Soft openings: Boongs Café on 12th Street

Boongs Café is in soft-opening mode at 327 E. 12th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. 

The family-run business offers a variety of egg waffles, bubble tea and handmade Korean dumplings. 

Daily hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

If you're on Instagram, you can find the Boongs Cafe account here.

Coming attractions: Mrs. Green on 14th Street

ICYMI: A new business called Mrs. Green is coming soon to 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue. (Thanks to Pinch for these photos.)

According to the homemade signage, the business will offer healthy fare like salads, juice, smoothies, etc. (Since these photos, management has added a banner to the plywood.)

The landlord eventually divided this storefront in two long after the last tenant, Artichoke Basille's Pizza, relocated across the street in June 2017. In the summer of 2022, the bubble tea shop Pila de Boba opened in the other space. 

Openings: Yawning Cobra, Potbelly, Love Mi

A few recent openings from the past month or so to note...

Yawning Cobra is now open downstairs at 356 Bowery between Bond and Great Jones.

The cocktail lounge (enter via a serpent-shaped door knob) is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a midnight close on Sundays.

King's Cross was the last tenant in the subterranean space.

A Potbelly Sandwich Shop opened last Tuesday at 740 Broadway at Astor Place... in a storefront that was previously a &pizza outpost...

Since last month, on the SE corner of Fourth Avenue and 13th Street, Love Mi has been selling bubble tea, fruit tea, and various yogurt drinks... in the former Liquiteria space.

NYU buys dorm on Cooper Square that everyone already thought was an NYU dorm

According to published reports, NYU bought the dorm at 35 Cooper Square at Sixth Street for $69.2 million. 

Marymount Manhattan College (MMC) had occupied the 13-floor residence hall since August 2015. (The building includes retail tenants Librae Bakery and Meet Fresh bubble tea.)

Despite multiple reports about Marymount leasing the space dating back 10 years, some residents thought it belonged to NYU's East Village dorm empire. 

Well, it does now... as the NYU branding is already at the entrance...

The deal is joint venture between two Midtown-based real estate firms, Sherwood Equities and Bhatia Development, Crain's and PincusCo reported. 

MMC's lease was reportedly terminated last month. This seemed like a bit of a hike for students of the private liberal arts college, which has its main campus on the Upper East Side.

Upon the dorm's grand opening nine years ago, 199 MMC students moved in, per a school news release at the time. The additional 73 spots were contracted out to Cooper Union. 

The dorm sits on a lot previously occupied in part by 35 Cooper Square, the Federal-style building dating back to 1825. The closing of the Asian Pub in January 2011 at 35 Cooper Square set in motion a sequence of events that led to the demolition of the historic building in 2011, despite pleas from community activists and preservationists. 

Neighbors weren't so supportive of all this, leaving signs calling developer Arun Bhatia "a destroyer of East Village history." 

Crain's has more about NYU's real-estate empire: 

NYU is considered one of the city's largest and wealthiest landlords, and, like other private colleges, it benefits from tax exemptions on its real estate. Last year NYU acquired a Kips Bay apartment building​​ for $210 million — one of 2023's priciest transactions. And the total assessed value of NYU's holdings is about $1.8 billion, just below Columbia University's total, but NYU is taxed on just $120 million of that, thus enjoying nearly $1.7 billion in savings, according to a Crain's analysis in a piece from last fall headlined "City loses $788 million in property taxes as private colleges eat up 25M square feet of land."

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• 35 Cooper Square, 'this much-beloved little building,' dies at age 186

Openings: Crepe City on Avenue A

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Crepe City debuted at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street earlier this month.

I stopped by for a friends and family soft opening, and met owner Abdulnaser Alzokari (pictured below in the tie with staff). 

Specialties here include crepes, waffles (creatively spelled whaffles!), ice cream and bubble tea.

Crepe City is open daily from noon to 4 a.m. You can follow them on Instagram here. 

After operating most recently as an unlicensed weed shop, this storefront was home to the first outpost of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream from 2013 to 2022. 

We spotted Mikey here this past Sunday handing out free scoops for National Ice Cream Day.

Signage alert: Crepe City on Avenue A

ICYMI: Signage is up for a food-and-beverage option called Crepe City, which will open soon at 199 Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street.

The quick-serve spot will offer crepes, waffles, shakes, bubble tea, etc.

You can kep tabs on them via Instagram. Updated: The grand opening is Saturday (July 6) at 2 p.m.

After operating most recently as an unlicensed weed shop, this storefront was home to the first outpost of Mikey Likes It Ice Cream from 2013 to 2022. 

A look at Partea 1 year in

Photos by Stacie Joy

Partea has been open for a year now at 220 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue. 

This is Partea's second location, following its original outpost in Flushing. (An LA Partea is in the works.) The concept is "Street eats, bubble tea, and games in an energetic restaurant inspired by Taiwanese night markets." 

We hadn't visited the space yet and were curious, so we ducked inside as the business opened for the day.

