Openings: Strings Ramen on 2nd Avenue

Strings Ramen is up and running at 188 Second Ave. at 12th Street.

This is the fifth outpost for Strings Ramen, a regular on the best-of ramen lists in its home turf of Chicago and the United States. (There's also a location in Madison, Wisconsin.)

Among other dining options, Strings features the Monster Hell Ramen Challenge, an extreme dare in which participants have to sign a waiver before attempting. Here's one write-up of it:

[The challenege] involves eating an entire bowl of level five spicy ramen in 20 minutes or less without leaving the table or guzzling more than the measly single allotted glass of water. It’s not hard to understand why: The level five Hell Ramen is fueled by no fewer than five different kinds of peppers, including ghost (which you’ve heard of) and scorpion (which you probably haven’t – it’s from Trinidad, and has been listed among the world’s hottest). The fact that the peppers infuse the broth, which soaks deeply into the bowl’s other ingredients, makes the heat completely impossible to dodge. And after your second or third bite, your tongue is essentially immersed in a spice-spiked lake of fire.

"Winners" receive a $50 gift certificate and a Monster Hell t-shirt... oh and the bowl is free.

Their hours are listed as 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., according to Yelp.

Perhaps Strings Ramen will be able to make this space work. As previously noted, the restaurants at 188 Second Ave. haven't fared well in recent years (at least since old-timer Shima got rent-hiked out of here in January 2014). Lumos Kitchen lasted three months in 2018. Others to make quick departures in the past five years were Hot Pot Central, DumplingGuo and Dumpling Go.

Openings: Lovenburg on 6th Street

Lovenberg is now serving a menu featuring Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Aside from a variety of burgers, the menu includes some grilled fish options, pastas and salads ... you can see for yourself here...



Lovenburg opened its first outpost in Turkey in 2018, and ownership decided to bring their concept here.

The restaurant is open daily from noon to 10 p.m. Find their website at this link.

The Izakaya opening a 2nd East Village location

The Izakaya NYC, the low-key Japanese tapas bar at 326 E. Sixth St. that opened in 2015, is ready to debut a off-shoot on Fourth Street — aptly called the Izakaya NYC on 4th.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy got a quick preview of the space between Avenue A and Avenue B on Wednesday evening...





They were expecting to be ready to open tonight at 215 E. Fourth St. Haven't seen the menu just yet.

The Izakaya team also operates Diner at Nowadays, the indoor-outdoor space on the border of Bushwick and Ridgewood.

No. 215 was previously Chouchou, the Mediterranean-Moroccan bistro that the Marshal seized last summer after two-plus years in business.

Factory Tamal bringing its freshly made tamales to 4th Street

Factory Tamal, which offers a variety of popular tamales, egg sandwiches and panini from a small take-out space on lower Ludlow Street, is opening an outpost at 63 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

The signage arrived a little earlier this month with an expected soft opening on Friday. (And this is a second location — they're keeping the current space at 23 Ludlow St.)

Owner Fernando Lopez makes his own masa — "faithful to the ancient Mayan way," as the Times put it in an August 2017 feature. And the result of his hard work? "Mr. Lopez’s tamales are beautifully fluffy, clingy and crumbly at once, a texture that calls to mind the airiest of poundcakes."

Check out this Eater video from Jan. 2 for a behind-the-scenes look at the process...



No. 63 previously housed Miscelanea NY, the Mexican cafe-market that closed back in June after owner Guillaume Guevara decided to return to his native Mexico.

Thanks to Vinny & O for the photo!

La Mia Pizza coming to 4th Avenue

Signage is now up on Fourth Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street, where La Mia Pizza will be setting up shop in the former Pie by the Pound space.

This appears to be an outpost of the La Mia Pizza on First Avenue in Yorkville. (EVG reader Jeanne Krier, who shared the above photo, has tried La Mia Pizza and likes it.)

Pie by the Pound closed here last July after 17 years in business. A regular told us that the lease was up, and the owner wanted to pursue other opportunities.

Bites of Xi'an looking to make its mark on 10th Street

Signage recently arrived for Bites of Xi'an on 10th Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Avenue (in the retail space below Turntable Lab)...



According to the restaurant's website, ownership also runs Xifu Foods in Brooklyn, Foody's Dumpling on Ninth Avenue and KungFu12 Szechuan in Clarksville, Md.

Once open, Bites of Xi'an will offer a variety of homemade noodles, dumplings and rougamo, a hamburger-like meat sandwich from Xi’an, the capital of China’s Shaanxi province.

