Workers yesterday finished removing the sidewalk bridge surrounding 118 E. First St., the new 9-story condoplex between Houston/Avenue A and First Avenue.
This has been an active construction zone since the extended plywood, whose wobbly remains are still in place, arrived in April 2018. Demolition of the former building at No. 118 started in May 2015. So that's seven years of work for this one project...
And this doesn't even include the mess this corridor was during the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project, which finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — six years behind schedule.
A 2015 First Street flashback for you...
Anyway, good news for the Punjabi Grocery & Deli, which has struggled to stay in business during all this... not to mention the adjacent establishment, Hollywood Nail & Spa, and the residents of these buildings... and anyone who walks along this corridor...
Punjabi Grocery and Deli at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue never seems to be able to catch a break when it comes to construction projects.
This week, workers erected a sizable sidewalk bridge for a 9-story residential buildingslowly going up next door. The hulking shed obscures Punjabi's neighbor, Hollywood Nails & Spa. During the day, the construction activity doesn't make this an appealing spot to walk by ... or dine on one of the benches outside Punjabi.
As previously reported, there have been concerns through the years about Punjabi's future. The never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — just six years behind schedule.
For nearly nine years, the construction zone eliminated parking spaces for cab drivers, who were a sizable share of Punjabi's business, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal or break. Those who did stop faced getting a ticket. Plus, there has been an overall decline of cab drivers in the Lyft-Uber era.
Meanwhile, any remaining cab drivers will still have challenges stopping by ... the taxi relief stand that finally arrived in July 2019 along Houston Street has been removed to accommodate the ongoing construction next door.
This build has been a slow-go to date. The plywood arrived in May 2018, and workers have only just erected the makings of the first level after two years...
The inexpensive eats favorite reopened on July 10 after being closed for four months during the COVID-19 PAUSE. Late last month, Punjabi Grocery and Deli fan Jessica Morgulis launched a crowdfunding campaign to help keep the longtime favorite up and running.
Punjabi Grocery and Deli at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue enjoyed an uptick in business over the weekend... where some social media reports showed a line to enter the small shop (there currently is a two-person limit inside).
The inexpensive eats favorite reopened on July 10 after being closed for four months during the COVID-19 PAUSE.
As previously reported, there have been concerns through the years about Punjabi's future. The never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — just six years behind schedule.
For nearly nine years, the construction zone eliminated parking spaces for cab drivers, who are a sizable share of Punjabi's business, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal or break. Those who did stop faced getting a ticket. Plus, there has been an overall decline of cab drivers in the Lyft-Uber era.
So Punjabi Grocery and Deli fan Jessica Morgulis launched a crowdfunding campaign back on Friday. Nicolas Heller, aka @NewYorkNico, helped amplify the campaign to his more than 400,000 Instagram followers.
As of this morning, the campaign had reached $38,000 of its $50,000 goal.
Meanwhile, cab drivers will still have challenges stopping by ... the taxi relief stand that finally arrived in July 2019 along Houston Street has been removed to accommodate the ongoing construction for a 9-story residential building next door...
As for Punjabi's food, it's better than ever. Here's part of Scott Lynch's recap from two recent visits for Gothamist:
The trays holding everything from vegetable curries to fried samosas to sweet gulab jamun were all stocked full and fresh, the selection as extensive as ever, the prices still astonishingly low.
I ate way too much both times and everything was spectacular. This is all skillfully prepared food, loaded with flavor and much more spicy than I remembered. And, at $7, the combo platter of nicely chewy long grain rice topped with your choice of three vegetable curries—I went with the thick pureed spinach, the barely-sweet squash, and the lively "black chickpeas" — remains one of the best deals in town.
Inexpensive eats favorite Punjabi Grocery & Deli reopens Friday here at 114 First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue... hours have yet to be determined...
The small, no-frills shop that offers delicious fare such as curried chickpeas and saag and samosas, closed on March 21 as the COVID-19 crisis took hold in NYC. This is a very welcome return.
