David's Cafe abruptly closes on St. Mark's Place

Several residents were surprised to find for-lease signs at David's Cafe on Thursday night. The bistro at 102 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue is now closed. 

A reader spotted movers hauling equipment out of the space on Friday. 

The David Cafe's website and Instagram account do not mention a closure, though Google lists it as permanently closed. We reached out to David's for more information.

David's Cafe, from Daniel and BLT Market alum David Malbequi, opened in late 2015 and received praise for its menu, including "The Absolute Best Steak-Frites in New York," per Grub Street.

Malbequi is also a partner in Spice Brothers next door... the quick-serve Middle-Eastern venture just got high marks from Pete Wells at The New York Times. 

Top photo by Kelly Chasse/2nd photo by Clem Robineau

Isabella debuts on St. Mark's Place, joins sibling David's Cafe next door for takeout and delivery

[Photos by Steven]

Isabella made its debut yesterday here at 110 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue... the Italian restaurant teamed up with its sibling next door, David's Cafe, to offer a limited menu, in which you can mix-n-match meals from the two...



Isabella’s menu includes bucatini and meatballs, carbonara and more...



The two will be open Wednesday-Sunday from 1 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. You can hit up the David's Cafe Instagram or website for more info and the menu.

Isabella is in the former Crooked Tree space, which closed in February 2019 after 20 years of serving up crêpes and other cafe fare.

Crooked Tree closes after 20 years on St. Mark's Place

After 20 years of serving up crêpes and other cafe fare at 110 St. Mark's Place, Crooked Tree has closed here between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The closure came after service on Valentine's Day. (You can read their thank you to patrons on Facebook here.)

The owners of David's Cafe right next door were on this month's CB3-SLA agenda for a new liquor license for this space. The CB3 paperwork was on display outside the cafe in recent weeks...





Crooked Tree owner Daniel Rivera is also a partner in David's Cafe. Not sure at the moment what they have planned for the former Crooked Tree. The questionnaire on file at the CB3 website (PDF here) doesn't contain too many revealing details.

More about David's Cafe, opening soon at 110 St. Mark's Place

The space is shaping up at 110 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Here's more about the venture and the people behind it via the cafe's website:

David’s Café, in the heart of the East Village, serves French-American food … in a casual environment. Opened by Chef David Malbequi (Les Enfants de Bohème, Summit Bar, BLT, Alum of Daniel Boulud), Daniel Rivera (Crooked Tree, Les Enfants de Bohème), and Hamid Rashidzada (Summit Bar), the restaurant is designed to be a comforting way-post/eatery for neighbors and visitors alike.

Our starting hours are from 5pm to midnight every night and until 1am on the weekends, we’ll be open from lunch and brunch in the coming weeks. Reservations are accepted for parties of six or more, otherwise just come in and grab a seat.

The site notes that all three partners in David's live in the neighborhood.

Paprika, which specialized in Northern Italian cuisine, quietly closed here back in the spring.

Updated 10/23

David's is now open…