Openings: Skinny Louie on 2nd Avenue

Skinny Louie opened Friday at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

The EV outpost marked the debut by giving away free burgers to the first 100 people in line starting at 6 p.m. (Based on what several EVG readers told us, the line stretched well beyond the 100-person mark.)

Founded in Wynwood, Fla., in 2023, Skinny Louie serves a compact menu centered on Black Angus smash burgers, fries and shakes. (They also offer an Impossible burger and gluten-free buns.) 

The East Village outpost is the brand's fourth in New York City, following locations in NoMad, the West Village and the Upper East Side. Penn Station and Park Slope locations are expected to open later this summer. 

And they have late (early?) hours here, too: Sunday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with an East River sunset shot via EVG reader Maria Muentes)...

Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• Mee Noodle Shop will stay open after all (July 10) 

• Inside Ninth Ward’s 10-year comeback on 2nd Avenue (July 6) 

• Rent hike will close Francis Kite Club on Avenue C (July 10) 

• "Tompkins Trees" at Ninth Street Espresso on 10th Street (July 10) 

• A visit to Wild Sorrel Cookbooks on 13th Street (July 7) 

• A reminder for red-tailed hawk season in Tompkins Square Park (July 7) 

• About TODAY's Show Brain show in Tompkins Square Park (July 11) 

• Taking on Hell Ride (July 8) 

• From the East Village to Kyoto: Masae Satouchi's farewell exhibition (July 8) 

• At Jenkem Magazine's skate block party in Tompkins Square Park (July 12) 

• Scenes from WitchsFest 2026 on Astor Place (July 11) 

• A new book chronicles 10 years of JIM JOE (July 9) 

• ICYMI: The New Museum is offering $10 Fridays this summer (July 10) 

• Signage alert: Herbie's Burgers on 1st Avenue (July 8) 

• Openings: Fifth Square on 5th Street (July 8) 

• For those about to rock: About a new music venue on Bleecker Street (July 10) 

• East Village-based director brings July 9, 1776, to the big screen with the doc "By George" (July 6) 

• A place at the table: EV Grieve joins the Superiority Burger placemat (July 5) 

And EVG reader Francine Lange shared the photo of a "coned" lion in front of St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery on 10th Street and Second Avenue...

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a reminder that it was HOT, via Stacie Joy)...

• Work is underway on Avenue B's permanent Open Street redesign (June 30) 

• The Swiss Institute to leave St. Mark's Place for a permanent home on the Bowery (June 30) 

• One last goodbye to Cozy Soup 'n' Burger (July 1) 

• Checking in on Gizmo (June 30) 

• Damn, I wish I was your lover: Take the EVG Loves Key Food playlist with you this summer (July 3) 

• Leftöver Crack returns to Tompkins Square Park (June 29) 

• Work underway on Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter mural on Jimmy Carter Way (June 29) 

• Photos: The Dollheads make their NYC debut in Tompkins Square Park (June 29) 

• NYC activates Heat Emergency Plan as dangerous heat grips the city (July 2) 

• Scenes from the annual Dyke March in Washington Square Park (June 28) 

• Fourth of July (July 4) 

• Dry Dock pool is ready for summer (July 2) 

• The Pizza Pusha says goodbye to 4th Street (July 1) 

• There’s still time to see "Art-Work: Balance" at the Clemente (July 2) 

• 6 posts from June (June 30) 

• More Christmas in June, but not for the usual reason (June 29) 

And one of the faux America 250 ads we spotted on Avenue A (via Winton Tseng)...

A place at the table: EV Grieve joins the Superiority Burger placemat

Photos by Stacie Joy 

We've always had a soft spot for the quirky, old-school placemats at Superiority Burger, 119 Avenue A. 

So it was a nice surprise to discover that EV Grieve has made it into the latest edition (bottom right). 

Thanks to Brooks and company for finding a spot for us...

We never imagined sharing placemat space with Academy Records, Casey Rubber Stamps, Gizmo, Trash and Vaudeville — not to mention the "Stomp" and Old Devil Moon ads and Dom DeLuise's handprint and autograph entombed in the sidewalk outside the former Theatre 80 on St Mark's Place ... but we'll happily take it.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with some cloud scenes from 2nd and C)...

Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here. 

• The growth of the sunflowers (May 19) 

• 3 tiny hawklets, 1 busy nest in Tompkins Square Park (May 19) 

• Rosa Deli & Grocery has closed on Avenue D (May 20) 

• Somtum Der to close on Avenue A on May 31 (May 18) 

• After 54 years, Cozy Soup 'n' Burger is closing on Astor Place (May 22) 

• The 3rd Avenue outpost of the Bean has closed (May 18) 

• A long-hidden room at Katz's is now open to the public again (May 21) 

• A celebration of life for Albert Fabozzi in Tompkins Square Park (May 17) 

• Loisaida Festival returns to Avenue C on Sunday (today!) with its 39th edition (May 22) 

• A few scenes from the annual Ukrainian Festival (May 17) 

• Spring and summer in bloom at Albert's Garden (May 22) 

• Arturo Vega exhibit extended at Howl! (May 21) 

• You have a few more weeks to see the Keith Haring exhibit at the Brant Foundation (May 19) 

• Custom-fit t-shirts and coffee are coming to 316 Bowery (May 20) 

• News from other sources: Can apartment renovations count as "demolition"? (May 19) 

• Official signage alert: Tacos Domingo on 1st Avenue and St. Mark's Place (May 22) 

• Openings: Sanwits on 1st Avenue (May 21) … Sono on 1st Avenue (May 21) 

• Saturday flashback: Dancing through the East Village (May 22)

And earlier this month, Arete Studios opened at 116 Suffolk St., between Rivington and Delancey... which highlights "emerging" clothing brands (photos by Stacie Joy)...

The Studio takes over the space from Bluestockings Cooperative, which closed late last year after a 26-year run as an independent feminist bookstore, café, and radical community space.

A spin through the East Village with the Judex’s ‘Sweet Hatchback’

 

Musician William Byron shared this new video for "Sweet Hatchback" from his band The Judex, filmed around the East Village last month. 

Though the band isn't based in NYC, Byron said much of their work is mixed at producer Mark Plati's private East Village studio. (Plati is perhaps best known for his work with David Bowie in the 1990s.) 

The video features neighborhood scenes and appearances by local resident Felix Goodman, a stylist on St. Mark's Place and violinist who has played with various New York bands.

Byron said regular breaks at places like Paul's Da Burger Joint, Juicy Lucy, and Tompkins Square Park helped shape the project's atmosphere.

Signage alert: Skinny Louie on 2nd Avenue

Signage arrived yesterday for a Skinny Louie outpost at 141 Second Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. (Thanks, Feryal!)

This will be the fifth NYC location for the Miami-based smash burger chain. (There are also Skinny Louies in the West Village, Nomad and UES ... with one coming to Penn Station and Park Slope later this year.) 

And this will be the second burger joint in very close proximity. Burgerhead debuted in December, a short distance away on Second Avenue and Ninth Street.

No. 141 has seen many quick-serve concepts, most recently Krave It ... and Planet Taco. Other recent past lives include Otto's Tacos for seven years. Before that, there was Good Guys, a Subway (sandwich shop), part of a Max Brenner outpost, and Burritoville.

H/T Steven!

Sliders up next at 34 St. Mark’s Place

St. Mark's Burgers & Dogs has closed at 34 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when it shut for good — the quick-serve shop (which opened in December 2024) was often dark during its posted business hours.

Anyway! A new burger venture is already in the works for the space. Whits, specializing in sliders, is coming soon. 

You can follow them on Instagram for opening updates...

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WHITS (@whitsnyc)

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo by Stacie Joy of a newish mural titled "Copperhead" on 6th and C by steel wool run161 ren162)...

You can also receive this recap via email every week. Find out how.

