Sophie's, Josie's and Mona's will reopen this week

After sitting out the past six-and-a-half months, sister bars Sophie's, Josie's and Mona's will reopen later today with a 25-percent capacity.

The owners are renting small electric ovens and will be offering pizza (as well as a few smaller items) to meet Gov. Cuomo's meal-with-a-drink mandate.... and in keeping with the reopening guidelines, there is only table service. So no sitting at the bar. And masks are mandatory. 

The pool tables at the three bars, which closed at the start of PAUSE in mid-March, have also been removed to allow for more socially distant spacing for the handful of tables.

Of the three bars, only Mona's on Avenue B might have a few outdoor tables. (Owners said they thought outdoor seating on the side streets where Sophie's and Josie's are located might be too disruptive to nearby residents.)

The three are expected to be open from 3-11 p.m., though that is subject to change.

• Josie's (seen below yesterday), 520 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (646) 590-0044
• Mona's, 224 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street (212) 353-3780
• Sophie's (seen above last night), 507 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (212) 228-5680

It was beary cold outside Josie's today

Oh, c'mon — it doesn't cost nothing to read!

Outside Josie's on East Sixth Street today via Bobby Williams.

OK, who put the large dog carrier in this tree on East Sixth Street?

Josie's (and Sophie's and Mona's) co-owner Richard Corton passed these on to us from this afternoon... spotted in a tree near Josie's on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B...

Sorry to say, we do not know, like, how or why this is in the tree. Perhaps you know? Or have a guess?

Updated:

Oh! Someone just mentioned that this has been up there since Sandy...?

So, moving along... how do we get it down?

When Joe's Bar starred on 'Kojak' 35 years ago

The other day we mentioned that Josie's opened in the Joe's Bar space on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... turns out Joe's was the centerpiece of an episode of "Kojak" from 1977.

The neighborhood made many appearances in the series with Telly Savalas that aired from 1973-1978 ... Most notably, the facade of the 9th Precinct on East Fifth Street served as the setting for Lt. Theo Kojak's office.

The episode featuring Joe's and East Sixth Street aired on Jan. 25, 1977 during the fourth season. A description: "A Puerto Rican cop goes undercover in his old neighborhood to find out who is trying to start a barrio gang war."

The episode also featured Miguel Piñero, the playwright-actor and co-founder of the Nuyorican Poets Café.

And a few screengrabs...

Joe's was turned into Tres Arboles Bar & Grill...

And here is a clip of the scene...



Just the first three seasons are available at Hulu.

(Read more about East Sixth Street in our Out and About in the East Village feature yesterday.)

Josie's opens tonight on East Sixth Street

Tonight at 6, Josie's opens at 520 E. Sixth St., former home of the late, great Joe's Bar here between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The bar closed last Thanksgiving after proprietor Joe Vajda died. (Joe's opened in that space in 1973. Joe and two other partners previously had a place across the street.)

Earlier in the year, as we first reported, Richard Corton and his business partner Kirk Marcoe, who own Mona's and Sophie's, purchased the bar from Dottie, Joe's longtime domestic partner.

The two considered all this as more of a restoration than a renovation. So you'll find a space that looks and feels very familiar... Which is all good.

As Dave on 7th noted after a recent look-see:

"The bar has been beautifully refinished. I spent 10 years of my life in this bar and I think what they're doing is going to be beautiful and authentic."

Indeed.

Corton and Marcoe even found a company in Los Angeles to replicate the exact same wallpaper that adorned Joe's through the years...

And here's a shot of the old wallpaper before it was removed ...

There is a new pool table and jukebox ... and likely some new music. Dottie took all of the country-and-western CDs with her...

Also, expect the return of the giant, Soviet-era Lowenbrau clock (once it's working again). But there aren't any seedless mandarins.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe's Bar is joining the Sophie's-Mona's family

CB3/SLA committee approves Joe's to Josie's change on East Sixth Street

[Photo via Melanie at East Village Corner]

Only one item to note from tonight's CB3/SLA committee meeting... we understand that the committee has approved a license for Josie's to open in the space that last housed longtime favorite Joe's Bar on East Sixth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Richard Corton and his business partner Kirk Marcoe, who own Mona's and Sophie's, signed a lease and sales contract for the space last month. Proprietor Joe Vajda, who opened the bar at this address in 1973, died last November. (Joe's longtime partner Dottie requested that they not use his name for the bar.)

Corton has said that they aren't expecting to modify much about the space. Corton and Marcoe are eyeing a July opening.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Joe's Bar is joining the Sophie's-Mona's family