36 St. Mark's Place for rent again as Joe's Steam Rice Roll closes

Last week we reported that workers had emptied out Joe's Steam Rice Roll at 36 St. Mark's Place.

It wasn't immediately clear if this meant a closure — or renovation. After all, the quick-serve shop between Second Avenue and Third Avenue closed for seven weeks without any public notice in the fall of 2019.

Unfortunately, it looks like a permanent closure — the address is now on the RIPCO website. The rent is available upon request. 

Joe's debuted in the East Village in June 2019 ... and it seemed poised to break the curse of concepts that couldn't make it work in this space. This was the first standalone location for the business, described as a "cult favorite" by Eater, which got its start in a tiny storefront in Flushing.

No. 36 has seen a variety of openings and closings in recent years, including Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.

Photo by Steven; H/T Upper West Sider!

A bad sign at Joe's Rice Roll on St. Mark's Place

Workers were seen emptying Joe's Steam Rice Roll at 36 St. Mark's Place on Tuesday (thanks to Steven for the photos) ... it's not entirely clear what's happening here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue at the moment... there's a dumpster parked out front...

... and the interior is bare...

There isn't any message about a temporary or permanent closure on the shop's Instagram account. (Or, better — on the front door.) The website is currently offline and the phone is not in service. No one responded to messages just yet about the status here. (Pandemic-time refresh/renovation?)

This wouldn't be the first time this outpost closed without any notice: Joe's was shuttered for seven weeks in the fall of 2019 without any explanation before finally reopening. 

Joe's debuted in the East Village in June 2019 ... another branch of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing. They had been open in recent months. 

Joe's Steam Rice Roll back open on St. Mark's Place

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

After a mysterious closure these past seven weeks, Joe's Steam Rice Roll was back open this past weekend at 36 St. Mark's Place.

During this time, there wasn't any note for patrons or message on the restaurant's website or social media properties about any kind of closure for renovations. No one ever responded to an email query or Instagram message about this location's status. One source on the block said that this outpost is under new management.

Joe's debuted back in June here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue, making this the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing.

What's going on at Joe's Steam Rice Roll?

[Photo Thursday night at 6:30]

Joe's Steam Rice Roll has not been open during the shop's usual hours here at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue stretching back into last week ... and the gate remained down over the weekend without any notice to potential patrons.

There also isn't any notice of a temporary or permanent closure on the quick-serve restaurant's website or social media properties. The phone is currently out of service. No one has responded to an email query about this location's status.

Joe's debuted back in June, making this the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing. (You can read more about the food at Joe's in this Hungry City column at the Times in January.)

As previously noted, No. 36 has seen a variety of quick-serve concepts come and go in recent years, including Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.

Previously.

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll debuts on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll opened Saturday at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This is the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing where owner Joe Rong has apparently perfected the art of the rice roll — known as cheung fun in Cantonese.

Per the cooking site Taste:

With a steaming machine imported from Guangzhou specifically used to make cheung fun, Rong makes each dish to order, so texture is never compromised. And similar to street vendors throughout Guangdong province, you get to choose what goes inside, like ground pork, barbecue beef, or dried shrimp, and extras that get mixed into the slurry of rice flour batter, including a cracked egg, corn, cilantro, and scallion.

No. 36 has seen a variety of food concepts come and go of late, most recently Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe’s Steam Rice Roll puts up the signage on St. Mark's Place

Joe’s Steam Rice Roll puts up the signage on St. Mark's Place

[Photo by Steven]

The signage arrived yesterday for Joe’s Steam Rice Roll here at 36 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This will be the third NYC outpost of the popular quick-serve establishment, which got its start in Flushing. Here's Eater with more about the shop and its owner, Joe Rong:

Rong began selling his rice noodle rolls from a tiny storefront in Flushing in 2017, and his craft quickly stood out. Unlike many other vendors, he grinds the rice for the batter in an electric-powered stone mill daily. His stand has drawn a loyal following, prompting him to expand to Manhattan last November with a stall inside Canal Street Market.

You can read more about the food at Joe's in this Hungry City column at the Times in January.

No word on an opening date on St. Mark's.

No. 36 has seen a variety of quick-serve concepts come and go in recents years, including Cheers Cut, the Taiwanese mini-chain of fried foods ... Friterie Belgian Fries ... Fasta ("Pasta Your Way") ... and the $1.50 branch of 2 Bros. Pizza.

Previously.