First Lamb Shabu has closed on 14th Street

For rent signs hang in the front window at 218 E. 14th St., bringing an end to the short tenure (August 2019) of First Lamb Shabu.

This was the first Manhattan outpost for the Beijing-based hot pot chain that has more than 300 locations in China. (There's also an outpost in Flushing that people like.)

Prior to the start of the First Lamb Shabu build-out in April 2018 (!), the storefront between Second Avenue and Third Avenue had been empty since Dunkin' Donuts decamped for a smaller space on the block in August 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
East 14th Street Dunkin' Donuts shuffle complete

The Dunkin' Donuts space on East 14th Street is for rent

Villa Cemita is closing on Avenue A

If you've walked by Villa Cemita on Avenue A between Third Street and Fourth Street this week, then you may have noticed the sidewalk sale.

The Mexican restaurant is closing after service on Sunday. Several readers who stopped by to check out the sales were told that Villa Cemita may be relocating to an unspecified location in Brooklyn.

EVG contributor Stacie Joy, who took the photos in this post, noted the sidewalk sale, with items including plates, cups, glasses, flatware, and decor like mirrors and artwork...







Villa Cemita opened in March 2015. In April 2016, the son of the restaurant's owner, working as a bartender, was accused of drugging a patron and sexually assaulting another, according to published reports. The bartender reportedly denied any wrongdoing.

The restaurant also drew complaints from local Community Board members as well as the Board's district manager in recent years for a variety of infractions, including promoting boozy brunches and serving liquor while legally only possessing a beer-wine license. In June 2019, CB3 turned down their application for a full liquor license.

Per the official minutes of that meeting:

[G]iven that the applicant has made multiple alterations to its business, to wit enlarging and moving its bar, opening its façade, reducing its daytime hours of operation and adding drink specials, including "boozy brunches," without notice to the SLA, the community or the community board and contrary to its agreement with residents to obtain approval for its wine beer license, and given that there is still evidence that it continues to operate inconsistent from its current stipulations which are conditions of its license by continuing to have "boozy brunches" with unlimited drink specials and an open façade and it continues to access the residential portion of its building, Community Board 3 will not now approve its application to serve alcohol; now THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Community Board 3 recommends the denial of the application for a change in class of its wine beer license to a full on-premises liquor license ...

Khyber Pass closes on St. Mark's Place

Multiple EVG readers have shared that Khyber Pass has closed on St. Mark's Place.

One reader noted that the space was gutted the last week of May here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue: "This sucks. They were in the building already when I moved here in 1989. It was a great place and they were very nice neighbors."

While there hasn't been an official confirmation from anyone at the Afghani restaurant that dates to the mid-1980s, the space is now empty and their website deactivated. Khyber Pass had previously shut down in mid-March at the start of the COVID-19 PAUSE.

ICYMI: Momofuku's Ssäm Bar moving from the East Village to the Seaport

ICYMI: Back on Wednesday, David Chang announced several changes/closures to his global restaurant empire as the fallout from COVID-19 hits the A-list ranks.

Among the coming changes: Chang is moving the nearly 15-year-old Ssäm Bar from Second Avenue and 13th Street into the space that houses Bar Wayō at the South Street Seaport.

Here's part of the message posted to the Momofuku website:

[W]e have decided to move Ssäm Bar from the East Village to Wayō’s much larger space at South Street Seaport and combine the teams of both restaurants. We loved what we created with Wayō, but we have to focus on our restaurants with the most potential. It would be hard to think of a better candidate than Ssäm Bar. Its lease expires in January 2021 and over the last fifteen years has probably changed more radically than any other restaurant of its kind—and thrived in the process.

With more space for guests, multiple entrances, and a new kitchen, Ssäm Bar at the Seaport is better suited to the new realities of restaurants. Not only that, we’re also excited to incorporate elements of Wayo’s menu and service into the new Ssäm Bar. With tabletop cooking and karaoke rooms, the new restaurant will carry on Ssäm Bar’s legacy and celebratory spirit. And don’t worry, John McEnroe is coming with. We are still working on sorting out the details and will share more as we develop the project.

The Ssäm Bar had a large footprint on this corner... curious to see who/what might take this space over one day...



Milk Bar had retail space on the 13th Street side before moving across the street in May 2011. The cocktail bar Booker & Dax was then here until October 2016 before Ssäm Bar expanded.

