[Updated] Mayahuel replacement now open on 6th Street

The bar-restaurant taking over the Mayahuel space at 304 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue is now open.

There doesn't appear to be a name anywhere on the space. The sidewalk sign reads "Handcrafted cocktails, mezcal bar & Moorish cuisine."

Ravi DeRossi closed Mayahuel after service on Aug. 8, noting that renewing the lease "wasn't an option." As Eater reported, there was a rent dispute between DeRossi and the building's landlord, Keith Siilats.

Siilats, who lives in the building, got the OK from CB3 in July to open a place that sounded similar to Mayahuel.

Anyway, according to Florence Fabricant at The New York Times yesterday, Siilats is "temporarily giving it the same name (he says he may have a new one in a few days)." So it's Mayahuel for the moment.

As for the rest of the new Mayahuel: "The food is now in the hands of a chef from Morocco, who is preparing Spanish-accented North African specialties. The mezcals are still served," per the Times.

The preview in the Times doesn't mention the chef's name. Perhaps it is Radouane Eljaouhari, who ran Zerza a few storefronts away at 320 E. Sixth St. Zerza's Facebook page says that it is now located at 304 E. Sixth St.

Updated:

Eater reports on the legal drama here:

DeRossi claims that Siilats signed an agreement saying he would not use the name and has already sent the information to his attorney.

But Siilats says he does have the right to call it Mayahuel. The landlord alleges that DeRossi owes him thousands of dollars in rent money from June, July, and August, and because DeRossi still hasn’t paid, he can keep using the name. Rent per month was about $10,000, Siilats says.

Mayahuel has closed

Last month, Mayahuel, the Mexican-themed cocktail bar on Sixth Street from the Death & Co. team (Ravi DeRossi), announced that it would be shutting its doors after Aug. 8.

Per ownership: "Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option."

As we noted on July 18, an applicant was on the July CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license. The operators include Keith Siilats, a founder of an e-commerce company for financial-service firms, who also happens to own the building.

Siilats told Eater last month that he plans to open a similar bar in the same space.

And there was more background:

Siilats says DeRossi and co. hadn’t been paying rent for a while — a fix that he says was solved after he bought the business from the prolific East Village restaurateur and bar owner. DeRossi acknowledges that they hadn’t been paying Siilats directly, but only because they had sued him years ago for illegal construction that was impacting business, such as flooding the space when it rained. Their attorney had recommended that they keep the cash in escrow, according to DeRossi.

“After years of fighting with Keith in court it came time to renew our lease, as we could not come to an agreement with him we all just decided to go our own ways,” DeRossi writes.

Anyway, Mayahuel closed after service last night. There were some tributes on Instagram.

No word yet on when the new establishment might open here. CB3 approved the application last month. (A PDF with the minutes of the meeting is here.) The venture was described as a "a full-service Moroccan and Mexican fusion restaurant."

Mayahuel closing on 6th Street; new restaurant in the works for the space

Mayahuel, the Mexican-themed cocktail bar on Sixth Street from the Death & Co. team (Ravi DeRossi), has announced that it will be shutting its doors on Aug. 8.

They made the announcement yesterday via Instagram... "Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option."

To our Family, Friends & Fellow Agave Lovers, • It is with great sadness that we inform you Mayahuel will be closing her doors for good on August 8th, 2017. • Our lease has come to an end, and renewing wasn't an option. • There will never be a greater honor than having been able to welcome you into our home, share our passion for agave with you, and create and share so many incredible memories. • Between now and August 8th, we hope to welcome you into our home a few more times to celebrate all that is Mayahuel. • With the utmost appreciation and love, The Mayahuel Family • PARA TODO MAL MEZCAL, Y PARA TODO BIEN, TAMBIEN. 📩 E-mail our General Manager at Justin@mayahuelny.com if you have any questions or reservation inquiries.

A post shared by Mayahuel (@mayahuelny) on Jul 17, 2017 at 2:09pm PDT

The bar here on between First Avenue and Second Avenue opened in May 2009.

The space doesn't appear to be empty for long. An applicant was on last night's CB3-SLA docket for a new liquor license here. The application posted on the CB3 website is short on specifics, other than the proposed hours — 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. The applicant, a founder of an e-commerce company for financial-service firms, also owns the building.

H/T Vinny & O!