• The heat dome is upon us (Monday, June 23) 

• RIP Marcia Resnick (Wednesday, June 25) 

• Pride Weekend 2025 (Friday, June 27) 

• Scenes from Primary Election Night 2025 (Wednesday, June 25) 

• New shop from Scarr’s and L’Industrie alum to bring old-school NYC slices to the East Village (Tuesday, June 24) 

• Activity returns to vacant lot on 3rd Avenue after 6 months (Monday, June 23) 

• Hawkward teen phase: Young red-tailed hawks settle into Tompkins Square Park (Thursday, June 26) 

• Gnocco celebrates 25 years on 10th Street (Thursday, June 26) 

• Wet hot East Village summer (Sunday, June 29)

• The rose murderer of 6th Street (Friday, June 27) 

• Demoliton awaits the longtime sidewalk vendor space on St. Mark’s Place (Friday, June 27)

• Elizabeth Street Garden lives on (Tuesday, June 24) 

• 1st look at the parking-garage-replacing condoplex on 9th Street (Wednesday, June 25) 

• Taqueria Diana has apparently closed on 2nd Avenue (Thursday, June 26) 

• Too hot to handle: Fire truck sinks into this Lower East Side street (Wednesday, June 25) 

• Gametime for the former Superiority Burger space on 9th Street (Wednesday, June 25) 

• Signage alert: Time Out Market on 14th Street (Tuesday, June 24) 

• Openings: Empire Gourmet Deli on Avenue C (Thursday, June 26) ... Maza on 7th Street (Monday, June 23)

• Bad vibrations: Former Babeland space for lease on the Lower East Side (Monday, June 23)

... and on Ninth Street, this outdoor dining spot is for the birds (or squirrels?) ... photo by William Klayer...

Gametime for the former Superiority Burger space on 9th Street

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

Gametime is set to open in early August at 430 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue, in the former home of Superiority Burger (which relocated to 119 Avenue A several years ago). 

Owner Michael Douglas Soza, who once lived on St. Mark's Place and now resides in Brooklyn, says the menu will focus on casual favorites — pizza, wings, fries, and soft drinks — with the possibility of beer being added later on. 

The small space will feature a television for sports or classic movies. Soza also plans to dedicate a corner to dog rescue, a cause he's passionate about.

Signage alert: El Camino on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven

We had our first sign of signage for the new tenant at 135 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street. 

El Camino is the Spanish tapas bar coming to the space via Will Wyatt and Edie Ugot from Electric Burrito around the corner on St. Mark's Place.

According to its Instagram account, El Camino is "a little bar coming soon to the East Village." Representatives for El Camino appeared before Community Board 3 last August. The questionnaire includes a sample menu. 

The two are also involved in HighLife, the burger joint that opened right next door on Feb. 26. 

El Camino and HighLife are in the space that previously housed Dan & John's Wings. 

Updated...

Photo by William Klayer...

Signage alert: Butter Smashburgers on St. Mark's Place

Signage is up now at 17 St. Mark's Place between Second Avenue and Third Avenue for Butter Smashburgers. 

This will be the second outpost for the burger joint that opened last summer on Macdougal Street.

Butter offers five menu items (not counting tea, soda, and water): the house cheeseburger (single or double), a fried chicken sandwich, a veggie burger, fries, and an ice cream sundae. It also offers a monthly burger or chicken sandwich special.

Find the menu here. 

St. Mark's Burgers & Dogs recently opened down the block at 34 St. Mark's Place ... and because someone will bring this up: An outpost of Smashed is coming soon to 94 Third Ave. between 12th Street and 13th Street.

Signage alert: HighLife Burgers on 1st Avenue

Photo by Steven

The hand-painted signage is up for HighLife, the new burger joint on First Avenue from the owners of Electric Burrito around the corner on St. Mark's Place.

HighLife is taking over part of the former Dan & John's storefront at 135 First Ave. (Dan & John's closed last April after failing to reach a new lease agreement with the landlord.)

The burger place, which will include a standing counter for dining inside, is expected to open on Feb. 26. You can follow them on Instagram for updates.

First sign of Moody Tongue on St. Mark's Place

There's renovation activity taking place inside 123 St. Mark's Place.

As previously reported, the owners of Chicago's Moody Tongue Brewing Company received conditional approval last November for a beer-wine license for the space. According to the brand's CB3 questionnaire, the unnamed Japanese restaurant will serve a variety of sushi platters and entrees. 

The team opened Moody Tongue Sushi on West 10th Street in early 2023.

This address will also likely be a Moody Tongue (so to speak). EVG reader Jose Garcia spotted this Moody Tongue apparatus (so to speak) being loaded into the space this past Thursday...

People seem to like what they do — the Dining Room at Moody Tongue in Chicago boasts two Michelin stars, for instance.