Meanwhile, Eater checked in with a think piece titled: "If Momofuku Is Closing Restaurants, What Does It Mean for Everyone Else?"

Jewel Bako is permanently closing

Jewel Bako, the celebrated sushi restaurant on Fifth Street, will not be reopening after the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

Multiple neighbors and Jewel Bako fans have pointed out the sign on the restaurant's front window between Second Avenue and Cooper Square that notes an open house sale.

Up for grabs: Kitchen accessories and appliances — as well as some bottles of wine...



An employee at the restaurant confirmed the closure, but didn't have any other information.

New York magazine called Jewel Bako, which has maintained a Michelin star for the last 15 years, "one of the most enjoyable places to enjoy sushi in the city."

Jack and Grace Lamb also operate the well-regarded Restaurant Ukiyo next door on Fifth Street. No word on the status of Ukiyo, which opened in the spring of 2018.

Arepa Factory closes up on Avenue A

[Photo yesterday by Steven]

After nearly five years on Avenue A, Arepa Factory has closed here between Ninth Street and 10th Street.

Ownership made the announcement via an email to customers (H/T John for the email!). They didn't offer a reason for the closure:

We are unfortunately closing our doors at the 147 Avenue A location in our beloved East Village and want to thank our amazing guests for the loyal support you have shown us over the past years.

Business overall must be OK as they also announced that they are opening two new locations soon. In addition, they have an outpost at the Turnstyle Underground Market in the Columbus Circle Subway Station.

The quick-serve Venezuelan restaurant opened in October 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Arepa Factory coming soon to Avenue A

Desnuda Cevicheria is closing its 7th Street outpost next week

[Image via]

Desnuda, the 18-seat ceviche bar at 122 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, is shutting down its East Village outpost after service next Wednesday (Jan. 15).

Management recently made the announcement, starting by acknowledging some hookups that apparently took place there through the years. (Well, they do bill themselves as an "intimate date-night wine bar.") Here's part of the message for patrons on the Desnuda website:

We fed a whole lot of people, got a fair amount of people laid, made some good friends and heck even got some people married. After 11+ years it is time to bid adieu to Desnuda East Village. We can not thank you all enough for this amazing journey. It has been a pleasure creating long lasting memories with each and every one of you. We are truly grateful.

The parting message also mentions to "stay tuned while we look for a new location and concept." The Desnuda location in Williamsburg will remain open.

Space 194 has closed on 1st Avenue

[Photo by Steven]

Space 194 is now officially closed. There wasn't any public notice — via a sign or an Instagram post — from ownership about the closing.

On Dec. 27, we mentioned the for rent sign that arrived on the door here at 194 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street. The hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery opened in December 2018.

Meanwhile, as we also noted on Dec. 27, Koko Wings, which specializes in Korean fried chicken, is now open right next door. This is Koko's second NYC outpost.

The address was previously the Neptune, the Polish-American diner shut down 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. Chelsea Thai gave it a try for five months in the space that Koko now occupies. Upon closing last January, Chelsea Thai founder-chef Saruj Nimkarn said that there wasn't enough business here for him to make the rent. He had been in the Chelsea Market for 21 years.

Maharlika closes after 8 years of serving Filipino cuisine on 1st Avenue

EVG reader Trevor J. shares the news that Maharlika has shut down on First Avenue between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The note on the door that he discovered thanks customers for their patronage ... followed by: "Unfortunately, we have made the decision to close Maharlika's doors for service as of Dec. 8, 2019."

However, despite the Dec. 8 date, the restaurant was open for an encore presentation last night...

View this post on Instagram

Tomorrow we open our doors at 111 1st Avenue, one last time. Drop by to run your fingers across your favorite chair, take a photo, or relive a memory or two. We’ll be there to say thank you and paalam, Maharlika. #TheMaharlikans

A post shared by Maharlika Filipino Moderno 🇵🇭 (@maharlikanyc) on Dec 9, 2019 at 12:06pm PST

Maharlika's creative team, which includes founder Nicole Ponseca and executive chef Miguel Trinidad, will continue on with Jeepney, their more casual counterpart a few blocks to the north on First Avenue.

Maharlika opened in August 2011, in space that had been several restaurants previously, including Absinthe, Lautrec Bistro and Lingua.