This subterranean storefront has been vacant since Ramen Zundo-Ya closed in December 2018.

I Love Panzerotti now open on St. Mark's Place

I Love Panzerotti debuted last evening at 130 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue.

The growing chainlet specializes in panzerotti, the crescent-shaped turnover hailing from Apulia, a region in southern Italy. The St. Mark's Place location will offer 18 varieties, baked or fried, including vegetarian and vegan options.


[Photo via I Love Panzerotti]

In addition, I Love Panzerotti has several pizzas on the menu, courtesy of the wood-fired brick oven of former tenant Tramonti, who moved away in late November to open a larger location on Fifth Avenue and 28th Street.

And per an I Love Panzerotti rep: A portion of every order is donated to Mary’s Meals, a charity working to end child hunger worldwide.

I Love Panzerotti is open Monday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight. They will also serve beer and wine as soon as the license arrives.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Pizza pocket purveyors I Love Panzerotti coming to St. Mark's Place

First sign of the Pineapple Club on 6th Street

Signage is for the Pineapple Club over at 509 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B...



As previously noted, the Pineapple Club will be bringing American Polynesian cuisine to the former Out East space.

There's a teaser site up now for the two-level bar-restaurant. A message notes that the new website will be live in less than 12 days.

Meanwhile, the Pineapple Club's Facebook page describes the venture this way:

The ultimate East Village Restaurant & Signature Cocktail Bar experience. Elevated Rush tropical vibes, food & signature cocktail creations.

Out East went dark in December 2017 after eight months serving a seafood-centric menu from the proprietors behind places like Beauty & Essex and Stanton Social.

The Chippery bringing fish and chips to 1st Avenue

Signage is up for the Chippery, coming soon to 85 First Ave. between Fifth Street and Sixth Street. (Thanks to Goggla for these pics!)

This will be the first Manhattan outpost for the New Jersey-based chainlet, which currently has four locations in the Garden State...



The quick-serve establishment offers a variety of fried seafood platters and sandwiches. You can find their menu here.



No word on an opening date just yet.

Some recent history for this address: This storefront was home to the offbeat boutique Mod World between 1994 and 2006. Most recently, it was Shinbashi Sushi, where the chef smoked outside and gave passersby dirty looks.

'Since 2020' — Gorin Ramen debuts on 14th Street

Gorin Ramen opens today (Jan. 2!) over at 351 E. 14th St. at First Avenue... the rather cheeky signage notes "Since 2020" ...



No sign of a menu yet online ... the restaurant has an account on Instagram and Facebook, though they have yet to post anything.

This space previously housed Kambi Ramen House, which closed in July 2018 after 10 years in service. The Kambi family also operates the popular Minca Ramen Factory on Fifth Street near Avenue B.

H/T Pinch!

Koko Wings debuts on 1st Avenue

Koko Wings, which specializes in Korean fried chicken, is now open at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.

This is Koko's second NYC outpost. The other is on West 106th Street, which got a nice writeup via Westside Rag upon opening in 2014:

The wings are marinated in either soy garlic or hot and spicy sauce, both of which were tasty. You can also order drumsticks or chicken strips in the same marinades. The Kimchi cole slaw had a nice kick, as expected. Other Korean dishes like mandu (dumplings) and pa-jeon (scallion pancakes with seafood) are also on the menu...

This storefront was home for a brief five months to Chelsea Thai, which closed in January — this after 21 years in the Chelsea Market. Chelsea Thai founder-chef Saruj Nimkarn said that there wasn't enough business here to make the rent.

The address was previously the Neptune. The Polish-American diner closed in December 2016 after 15 years in business. According to one source, the rent doubled.

After Neptune's departure, the landlord divided up the restaurant into two retail storefronts. Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery, is in the other half, but not for long.

As this photo via EVG regular Lola Sáenz shows, there's a for-rent sign now on the front door...



The shop opened last December.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Chelsea Thai coming to former Neptune space on 1st Avenue; Filipino fare for Avenue A

Chelsea Thai debuts on 1st Avenue

Chelsea Thai closes after 5 months on 1st Avenue

You've got that Lovenburg feeling

Lovenburg, a fast-food burger joint based in Antalya, Turkey, is coming to the United States, opening its first outpost at 328 E. Sixth St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

Lovenburg promises a variety of "homemade natural burgers" ...

