886, next-level Taiwanese food, in the works for 26 St. Mark's Place

[Photo from Jan. 23]

Last week we noted that a new Taiwanese restaurant is in the works for 26 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

There was an undated Community Board notice in the window noting that Tasty Taiwan LLC plans to open a restaurant with a beer-wine license...



The questionnaire for the new venture is now online (PDF here). According to the paperwork on file, the new venture is called 886 (or Eight Eighty Six, Taiwan’s country code), a full-service Taiwanese restaurant open daily from noon to midnight. The space, from operators with experience at The Tang on First Avenue, will accommodate 12 tables seating 20 diners.

Co-owner and chef Eric Sze told this to Eater: "I’m really happy to see Taiwanese food popping up everywhere, but the introductory stuff — beef noodle soup, boba, and fried chicken — has been done. There’s a lot more to offer, and we want to take it to the next level."

This item will NOT be heard during CB3's SLA meeting on Feb. 12. The meeting is in the Perseverance House Community Room, 535 E. Fifth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The previous tenant at No. 26, TK Kitchen, which served bubble tea and various Taiwanese street food, closed in December.

Some Tasty Taiwan for the former TK Kitchen on St. Mark's Place

TK Kitchen, which served bubble tea and various Taiwanese street food, closed in December here on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

The goodbye noted posted to the TK Facebook page left the door open for a return: "[W]e have a new idea [that we are] planning at the moment, we will be back soon!"

There is now a Community Board notice up in the window (the February meeting hasn't been announced yet) ... noting that Tasty Taiwan LLC plans to open a restaurant ... and they will be applying for a beer-wine license...

TK Kitchen is closing on St. Mark's Place

TK Kitchen is closing after service on Sunday here on St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Here's part of a message from the TK Facebook page:

Dear all TK lovers and TK Family:
Dec. 10th will be our last day to serve you.

[W]e are really glad that we brought this bubble tea and Taiwanese food culture into New York city, we also feel really thankful for those people who loved us, but unfortunately, we have to say goodbye.

We are truly thankful for people who support us, to us, this is not just a restaurant, it's somehow a part of Taiwanese's memory when you are in town, in New York, it is just like home, it is really hard to use words to describe how thankful and how sorry we have to make this decision.

We will keep working hard after we finish, as a matter of fact, we have a new idea [that we are] planning at the moment, we will be back soon!

[Photo by Derek Berg]

It's unclear from their message if they will reopen in this space or somewhere else. (They will have a new neighbor if they do reopen here.)

TK evolved during its 10 years here... initially sharing space as TKettle with a BBQ Chicken chain, as seen in this photo from the EVG bubble tea archives ...