Jin Kitchen and Bar closes on 3rd Avenue

A for-rent sign now hangs in the window at 58 Third Ave., marking an end to Jin Kitchen and Bar's short existence here between 10th Street and 11th Street.

The Chinese restaurant debuted in January, taking over the space from Shu Han Ju II. This marks the third restaurant at the address in the past four years — Shu Han Ju II replaced Mulan East.

From 2009 to 2015, we had the Thai restaurant Bodhi Tree here... and previously? Anyone? Taco Bell!

Thank you to EVG reader Sheila Meyer for the photo!

Ravi DeRossi's Fire & Water is closed for now on 7th Street

Restaurateur Ravi DeRossi is currently enjoying the opening of Honeybee's over at 95 Avenue A.

Meanwhile, though, one of his other establishments, Fire & Water, remains dark at 111 E. Seventh St.

Tony Mongeluzzi, the corporate executive chef of DeRossi's restaurant group DeRossi Global, which includes Ladybird, Avant Garden and Death & Co., had been working on the Fire & Water menu — veganizing sushi and dim sum — for a year before the restaurant was set to open last fall here between between Avenue A and First Avenue.

Sadly, Mongeluzzi died last September at age 31.

"He had been with my company for many years. He was a very close friend and one of the best chefs I have ever come across in my life — vegan or not," DeRossi said in an email on Saturday. "He tragically passed away just a few weeks before we were supposed to open."

Fire & Water eventually did open in late November.

"We tried to make it work with another chef but failed miserably. Our hearts just weren't in it," DeRossi said. "So for now the space is closed while we figure out what to do next."

Edi & the Wolf closes after service on Sunday

Austrian bar-restaurant Edi & the Wolf is closing Sunday after nine years at 102 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

The restaurant — named after its executive chefs, Eduard "Edi" Frauneder and Wolfgang "the Wolf" Ban — is closing due to "increasing operating costs," Eater reports.

The closure had been expected, as a new applicant — listed as Rosey Kalayjian — appeared before CB3's SLA committee for a new liquor license for the space back in January in what was described as a sale of assets. The CB3 materials cited the proposal as "an American restaurant" with hours of 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Kalayjian has previously managed restaurants in Westchester and NYC.

Frauneder and Ban also operate The Third Man at 116 Avenue C. No word on the status of that bar.

Jebon Sushi & Noodle has closed on St. Mark's Place

That's all for Jebon Sushi & Noodle at 15 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue... the restaurant wrapped up 10 years in business at the beginning of the month, as these photos via EVG correspondent Steven show.



Workers have (mostly) emptied the space...



This closing doesn't come as a complete surprise. Owner Wayne Yip recently opened Wara, a Japanese izakaya restaurant, at 67 First Ave. and Fourth Street. The Batsu theater, a Japanese-style variety show, moved there from Jebron in early February.

---

And 15 St. Mark's Place was previously home to Coney Island High, the live music venue that closed back in 1999... the building was demolished to make way for the current condoplex now minus a retail tenant.

Wagamama is closing its East Village location

After nearly 18 months in business, Wagamama is shutting down its East Village location.

This outpost of the London-based chain that serves Japanese-inspired cuisine opened on the corner of Third Avenue and 11th Street in October 2017.

Here's the message posted to the Wagamama website: "As of april 12 we will [be] closing our doors. we wanted to say thank you, east village for being our neighbor. don’t worry, you can get your noodle fix at either our location on 25th and 5th or our newest location at 39th and 3rd. we look forward to seeing you soon."

On the surface, this seems to be a bit of a surprise: a well-known restaurant brand opening in a location surrounded by a large college population (NYU, Cooper Union, the New School) in a well-travelled corridor. (Not exactly a sleepy side street.)

This closure comes several weeks after Wagamama's 11th Street building mate Martina bid farewell to their space. Danny Meyer's attempt at a quick-serve pizzeria opened in August 2017.





In 2014, this previously rather drab and dormy-looking residential building received a facelift and rebranding to become more luxurious with rents going upwards of $10k a month.

The retail spaces underwent a major rehab after M2M closed here back in February 2017.


[EVG photo from June 2017]

Meanwhile, the Smith appears to still be doing big business in this complex.

Previously on EV Grieve:
55 Third Ave. sells for $57 million — AGAIN

Someone actually paid $57 million for this East Village building

Reimagining this 12-story East Village building, now on the market

NY Copy & Printing forced out of longtime E. 11th St. home, opening second location on E. 7th St.

Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group planning Martina for 55 3rd Ave.

A few details about the Wagamama coming to 3rd Avenue

Timna is now closed on St. Mark's Place

On March 22, Timna chef Nir Mesika announced on Instagram that the Israeli-Mediterranean restaurant at 109 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue was closing after service on April 14.

Apparently Timna decided to wrap up their nearly four years in service early. Yesterday, EVG correspondent Steven spotted the contents of the restaurant — including chairs and kitchen equipment — stacked on the sidewalk...



... and getting loaded into a waiting truck...



Later yesterday the space was looking desolate...



As for reasons behind the closure, Mesika wrote: "This is undeniably a very difficult decision, which I did not really want to make but was really forced to make. Financial issues and all sort of disagreements have led me to deal with running the restaurant without support, to such extent that it can no longer be sustained."

Beijing Express went quickly

Several readers (and H/T Nick Solares!) have noted that Beijing Express has not been open lately during announced business hours at 92 Third Ave.

The quick-serve restaurant between 12th Street and 13th Street just debuted in January, taking the place of Gala BBQ, which opened and closed within three months.

Marcha Cocina has closed on Avenue C

After three-plus years on Avenue C at Seventh Street, Marcha Cocina has closed.

Dave on 7th shared this photo, showing the gate down with a for-rent sign attached.

This tapas joint was an offshoot of the Marcha Cocina in Washington Heights. That location never reopened after a fire this past September.

This space at 111 Avenue C was previously Cafe Cambodge (opened February 2014), which happened after the owners revamped the space from its 6-year run as Arcane.

A Midwinter closing on 2nd Avenue

A quick closure to note outside the usual coverage area. An EVG tipster shares the news that Midwinter Kitchen closed after service on Sunday at 327 Second Ave. at 19th Street. The owners left this message for patrons on the restaurant's website:

We have had three formidable years here at Midwinter Kitchen. It has been such a privilege to bring our farm to table project to life in this community. Even more inspiring for us has been the experience of sharing the fruits of our labor with all of you. Your participation, appreciation and loyal patronage has been a true blessing to us.

Sadly the reality of a profoundly labor intensive farming and restaurant operation are at odds with the current economic climate and it is with a very heavy heart that we have decided that Midwinter Kitchen and Midwinter Farm will close their doors as of January 27, 2019.

The restaurant took its farm-to-table mission seriously, serving food from its very own Midwinter Farms in Ancram, N.Y.

Midwinter took over for Mezcla, a short-lived Latin bistro.

Before this, Capucine's Restaurant managed to stick around the address for 33 years before they were rent hiked in 2013.

Headed south: Mr. White has apparently closed on St. Mark's Place

Word is circulating that Mr. White, the upscale, New Orleans-themed restaurant at 123 St. Mark's Place, has closed ... a chain lock was on the front door when Mr. White was scheduled to be open on Saturday evening...



The restaurant's phone is out of service and its website is offline... Yelp reports that Mr. White has closed.

Mr. White opened last February here between Avenue A and First Avenue. The space was gutted and fitted to evoke a Southern mansion, complete with fireplace and velvet curtains. Menu items included chargrilled oysters, collard green spring rolls, smoked duck, shrimp and grits, and brûlée bananas.

The address was previously home to the Belgian Room, which the state seized for nonpayment of taxes in April 2015. The reconfigured Mr. White space also includes the former Ton-Up Cafe.

Chelsea Thai closes after 5 months on 1st Avenue

[Photo Saturday by Steven]

On Friday night, Chelsea Thai founder-chef Saruj Nimkarn hung the closing sign on his restaurant at 192 First Ave. between 11th Street and 12th Street.


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Nimkarn just debuted here in August after 21 years in the Chelsea Market. (A rent increase there forced Nimkarn to look elsewhere.) Unfortunately, he told EVG regular Lola Sáenz that there wasn't enough business in his new space to make the rent.

The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Not entirely sure why the restaurant didn't last. (Lack of a liquor license? Not enough daytime foot traffic? Too many other buzzy new restaurants nearby such as Little Tong Noodle Shop and Tatsu Ramen?)

The address was previously home to 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 spaces.

Space 194, a hybrid tea-coffee shop-gallery recently opened in the other storefront.



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