Stepping inside, you find yourself in a lively environment, quite different from the somewhat dull surroundings of this stretch of 14th Street. Rows of anime-themed toys and games of chance, like the claw machine for plushie toys, await. You can purchase tokens for these machines using cash or credit ($1 per token) ...

Partea also offers fruit teas, and this month, they received conditional approval from Community Board 3 for a beer-wine license. The menu includes a variety of snacks, such as popcorn chicken, fried pork ribs, and Taiwanese fried tempura.

While Partea isn't likely for everyone (beware, migraine sufferers! There are so many triggers!), it undeniably has its unique charms.

The space is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. ... with a midnight close on Friday and Saturday (and a 2:30 p.m. start on Sundays).

Signage alert: N25 on St. Mark's Place; YGF Malatang on 3rd Avenue

Top photo by Steven

Signage arrived last week at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for N25, a cafe serving nitro coffee and tea ... and Bánh mì.

This will be the second location for the brand that got its start in Taichung City, Taiwan.

N25 takes over for Gong Cha, yet another bubble tea shop to close along this corridor. 

Signage is up for YGF Malatang at 92 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Per the brand's Instagram account: "The restaurant specializes in malatang, a type of hotpot very popular in the streets of China, often confused with ramen. But make no mistake, malatang is a totally different concept."

The chain is said to have more than 6,000 outposts in China, Japan and Korea ... this is the first in NYC.

This Third Avenue retail space has been empty for years, since Beijing Express quickly closed in 2019.

Signage alert: Deli Convenience on 1st Avenue; Partea on 14th Street

Pinch shares these new signage photos for two coming-soon retail establishments... for starters, the generic yet descriptive-sounding Deli Convenience is opening on the west side of First Avenue between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

Given the lack of marijuana leaves or weed puns on the sign, it looks like it will be a market-type shop instead of a smoke shop.

Tony's Famous Pizza closed here (No. 231) at the start of the year after 18 months in business. Tony's took over the storefront from Vinny Vincenz, which quietly closed in April 2021 after 18 years of service.

And at 220 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue ... the Partea signage is up...

As previously noted, this will be the second location for Partea, which started in Flushing. The concept: "Street eats, bubble tea and games in an energetic restaurant inspired by Taiwanese night markets."

As such, the sign highlights claw machines, bubble tea and fried chicken.

The renovated storefront here previously housed Kent's Dumpling House, which went dark last summer.  

Perhaps this bubble tea wasn't up everyone's Alley

That's apparently all for the Alley at 68 Cooper Square (across from Cooper Union) ... earlier this year, a "closed until further notice" sign went up on the front door...

There wasn't any further notice. This address is no longer on the Alley's website... and Google lists them as permanently closed. 

This was the first NYC location for the growing and Instagram-popular Taiwanese bubble tea chain, debuting late in the summer of 2019 to some long lines. There's now an Alley in Flushing.

Night market concept looks to be the life of the Partea on 14th Street

Photo by Steven

A Partea outpost is coming soon to 220 E. 14th St. between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

This will be the second location for Partea, which started in Flushing. The concept: "Street eats, bubble tea and games in an energetic restaurant inspired by Taiwanese night markets."

The renovated storefront here previously housed Kent's Dumpling House, which went dark last summer.  

Coffee shop slated for this retail space in NYU's Third North dorm

A cafe-coffee shop is in the works for 83 Third Ave. at 12th St. in the base of NYU's Third North dorm.

The sign lists the business as Sammy L Coffee, though we've also seen it as Sammylin Coffee in latte art clips on TikTok. 

For now, the shop is in the hiring stages.

Shiina, a women's boutique selling clothing, accessories and makeup, was the last business in this storefront, closing in the spring of 2019. 

Until Shiina arrived in 2017, the space had been empty for nearly two years after Pushcart Coffee vacated the space. The address was previously home to Just Sweet, which sold bubble tea and desserts.

Chick-In to bring Korean-style chicken to Allen Street

A quick-serve restaurant serving Korean-style chicken is shaping up at 205 Allen St. just south of Houston (and below the Dash Snow mural). 

Don't know too much else about Chick-In. There's an Instagram account, though no posts just yet. 

The space was previously home to Vivi Bubble Tea.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included ... (with a photo on 1st Avenue by Derek Berg) ... 