This space just west of Avenue A last housed Pop's Eat-Rite, the veggie burger joint.

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from 13th Street at First Avenue by Heather Dubin)...

• Police: Turf war over drug trade cause of last week's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park (Friday)

• Report: East Village building owner plans demolition amid ongoing controversy and litigation (Monday) 

• Groundbreaking ceremony held for new ABC No Rio building on Rivington Street (Wednesday)

• David's Cafe abruptly closes on St. Mark's Place (Monday)

 

• Report: New owners for the 3 buildings on the SW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• The Ninth Ward plotting its return to 180 2nd Avenue after 8 years (Monday) 

• 14th Street residents looking for solutions for the congregating e-bike delivery workers (Thursday) 

• 10th Street tree freed from death by concrete (Friday)

• Grillify-NYC opens in the former Le Burger space on 5th Street (Tuesday) 

• Did you hear the one about the Upright Citizens Brigade NYC being in preview mode? (Tuesday)

• Knitting Factory at Baker Falls temporarily closed for more soundproofing (Thursday) 

• Large branch down in Tompkins Square Park (Thursday) 

• E-bike retailer moves into this Avenue B storefront (Monday) 

• Grocery & Coffee for Avenue C (Monday) 

• Today in sidewalk sarcasm (Monday) 

Also, for a second time recently, someone made a disparaging comment about the Colonel's offerings on Second Avenue at 14th Street...

... and we spotted one of Jhon Drawvolta's intricate wheat pastes still well-preserved after being up for the past six-plus months on Second Street and Avenue B (photo by Stacie Joy)...

Report: New owners for the 3 buildings on the SW corner of 2nd Avenue and St. Mark's Place

The three buildings at 127-129 Second Ave. and 36 St. Mark's Place have a new owner.

In a sale announced last week, Ryco Capital purchased the properties on the high-profile SW corner from landlord Jonis Realty (which is run by Citi Urban Management, also owned by the Helegua family) for $29 million.

The three six-story mixed-use buildings contain 10 retail and 60-plus residential units, ranging from studios to five-bedroom apartments. The retail tenants include B&H Dairy, Ramen Misoya, Taqueria Diana, Paul's Da Burger Joint and Poetica Coffee.

From the press release, here's broker Joe Koicim of the NYM Group of Marcus & Millichap:

"The East Village is a supply-constrained rental market that has consistently provided owners with higher annual rent growth than nearly every other New York City submarket. With this asset ideally situated on the corner of Saint Mark's Place and Second Avenue, the buyer will capitalize on the long-term upside created by the natural demand for apartments and retail space in this area. This submarket has been reflective of the overall strength of New York City's rental market, which began the year with vacancy at 1.8%."

According to media reports and public records, tenants have tangled with Jonis Realty since they bought the buildings in the late 1990s.

Per the Commercial Observer last week:

Conditions deteriorated since, and the properties currently have 411 housing violations racked up across its 64 apartments, according to housing records. 

Tenants have sued Citi-Urban for repairs several times over the last decade and settled the cases for undisclosed amounts, according to city housing records. Now, Ryco will put the buildings in the hands of its own property management firm, Ryco NYC, according to City Residents Alliance, a nonprofit tenant group. 

Jonis Realty/Citi Urban Management owns and manages more than 30 NYC buildings, including 11 in the East Village, media reports and public documents show. 

On May 8, several residents of the Jonis Realty/Citi Urban Management-owned 131 Avenue A held a rally after two fires in six months at the building on the NW corner of St. Mark's Place. 

The Village Sun reported on residents who had difficulty fleeing an early morning fire on April 24 due to alleged building disrepair.

A group of residents who live in properties owned/run by Citi Urban Management formed the Citi Residents Alliance, which has a website with a violations database.

 

Week in Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo from East River Park)... 

