[Cloister photos by Steven]
On Tuesday evening, Gov. Cuomo announced that the state had suspended liquor licenses for 38 bars in New York City and on Long Island "after finding egregious violations of pandemic-related Executive Orders."
Of those 38, four of the establishments are in the East Village. (We already covered Maiden Lane here.)
Here are the other three:
• Cloister Cafe, 238 E. Ninth Street between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.
Per the SLA:
On August 7th, the New York City Sheriff's Office requested assistance from the state's multi-agency task force at this establishment approximately 12:30 a.m. — well past the 11 p.m. NYC curfew. Investigators found the restaurant operating as a nightclub and hookah lounge with a live DJ, documenting numerous patrons ignoring social distancing with lines of customers congregating in front of the premises without facial coverings, at least twenty patrons consuming alcohol indoors under a fixed roof, and no receipts for food purchases. The inspection identified thirty-three significant fire and life safety violations, with the NYC Sheriff's Office issuing seven criminal court summonses.
The exclusive pandemic parties reportedly hosted here by Provocateur, a former Meatpacking District club, were a poorly kept secret in recent weeks at Cloister Cafe — now going as Café Tucano.
One recent attendee told Gothamist, in a story published on Aug. 4, that he saw "hundreds of people, nobody is social distancing, nobody is wearing masks. It’s like the normal club scene. There’s a lot of spenders there. If they do social distancing, they can’t make money. They need to have a packed room full of people to make money."
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• The Hairy Lemon, 28-30 Avenue B between Second Street and Third Street.
Per the SLA:
On August 8th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force observed patrons standing and drinking without facial coverings outside the premises and confirmed that the location was operating a bar-type service, selling drinks to multiple patrons without substantial food.
The Hairy Lemon had drawn neighbor complaints in recent weeks with crowds congregating to watch sports from the bar's front windows... photos here from Aug. 1 (via Stacie Joy)...
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[Photo from Sunday after the closure]
• The Wayland, 700 E. Ninth St. at Avenue C.
Per the SLA:
On August 7th, investigators with the state's multi-agency task force observed at least 13 patrons without facial coverings standing outside the bar, congregating and mingling. Investigators also noted patrons served drinks at an outdoor table without food.