• Acclaimed Adda Indian Canteen relocating to the East Village (Monday) 

• Police looking for 2 suspects in an attack on 2nd Avenue and 4th Street that left victim with a skull fracture (Wednesday) 

• P&T Knitwear, a new bookstore, cafe and podcast studio, opens on Orchard Street (Friday) 

•  'Justice' league: A street co-naming on 6th and Avenue B (Tuesday)

• Guerra Paint is now closed ahead of move to Williamsburg (Tuesday) 

• Amelia and Christo's chicks looking ready to wing it in Tompkins Square Park (Wednesday) 

• Watching the Dance Parade and DanceFest (Sunday) 

• City frees tree entombed in concrete on 3rd Street (Tuesday) 

• Gutting 207 E. 4th St., onetime home of Bob Arihood (Wednesday) 

• Parting spring thoughts on the wisteria of Stuyvesant Street (Thursday) 

• SMØR is opening a bakery (with bread!) on 12th Street (Monday) 

• New open space at DEP site debuts on 4th Street near the Bowery (Thursday) 

• Opening at the 292 Theatre/Gallery: 'Hard Journey in Space and Time' (Monday) 

• Tompkins Square Bagels makes it signage official on Union Square West (Wednesday) 

• The 27th annual Lower East Side Festival of the Arts is this weekend at Theater for the New City (Friday)

• A bubble tea shop for this long-vacant storefront on 14th Street (Monday) 

• Reader report: Empanada Mama opening at the former Papaya Dog space on 14th and 1st (Tuesday) 

• Are you ready to Puff & Pass? (Tuesday) 

• FULL reveal at 118 E. 1st St. (Friday)

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Follow EVG on Instagram or Twitter for more frequent updates and pics.

A bubble tea shop for this long-vacant storefront on 14th Street

Pila de Boba, offering bubble tea, macarons and ice cream, is a new tenant for 328 E. 14th St. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.

The shop was scheduled to open this past Friday, per its Instagram account.

This space — now divided into two storefronts — has been vacant since Artichoke Basille's Pizza relocated across the street in June 2017. Before the move, the pizzeria suffered damage during a two-alarm fire. The FDNY said the fire was accidental — "due to heat from the pizza oven flue."

Various brokers have been trying to lease this space since early 2018. 

Thanks to Steven for the photo, and Pinch for keeping a watchful eye on the space.

Bubbleology Tea has gone out of business on 1st Avenue

The East Village outpost of the London-based Bubbleology Tea chain has closed at 120 1/2 First Ave. between Seventh Street and St. Mark's Place. 

Steven shared these photos of the now-empty space, which closed without any notice... (apparently, this happened a few weeks back...)

The outpost opened in February 2019 in a crowded bubble-tea market.

Previously, the landlord here, convicted felon Steve Croman, didn't/wouldn't renew the lease of the International Bar ... which closed in November 2017 before merging with the Coal Yard, down the block.

RIP Molly.

Xing Fu Tang is now open on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The Taiwan-based Xing Fu Tang, a bubble tea chain specializing in brown sugar boba, debuted on Saturday on the northwest corner of St. Mark's Place and Second Avenue. 

There was a line (and crowd!) when we walked by around 8 p.m. This is the second NYC location for Xing Fu Tang, joining the one in Flushing.

Our previous post has more about this corner space (133 Second Ave./37 St. Mark's Place) in recent retail years. 

P.S. 

And we don't know if a foot rub is $32 or $36 upstairs. (Someone asked last time about the dueling signs.)

How about some more Smoke & Beer?

Signage (for another) Smoke & Beer shop is up now at 110 Third Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street. (Thanks Jeanne Krier for the pic!) 

It seeeems like there are a lot of these Smoke & Beer shops around...

Anyway, this one takes over for another ubiquitous business — a bubble tea shop, specifically One Zo, which closed at some point early this summer.

Plywood comes down to reveal Xing Fu Tang on 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Workers removed the plywood yesterday from the northwest corner of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place ... providing a FULL reveal of the new tenant, the Taiwan-based Xing Fu Tang, a bubble tea chain specializing in brown sugar boba... (thanks to Steven for the photos!)

No word on an opening date... they are currently hiring...

As noted, bubble tea is rather plentiful already along this corridor. Gong Cha, which describes itself as "one of the most recognized bubble tea brands around the world," recently opened an outpost at 27 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

Nothing has been able to stick in this corner space in recent years. Nobletree Coffee closed here in May 2019 after just five months in business. This storefront previously sat empty for three years — ever since DF Mavens closed in January 2016 ... after a Dec. 26, 2014 debut. (It took the Mavens 14 months to open the space.) Other past tenants include Eastside Bakery (.net?) and Roastown Coffee.

And the only business to last here in the past 30 years: the Gap, from 1988 to 2001.

New signage day for the NW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

Workers yesterday started putting up the signage for the new business on this most high-profile of East Village corners — the NW side of Second Avenue and St. Mark's Place.

As previously reported, the Taiwan-based Xing Fu Tang, a bubble tea chain specializing in brown sugar boba, will be setting up shop here...

No word on an opening date...

Nobletree Coffee closed here in May 2019 after just five months in business. This storefront previously sat empty for three years — ever since DF Mavens closed in January 2016 ... after a Dec. 26, 2014 debut. (It took the Mavenators 14 months to open the space.)

Other tenants in recent years include Eastside Bakery (.net?) and Roastown Coffee. And the only business to last here in the past 30 years: the Gap, from 1988 to 2001.

Thanks to Steven for the photos! (And thanks to Jeff and Brian for sending some along as well!)