Suffolk Arms, the cocktail lounge on Houston at Suffolk from celebrated bartender Giuseppe Gonzalez, has been dark this past week — weekend included.
There isn't any message about a temporary closure on the bar's website or social media properties ... or on the front door. Will update if we hear back from them.
The well-appointed bar opened in February 2016 to much acclaim. Per Grub Street: "New York’s Next Big Cocktail Destination Opens Tonight."
This prime corner spot sat empty for several years. The Local 269 never reopened after a flood wiped out the live music venue's equipment in the fall of 2012. Other recent bar tenants included Meow Mix and Vasmay Lounge.
Updated:
Thanks to ed in the comments for this info from Neat Pour:
No official reason for the locked and dark bar was provided by ownership. Emails, calls, and messages to Suffolk’s Arms official contacts went unanswered as did attempts to reach both owners.
Two employees told Neat Pour that they were informed that the establishment would reopen at a later date with a new concept, but the same staff. Other employees declined to comment.
Co-owners Ruben Rodriguez and Giusseppe González have long been rumored be at odds with one another. Sources told NP that there were previous attempts to remove González from the business this winter, but the staff’s loyalty to the charismatic bartender thwarted these efforts.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Plywood wraps itself around the incoming Suffolk Arms