With the arrival of the new M14 SBS route today comes another important change: The arrival at long last of a taxi relief stand on Houston Street as well as on First Street between Avenue A and First Avenue...
For a little history... the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — just six years behind schedule.
For nearly nine years, the construction zone eliminated parking spaces for cab drivers, who are a sizable share of Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business here at 114 E. First St., rendering it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal or break. Those who did stop faced getting a ticket.
[EVG photo from 2015]
Community members came together in 2014 ... and later in 2015 to petition Community Board 3 and the city for an interim taxi relief stand. (The taxi relief stand was inexplicably some hot-potato issue among various city agencies at the time.)
The temporary taxi relief stand finally arrived on Avenue A between Second Street and Houston in June 2015. That spot on First Avenue outside the Library and Boulton & Watt is, as of today, now an M14A stop.
Now, hopefully, the First Street taxi relief stand will be here to stay — at least until construction picks up next door at 118 First Ave., where a 9-story residential building (with ground-floor retail) is in the works.
Punjabi Grocery & Deli, 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, is changing the way they serve you their delicious and inexpensive vegetarian food.
The team at the 24-year-old mainstay took to Instagram yesterday to announce they are doing away with the Styrofoam...
Anytime that you've tried to cross East Houston from Avenue A west to the Bowery these past, oh, six years, you've probably wondered, When, dear [____], will this construction ever end?
To answer that very broadly — sometime this year. Probably!
Various reps for the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project appeared before CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee on Tuesday night. BoweryBoogie was there and learned that — ding! ding! — there will likely be another delay in completing the project.
Per BoweryBoogie:
Not only is the project delayed three years, but the September 2016 completion date previously provided was stretched again by another month. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s easily the third revised end date in recent memory. Blame more of the “utility interference” that contractors encounter each time the roadway is torn asunder (i.e. encountering issues with different agency wiring that needs attention).
Oh, and here are some photos of the Greenstreets pedestrian plaza outside Punjabi Deli from the fall... the work was finished around that time, but the final planting inside of the planters and bench installation likely won't happen now until the fall...
As, as previously posted, here's how the new Greenstreets and street configurations at Avenue A and Houston will look ...
And here are some general highlights from the city's latest East Houston Street Reconstruction Project newsletter (PDF!):
Proposed Work Schedule Winter 2016
1.Continue excavating and install 36” trunk water main at the Bowery and East Houston Street
2.Continue excavating and install trunk water main on East Houston Street between 2nd Avenue and the Bowery
3.Continue installing new catch basin and chute connection at 2nd Avenue
4.Begin excavating and install new center median planters
The DDC is reconstructing/replacing combined sewers, trunk main, water mains, catch basins, fire hydrants, sidewalks, etc., etc., along East Houston Street, from the Bowery to the FDR Drive. This work phase started in June 2010, when the Lakers beat the Celtics to win their 16th NBA Championship and "Jonah Hex" was playing in theaters.
The Taxi Relief Stand has arrived sooner than expected, and is now in place on Avenue A between Houston and East Second Street… the posted hours are 7 a.m.. to 7 p.m…
A quickie recap of what has been happening:
The ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project is having a major impact on Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business on East First Street between Avenue A and East Houston.
Through the years, cab drivers made up a sizable portion of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented drivers from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal here at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Owner Jashon Singh told BoweryBoogie in the spring that his sales are down some 60 percent in the past five years during the roadwork.)
The Taxi Relief Stand has seemingly been some sort of hot-potato issue among various city agencies. In any event, CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee voted to support the cab stand at its May 12 meeting.
At the time, however, the city said a decision on an exact location must wait until the end of the summer, when the long-delayed construction project was expected (ha!) to be completed, per The Lo-Down.
Looks as if someone got the Stand fast-tracked, as it arrived this week. (Updated 6-5: This stand is only temporary, we didn't point out. The verdict on the final location will come once the construction is done along Houston and East First Street.)