View this post on Instagram

HAMBURGER TARİHCESİ Hamburger adı Almanya’nın ikinci büyük şehri olan Hamburg’tan gelir. Kelime anlamı Hamburglu veya Hamburg’a ait olan, yiyecekler için ise Hamburg tarzında pişirilendir. Benzer yiyecek kökenleri ile ilgili çok farklı iddialar söz konusudur. Bugün bildiğimiz şekli ile ilk kullanımları 1800′lerin sonu 1900′lerin başında olmakla birlikte kökeni Cengiz Han’ın ordusuna dayandırılmaktadır. Moğol askerler sefere giderken eğerlerinin altına koydukları etleri atın sırtıyla eğer arasında dövülürmüş. Mola verdiklerinde de içine soğan doğrayarak yerlermiş. 1200′lü yıllarda Cengiz Han’ın oğlu Kubilay Han Moskova’yı fethettiğinde Ruslar Moğallar’dan öğrendikleri bu yemeğe Tatar bifteği (Ruslar Moğollar’a Tartar dediği için Steak Tartar) adını vermişlerdir. Tabi orjinali at etiyle yapılıyordu. Ruslar’la ticaret yapan Almanlar 1600′lü yıllarda bunu ülkelerine götürmüş, sonrasında da Amerika’ya göç eden Almanlar 1800′lü yıllarda bunu Amerika’ya taşımışlardır. Hamburger yuvarlak şekilli bir köftenin iki dilim yuvarlak sandviç ekmeğinin arasında sunulan sıcak bir sandviç çeşididir. Burger diye de anılır. Köftenin üzerine bir dilim peynirle sunulanına çizburger (cheeseburger) denir. Ketçap, mayonez, turşu, soğan, domates ve benzeri bir çok farklı malzemeyle de sunulur. Genellikle dana etinden yapılır. Tavuk, hindi gibi farklı etlerin de kullanıldığı çeşitleri mevcuttur. Bunlar genellikle et türü ile isimlendirilir. Tavuk burger, Hindi burger gibi. Günümüzde maliyetleri düşürmek için ete ek olarak malesef %70′lere varan oranlarda katkı maddeleri de kullanılabilmektedir. LOVENBURGER hamburger köftesi %100 doğal kıyma, baharat karışımı ve sarmısak’la hazırlanarak, salça, su ve baharat karışımı ile hazırlanan özel karışım LOVENBURG sosu ile sunulur. Ayrıca peynir eklenerek hazırlanan Cheese Burger, Lüks Burger, iki hamburger köftesinden daha büyük olan Süper Burger, tavuk etiyle hazırlanan Tavuk Burger LOVENBURGER ailesinin diğer üyeleridir.

A post shared by Lovenburg (@lovenburger) on Nov 13, 2019 at 2:18am PST

The incoming East Village location also has an Instagram account, which notes this location will open soon.

Lovenburg will be peddling burgers between two excellent vegetarian/vegan restaurants — Spicy Moon and Souen ...

Ama Raw Bar debuts tonight on Avenue B

Ama Raw Bar opens this evening at 190 Avenue B between 11th Street and 12th Street.

Ama's website describes the place as "an affordable seafood restaurant with a unique asian raw bar."

CB3 OK'd a liquor license for the space back in July.

According to Ama's Instagram account, they will have a lounge area called the Kiki Room...

View this post on Instagram

Our Kiki Room 🔥 who’s ready to Lounge, drink, and have a Kiki? #eastvillage #restaurant #newyork #eater #cocktails

A post shared by Amarawbar (@amarawbar) on Nov 25, 2019 at 2:31pm PST

The previous tenant here, Kingsley, closed in late summer 2018 without any notice to patrons after three-plus years in business. Back 40 was also here for seven years.

In the kitchen with Chef Jae Lee at Nowon

Nowon debuted last week at 507 E. Sixth St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. This is the first restaurant for Chef Jae Lee, who is serving non-traditional Korean fare here in the 34-seat space.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy stopped by before the grand opening, and watched Lee create, plate, taste and share his royal kimchi rice dish (dry aged ground beef, egg, bean sprout and seaweed) ...

















Lee previously helmed the kitchen — a pop up called Him — at Black Emperor on Second Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street, where he was responsible for the popular guest menu. His dry aged double cheeseburger with kimchi mayo and dill pickles, which Gothamist called "one of NYC's greatest burgers" when served at Black Emperor, is available here too, though only from 5-7 p.m.

He also served as the executive chef of Rice & Gold at Hotel 50 Bowery.



Nowon, named for the residential district of Seoul where Lee is from, pays tribute to the culture of Korea as well as his family.