 • Two men shot, 1 fatally, at the chess tables in Tompkins Square Park, police say (Friday) ... In the aftermath of yesterday's deadly shooting in Tompkins Square Park (Saturday) 

• East Village McDonald's pays tribute to 2 victims of suspected DUI collision in Corlears Hook Park during July 4 celebration (Sunday) 

• D.A. Bragg announces indictment of a suspect in random slashing on Astor Place (Tuesday)

• What's the 311? How East Village residents can effectively file complaints (Monday)

• On 2nd Avenue and 2nd Street, an empty lot and lots of questions about what's next (Wednesday)

• A look at 14th Street and 1st Avenue — "a New York Block No One Can Fix" (Wednesday) ... From the archives: A documentary short about the intersection of 14th Street and 1st Avenue (Thursday) 

• Unapologetic Foods looking at the former Huertas spot on 1st Avenue (Monday) 

• A new mural for a new restaurant opening at 97 St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• High spirits: At WitchsFest USA on Astor Place (Sunday) 

• Report: Beth Israel closure on hold for now (Thursday) 

• Revisiting Curt Hoppe's Downtown Portraits (Thursday)

• Happy trails to the 2-story dining structure that almost was on 4th Street (Friday)

• Amara Coffee makes an artful awning debut on 14th Street (Tuesday) 

• Astor Place gets the neighborhood's first electric charging docks for e-bikes (Monday) 

• A new loading zone for the East Village (Friday) 

 

• Openings: SourAji on Avenue B (Thursday) 

• Pakistani bakery chain bringing Layers Bakeshop to 14th Street (Wednesday)

• A mystery yogurt shop for the former Liquiteria space on 4th Avenue and 13th Street (Tuesday) 

• Crazy Burger's short tenure has come to a close on Avenue C (Tuesday)

... and an urban etiquette sign for grown men or their dogs on 7th and B... please don't pee on the tree-well garden (photo by Stacie Joy)...

Xi’an Famous Foods opens an outpost on 4th Avenue

Xi’an Famous Foods has opened an outpost at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street...(Thanks to Jeannie Krier for the photos!)

The chainlet of quick-serve hand-pulled noodle shops has expansion plans after closing several locations during the pandemic. (The St. Mark's Place spot closed in early March 2020 when the lease came up for renewal.)

Company CEO Jason Wang's father David Shi got his start in a small food stall in Flushing, a business popularized after an Anthony Bourdain endorsement. 

No. 139 on Fourth Avenue was most recently PLNT Burger.

Week In Grieview

Posts this past week included (with a photo on 2nd Street near the Bowery)...

• RIP Debby Lee Cohen (Wednesday) and Patti Astor (Friday) 

• Today's solar eclipse with the Second Avenue Star Watchers (Monday) ... Watching the eclipse from 6th and B (Monday) ... Eclipse in progress on St. Mark's Place (Monday) 

• East Village tenants speak out against rollbacks to potential rent-stabilization laws (Tuesday) 

• East Village native Anna Colombia on pursuing photography and growing up in the neighborhood (Thursday) 

• The Lazy Llama Coffee Bar is opening 2 new outposts, including on 1st Avenue (Tuesday) 

• First sign of Wonder on Stuyvesant Street (Monday) 

 

• The renovation and expansion of 188 1st Ave. (Thursday)

• Dead again: Peter Jarema Funeral Home ad replaced by the Marvel Universe on 7th and B (Wednesday) 

• Protection for a tree garden on St. Mark's Place (Tuesday) 

• Demolition watch: The NW corner of 1st Avenue and 2nd Street (Monday) 

• Openings: Crispy Burger on 1st Avenue (Friday) 

• Pasta for the former Koko Wings on 1st Avenue (Wednesday) 

• On 2nd Avenue, Sunday Dreamin' on such a spring day (Tuesday)

... and here's a look at that freshly paved roadway on Avenue A (so far, the work has just been between Houston and Fourth) ...

---

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

Openings: Crispy Burger on 1st Avenue

Crispy Burger has been in soft-open mode at 137 First Ave. between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street for the past week... ahead of the official grand opening today. (Friday!) 

Some grand-opening deals include 20% off items during the opening week. (Details on Instagram.) 

And EVG reader Danimal shared a quick recap after a visit yesterday...

Pretty good chicken, fried to order, and really good mozzarella sticks, too. Chicken nuggets were crispy and nice texture inside. What McNuggets wish they could be! Prices are very reasonable. The woman at the register was super friendly and even offered us free beverages ...

This is the latest outpost for the chainlet, which also has outposts in Staten Island, Queens, New Jersey, and Jacksonville, Fla.