source said it did not appear to be intentional."

More about Artichoke's move across 14th Street

As we've been reporting (here and here), Artichoke is moving to a new space directly across 14th Street from their current establishment between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Co-owner Francis Garcia, offered a few more details to Eater, noting that the lease is up at 328 E. 14th St., "so they took that as an opportunity for bigger and better. The new location will allow for expanded offerings, like cauliflower fritters, broccoli rabe sandwiches, and more."

No word on when they plan to move. According to the SLA website, Artichoke's liquor license for No. 328 expires at the end of June.

Looking for signs of Artichoke on 14th Street

Last November, we noted that Artichoke was apparently moving to a new space directly across 14th Street from their current compound.

Several people have asked if this was still a go. Well, DOB permits show that Artichoke signage is in the works for No. 321 between First Avenue and Second Avenue...


[Click to go big]

There haven't been any formal announcements just yet.

We did recently detect a piece of discarded Artichoke crust outside the new locale...





One EVG reader who lives near Artichoke says that the move can't come fast enough... calling Artichoke, who opened here in 2008, a bad neighbor, with crowds, bright lints and the "constant humming of the old exhaust vents" ...



There are currently nine Artichoke locations, eight in NYC and one in Berkeley, Calif.

Checking in on Artichoke's new 14th Street home

As we first reported last November, Artichoke Basille's Pizza is apparently on the move to a new space across from its current 14th Street digs.

EVG regular Pinch passed along word of the progress on the storefront (above), which had been vacant for as long as we can recall.

No word on when the popular pizzeria might be ready for the move.

Artichoke's first location opened here in 2008.



There are currently nine Artichoke locations, eight in NYC and one in Berkeley, Calif.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

Artichoke appears to be moving into a new space on 14th Street

An EVG tipster shares the following from 14th Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue:

"At the end of October, I noticed construction guys at 321 E. 14th St. It has always been a vacant storefront. (I think there was a statue of a Virgin Mary in the window for awhile.) Anyway, imagine my surprise and glee when I read a pizza place was coming!"

Indeed, the work permits do show a "pizza restaurant" in the making...



Furthermore, the tipster said that the space will house Artichoke Basille's Pizza, the growing pizzeria empire that opened its first location nearly directly across 14th Street in 2008. Per the tipster, there's a "rent-hike scenario" brewing at the original location.



Approved work permits list the name of Francis Garcia, who founded Artichoke with his cousin Sal Basille, as the owner. (Public records lists an LLC with a Flushing address as the owner.)

The permits, approved in September, show the estimated build-out cost for the pizzeria at $72,750.

There are currently nine Artichoke locations, eight in NYC and one in Berkeley, Calif.

The fat lady sings: Chubby Mary's has apparently closed on East 14th Street

Multiple readers have pointed out that Chubby Mary's, the hero shop run by the Artichoke guys next door on East 14th Street, has closed.

There isn't a closed sign on the door… though MenuPages notes that Chubby Mary's has closed.



The shop opened here at 328 E. 14th St. in November 2012… this took over for another Team Artichoke concept — Led Zeppole, the fried-dessert homage to Coney Island.

With this closure (unless it's a temporary renovation), this would make the second Artichoke-related venture to close of late… joining This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef.

The closure would also mark the third quick-serve sandwich shop to close of late in the East Village … joining (yes) This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef and JoeDough.

CB3/SLA October highlights: Artichoke taking over the Hat; taker for Max Fish & Motor City spaces

The big news from the October CB3/SLA committee meeting agenda is that Artichoke Pizza has designs on taking over neighborhood staple El Sombrero (aka The Hat) on Stanton and Ludlow. CB3 released the agenda last evening.

BoweryBoogie quickly reported the following:

We spoke with the Mexican restaurant and confirmed that the Hat, on the block since 1984, is indeed set to close. However, the Artichoke deal is reportedly not yet finalized. Apparently the owner has, in so many words, had enough and simply decided to cash out the business.

Sad but not surprising news... going back to Jeremiah Moss' post in February, in which he spoke with Regina Bartkoff, a waitress at The Hat since 1988.

"The rent has been steadily going up and they have a lease for a few more years, but in 2012 we took a nose dive. We have been losing our regular customers steadily, due to them not being able to pay the rents on the LES and being forced out. It just keeps going down."

We asked Bartkoff via Facebook last night for an update. She said she originally heard that they'd close in November. But the end will likely come sooner. "I think it's just the last days and I'm going down with the ship."

On the topic of Ludlow Street mainstays closing ... there is an application on the agenda for the Max Fish space. Not much is known right this moment about the mystery applicant:

• To be Determined, 178 Ludlow St (op)

Know anything about the applicant? Let us know via the EVG email.

Updated 10:18

Oh! And there's also a taker for the former Motor City space. Missed that on the first pass. (H/T The Lo-Down!)

Here's the info for now on that:

• JMDR 127 Ludlow LLC, 127 Ludlow St (op)

As for the meeting:

SLA & DCA Licensing Committee
Monday, October 7 at 6:30 pm and 8:30pm (two sessions)
Community Board 3 Office - 59 East 4th Street

We'll take a look at the rest of the agenda later...

[Image via]

Artichoke expands on East 14th Street

Just two weeks ago, we noted that Curly's Vegetarian Lunch moved on, and the similar-menued 14 Carrot Vegetarian opened in its space on East 14th Street ... and just like that ... @SamStorer is back with this news: 14 Carrot is gone, and neighbor Artichoke has expanded...

Noted

You may soon be able to buy frozen Artichoke Pizzas. (Eater)

No. 2 to go

Back on June 1 (or 47 inches of rain ago), I mentioned that a new thai place was coming to 347 E. 14th St. (near First Avenue), the site of the former Mambo Italiano Pizzeria (AKA, the sad pizza place). Well, work continues there...



I just hope that they move the restroom — or at least invest in a bathroom door.

Thai coming to former sad pizza place

The former Mambo Italiano Pizzeria (AKA, the sad pizza place) at 347 E. 14th St. near First Avenue closed late last year...



... will become a thai restaurant... (not sure how long the signs have been up, to be honest...)



And a reader comment from the sad pizza post:

My friend and I used to eat at Mambo from time to time a few years ago, but we stopped for a couple of reasons. First of all, the pizza wasn't great. Probably not even good. But what really turned was off was the dough-tossing incident, which still makes us laugh when we talk about it. The last time we went there, two little boys (they were kids of someone who worked there because they kept going into the back of the pizza shop) were running around playing with the pizza dough, literally throwing it around like it was a football as we sat there wondering if they had gotten their hands on the dough that our pizza had been made with... It was funny but a little scary!