Nowon is currently serving dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday and until 11 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. A weekend brunch service is in the works in the months ahead. (Also coming soon: the liquor license, with beer, wine and soju cocktails.) Find more details at the Nowon website ... and Instagram account. And here's a copy of the menu.

2nd Avenue about to get Sauced Up! (with wings)

The Sauced Up! signage has arrived at 77 Second Ave. between Fourth Street and Fifth Street...



Aside from various wing offerings, the quick-serve shop will sell a variety of French fries and tater tots and sandwiches (menu here) ...



The applicant was on their month's CB3 agenda for a beer-wine license. According to the questionnaire on file at the CB3 website, the applicant previously ran House of Hookah in Bayside. (The questionnaire notes one bust for a sale to a minor in the past three years.)

The previous restaurant here, Hot Box, "closed for renovations" this past summer after 14 months in business and never reopened.

The Boilery in soft-open mode on 3rd Avenue

The Boilery has made its debut at 58 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

For now, the sign out front is advertising 20-percent off during this soft opening.

As the name suggests, the restaurant offers communal seafood boils and a variety of grilled seafood. Find the menu here.

The Boilery is now in expansion mode. There's a location up on Amsterdam Avenue, with new restaurants opening here, Chelsea, Midtown East, Danbury, Conn., and Las Vegas.

Perhaps the owners have what it takes to make this space work. As previously noted, this address has been three restaurants — Jin Kitchen and Bar, Shu Han Ju II and Mulan East — in the past four years.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Khiladi debuts on Avenue B

Khiladi opened last night at 175 Avenue B and 11th Street.

The Times had a mini preview in Off the Menu:

Southern Indian fare like idli lentil nuggets, fried kingfish, chickpea puffs, and dosas with various fillings share the menu in this 60-seat spot with a few cross-cultural creations like an Indian chile dog and idli poutine. The chef and an owner, Sruthi Chowdary, has entered into a partnership with Godavari, a national chain of more than two dozen Southern Indian restaurants.

Eater noted that "the menu is inspired by Chowdary’s childhood meals as well as the street markets of Andhra Pradesh on India’s southeastern coast."


[Image via Instagram]

The space was previously home to Old Monk, which closed here at the beginning of the year after 18 months in service.

Recent openings: Tsukimi on 10th Street

[Photo by Steven]

Tsukimi opened in late June at 228 E. 10th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

This Kaiseki-inspired restaurant's menu, via executive chef Takanori Akiyama, offers an 11-course tasting menu. Here's more via a preview at Eater:

The meal can start with nori and fluke, progress to a dish with bluefin tuna, goldeneye snapper, and bigfin reef squid, and end with olive oil yogurt, according to a sample menu (see it below). Of the 11 dishes, three will be sweet. They’ll all be served within a 14-seat space that’s divided in half by an aisle, with two seven-seat counters facing each other, a space designed by Brooklyn-based Studio Tack.

The outside doesn't look like much... but! The restaurant's interior merited a write-up at ArchPaper earlier this week...



Akiyama's NYC credits include Dieci, which was the previous tenant in this space.

The restaurant is open Wednesday-Sunday for a 7 p.m. seating. After Labor Day, seating times will be 6 and 9 p.m.

Meet Noodles debuts on 3rd Avenue

Meet Noodles is set to open today at 50 Third Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

This is the second outpost for Meet Noodles, which also has a location in Sunset Park.

Here's more about them via the restaurant's website:

Savory Chongqing noodle is called XiaoMian in Chinese, is a popular spicy and numbing noodle originated from Chongqing and popular in the whole country.

"Xiao Mian" in Chinese, which means "little noodles" in English. The term "Chongqing noodles" is typified by a variety of spicy noodle dishes that originated and exist in Chongqing, China, which are collectively referred to as xiao mian. Xiao mian is also prepared in other areas of the world, such as the United Kingdom and areas of Australia and the United States.

This renovated space was previously the Renew & Relax Spa.

Images via @abbychen_nycbroker

New restaurant alert for the former Kambi Ramen House on 14th Street

A quick note about an incoming restaurant... there's a taker for the former Kambi Ramen House on 14th Street just west of First Avenue... EVG regular Pinch pointed out this Community Board notice on the front door last week...



This is in the jurisdiction of CB6 (and not CB3 per our usual coverage)... and their website doesn't appear to have a detailed account of the applicants. So all we know is this: New Wine, Beer & Cider License for Trad Japan Co LTD.

We'll keep an eye on this for further developments here.

Kambi Ramen House closed in July 2018 after 10 years in service. The Kambi family also operates the popular Minca Ramen Factory on Fifth Street near Avenue B.