Meanwhile, Taxi Relief Stand or not, the plaza in front of Punjabi is as construction-fucked as ever.
You have to follow a narrow maze of barricades to enter Punjabi…
As previously reported, the ongoing East Houston Reconstruction Project is having a major impact on Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business.
Through the years, cab drivers made up a sizable portion of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented drivers from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal here at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. (Owner Jashon Singh told BoweryBoogie a few weeks ago that his sales are down some 60 percent in the past five years during the roadwork.)
Some relief might be on the way.
Tonight, CB3's Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee will hear a proposal for a taxi relief stand on the west side of Avenue A between East Second Street and East Houston. The proposal calls for four parking spaces for cabs.
[Avenue A]
Last summer, Punjabi started an online petition asking the city to approve a taxi relief stand — seven parking spaces on East Houston and two additional spots on the bend of East First Street. (There's currently a No Standing sign on East Houston, where there used to be metered parking.)
According to BoweryBoogie, "the DOT has been unwilling to talk to, or meet with Singh, according to their lawyer/advocate Ali Najmi."
EVG reader Jim Duffy, a Punjabi fan, has been in contact with the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission. A rep there told him via email that the Department of Transportation "sent a team out to do a field study and determine a good location for this relief stand." The DOT proposed the west side of Avenue A, which they say is about 150 feet from Punjabi.
The meeting tonight starts at 6:30 (there are several other items ahead of this on the agenda). The meeting is at the University Settlement, Houston Street Center at 273 Bowery.
Also, “#SAVEPUNJABIDELI,” a short directed by filmmaker Adeel Ahmed, debuted online yesterday at the the Tribeca Film Festival site. Per the film notes, the short "gives a glimpse into the unique hospitality that has made Punjabi Deli a cheap and delicious food staple in the neighborhood for over two decades and why it’s not just a cabbie stand, but an appreciated NYC icon worth saving."
Updated
The CB3 committee voted to support the cab stand. But! Per The Lo-Down:
The city says a decision on an exact location must wait until the end of the summer, when a long-delayed construction project on East Houston Street is expected to be completed. In the meantime, the city’s Department of Transportation has agreed to set up a temporary taxi stand on the west side of Avenue A, just above East Houston.
In case you missed this, BoweryBoogie has a good update on the ongoing construction drama that's having a major impact on Punjabi Grocery & Deli's business.
The never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project is killing off the 21-year-old shop's business at 114 E. First St. between Avenue A and First Avenue.
As previously noted, through the years, cab drivers made up a good chunk of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented the cabs from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal.
Punjabi started an online petition asking the commissioner of the Taxi And Limousine Commission to approve a taxi relief stand Their proposal is to create a taxi stand comprised of seven parking spaces on East Houston and two additional spots on the bend of East First Street.
The DOT has been unwilling to talk to, or meet with Singh, according to their lawyer/advocate Ali Najmi. Instead, the city agency is forcing the operators to wait until after Community Board 3 considers the matter next month. This directive isn’t sitting well, though, since there’s apparently been some behind-the-scenes meddling with the application itself. Punjabi accuses the DOT of “rearranging” their CB3 proposal – without consultation – to include a different taxi stand around the corner on Avenue A (4 spots).
“It’s way far down and not what we requested,” Singh says. “[Changing the agenda item] is completely unethical and unprofessional considering DOT hasn’t given us even five minutes of their time.”
During the construction these past five years, Singh said that his sales are down some 60 percent.
[EVG photo from April 11]
The East Houston Reconstruction Project timeline shows that workers will begin excavating and installing green street plan on First Street at Avenue A this spring.
Which may explain this pile of dirt that arrived back on April 8.
The plight of Punjabi Grocery & Deli on East First Street near Avenue A/East Houston got some much-needed attention this past summer. The never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project is killing off the 20-year-old shop's business.
Through the years, cab drivers made up a good chunk of Punjabi's business. The reconstruction, however, has prevented the cabs from being able to stop by for an inexpensive vegetarian meal.
EVG reader Vinny paid a visit yesterday, and shared these photos noting the new configuration of East First Street… (notice you can no long access First Street from Avenue by motor vehicle)
And to show you where Punjabi is buried in here...
Vinny also noted that Punjabi had to raise its prices across the board by 50 cents to $1 ... still, given the size of the portions, it's still an insanely good deal... and arguably the best around...
And as you may recall, Punjabi started an online petition asking the commissioner of the Taxi And Limousine Commission to approve a taxi relief stand at Avenue A and Houston Street. You can find the petition here. (It's up to 3,300-plus signatures.)
A favorite of hungry cab drivers in search of good food and a spot to rest between fares, the span of East 1st in front of Punjabi between 1st and A was once lined with the parked yellow cabs of satisfied customers. Now that span is home to a battered cement median, some orange cones, and not much else.
Given the lack of parking, cab drivers have to go elsewhere … and miss out on Punjabi's inexpensive vegetarian fare. ($5 gets you a very large portion of food.)
So, in case you didn't hear ... Punjabi started an online petition asking the commissioner of the Taxi And Limousine Commission to approve a taxi relief stand at Avenue A and Houston Street.
You can find the petition here. (We posted about this on Thursday.)
Meanwhile, an EVG reader told us the following on Friday about the work along East First Street. "People have basically given up, and assume that this construction will go on forever," the reader wrote in an email. "It's very hard to unload a cab since stopping effectively stops all traffic on the block. This situation is especially hard on residents who cannot park on their own block and load bags, etc."
Yesterday morning, the street was closed for construction.
The reader also noted what looks like a grill amid all the construction materials.
"If the construction site can make room for what looks like a a grill (could it be an actual piece of construction equipment?), then it can make room for some parking."
Jeremiah first reported on this campaign yesterday at Vanishing New York.
Given the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project, the folks at Punjabi Grocery & Deli on East First Street near Avenue A/East Houston are struggling to stay in business. The storefront, which arguably serves the best inexpensive vegetarian food in the neighborhood, is losing a big chunk of its audience: cab drivers.
The construction site has taken up all the parking spaces for cab drivers, making it nearly impossible for them to stop in for a meal. (Those who do stop face a getting a ticket.)
So Punjabi is petitioning the city to bring a taxi relief stand to the front of the deli, "a place where taxis can park for an hour so drivers can get a meal, use the rest room, and relax before getting back behind the wheel."
Here's more from the petition:
Though the City and state government collect taxes for each trip from commuters in the form of surcharge through hard working of drivers, they do not create or give much facility and respect to taxi drivers. Since last many years this particular area is under major road and other repairs.
On the top of that construction companies using this area as their personal storage and stocking facility. Due to that in this all area you only see no parking signs. Parking to use the facility become more and more difficult and drivers get parking violation tickets. But the city government official do not think about creating facility but they are only interested in creating more hardship to their hardworking community.
This is exactly the kind of business that we need around here. As it stands, the inexpensive, quick-serve restaurants are disappearing (Bereket ... Cafe Rakka on Avenue B ... First Avenue Pierogi and Deli ... and soon, Snack Dragon, to name a few).
As for the East Houston Reconstruction Project, it is now scheduled (PDF!) to be completed by mid-2016, according to the latest city estimates. It doesn't seem possible that Punjabi Grocery & Deli can last two more years at this rate.
And this doesn't even include the mess this corridor was during the never-ending East Houston Reconstruction Project, which finally wrapped up at the end of 2018 — six years behind schedule. 
Anyway, good news for the Punjabi Grocery & Deli, which has struggled to stay in business during all this... not to mention the adjacent establishment, Hollywood Nail & Spa, and the residents of these buildings... and anyone who walks along this corridor...
