Photo by Stacie Joy
Another sign of spring: the fruit-and-vegetable stand with proprietor Masud returned yesterday on the SE corner of First Avenue and Sixth Street... after a late-December departure.
Here's to your 3-for-$5 pints of blueberries
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Noona's Ice Cream & Bakeshop has closed on 5th Street
Bae shared this message on the brand's website, highlighting the challenges of a small food operation in NYC:
After 9 years of Noona's and a year and a half of operating our East Village ice cream-bakeshop, I've decided to close the storefront. Our first run at it was a hard and amazing experience, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As y'all know, NYC food establishment turnover is a thing and although we're all paying a leg and an arm and then some for food on top of everything else, food business owners based in NYC operate on some of the slimmest margins.With that said, I'll be rebooting Noona's (just without a NYC-based brick & mortar). I can't give more details than that at the moment, but Noona's will see y'all soon again.
The shop opened in December 2024 and featured scoops of ice cream, mini sundaes, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cakes, regular cakes (baked on-site), and other baked goods.
Locals enjoyed the desserts... though this block between First Avenue and Second doesn't have robust foot traffic.
Signage alert: Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen NYC on 2nd Avenue
Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen NYC continues to take shape on the SW corner of Second Avenue and Fifth Street.
This is a sibling to Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen in Dallas, which has earned two Michelin Bib Gourmands for serving Vietnamese food rooted in Hanoi. (You can check out the Dallas menu here.)
You can follow Ngon Vietnamese Kitchen NYC on Instagram for updates on openings.
This two-level corner space with the flowering vines was most recently home to Viva Cucina and, before that, Nai Tapas Bar.
Thank you to EVG readers Danielle, Garth and Steven for sending along tips about this!
Tuesday, April 7, 2026
It’s wisteria time on Stuyvesant Street
After a long, seemingly endless winter, we have our first blooms on the Stuyvesant Street wisteria this morning. We hope its sister plant on 10th St blooms later this week!
The purple paradise of flowering beauty® resides outside 35 Stuyvesant St. at 10th Street... and it inspires both Instagram users and jigsaw-puzzle makers.
The five-story townhouse at No. 35 is also on the sales market. Lee B. Anderson, called the godfather of the Gothic revival in America, was the long-time owner. He died in 2010, and his caretaker had been living there.
One of the Bowery’s most unique storefronts moves to a less-unique space
In true Globe Slicers style, there's a painted handwritten message on the sign noting a move down the Bowery to No. 184 — alongside some more standard signage.
The business dates to 1947, though it's not clear how long it had been at No. 266.
The building also carried some music history. Known as "The Blondie Loft," it's where the band worked on its first record in the mid-1970s. In a 2022 EVG Instagram comment, Chris Stein recalled the retail space as "a very ancient liquor store" around 1975-76 — and said the building was "totally haunted."
Back in 2022, EVG's Stacie Joy documented the delightfully cluttered shop.
Flashback!
Slowly but surely, many of these old storefronts are being replaced, and we can see, say, a hot sculpt workout place here offering infrared technology.
Another one of those storefronts that felt like it had always been there ... soon to be something else.
Previously on EVG:
Proletariat is closing for now on 7th Street
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Proletariat, the craft beer bar via Overthrow Hospitality, ends its 14-year East Village tenure on Saturday.
However, there's a glimmer of hope for Proletariat's fans. Per the closing announcement on Instagram:
Your three favorite bartenders can't let 14 years of amazing community end, SO we are working to acquire and keep Prol alive & thriving! We're still unsure whether we'll be able to stay here or have to find a new spot, but wanted to at least give everyone the heads up.
For now, in its current iteration, April 11 is the last day.
Overthrow Hospitality's Ravi DeRossi told us that they are expanding nationally, starting with Denver and Austin, and are scaling back in NYC.
The bar got its start in the back of Jane's Sweet Buns (blast from the past!) on St. Mark's Place in May 2012 before taking over the whole space. They moved to this larger storefront on Seventh Street between Second Avenue and Cooper Square in June 2022.
Meanwhile, next door, Overthrow Hospitality's mushroom-centric Third Kingdom closed on March 29.
"Third Kingdom was my favorite restaurant I ever opened, but it never did well enough to justify keeping it," DeRossi said.
A Sunday shutter for Dim Sum Palace on 2nd Avenue
A sign here at 59 Second Ave., between Third and Fourth Streets (once again under a sidewalk bridge), thanks patrons for their "support, trust and kindness over the years."
The restaurant's website lists five other Dim Sum Palace locations in NYC.
The EV outpost opened in December 2018.
A bad sign at Chef Tan
A sign for patrons cited a temporary closure "due to exhaust duct maintenance and repair work."
However, a tipster told us a Chef Tan staffer described it as a "goodbye," not a short-term closure.
The tipster is looking right. We haven't noticed any activity (such as exhaust duct maintenance) in the past 2.5 months. And the other day, a demand-for-rent notice arrived on the front door...
The outpost opened in 2022 as the first NYC location of the Jersey City-based restaurant serving Szechuan and Hunan cuisine.
Regulars here have enjoyed the reasonable prices and generous portions. Still, that's a lot of Chongqing Fried Chicken to sell to make up the back rent.
Monday, April 6, 2026
'Angels of Light' at the Boiler Room
Photos by Stacie Joy
You have until Wednesday to check out "Angels of Light," an exhibit featuring the photography of artist-activist Steven Love Menendez at the Boiler Room.
The show includes a portrait of the late Agosto Machado...
You can read a Q&A at Gay City News with Menendez here.
"Angels of Light," which opened this past Thursday, will be on display through Wednesday. The Boiler Room is at 45 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street.
Community meeting set on proposed intake relocation to East Village
As previously reported, the proposal would move intake to the men's shelter at 8 E. Third St., while converting Project Renewal's facility at 333 Bowery into an intake center for homeless families.
The plan has raised questions among some residents about logistics and community impact.
Tuesday's meeting is expected to provide more details and offer neighbors an opportunity to ask questions and share feedback.
On-hand: City Councilmember Harvey Epstein, Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Congressman Dan Goldman, Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal, State Sen. Brian Kavanagh and leaders from Community Board 3.
The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Sirovich Senior Center, 331 E. 12th S. between First Avenue and Second Avenue.
Previously on EV Grieve:
• Bellevue Shelter closing; intake shifting to East 3rd Street and the Bowery
Paulie Gee's East Village Slice Shop update: ovens arriving, May opening eyed
Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
Work continues at Paulie Gee's East Village Slice Shop at First Avenue and Sixth Street, with a spring opening in sight.
George Linn, the owner and operator of the outpost, invited EVG in for an update. (Linn has worked with Paulie Gee, aka Paul Giannone, and was the one who wanted to open a location of the pizzeria here, as we first reported.)
Linn said the dual PizzaMaster ovens are expected to arrive this coming week, following completion of the hood installation. After that: the black-and-white tile floor.
The shop will run on an all-electric kitchen setup — no gas line (or ConEd approval) required.
On the beverage side, expect Coca-Cola products, cold orange juice, and (pending approval) beer on tap.
"We don't want to take customers away from [the International Bar] next door, we just want to have beer for our customers with their pizza," Linn said.
The space is taking shape with a 1970s rec-room feel — think wood paneling, avocado-green chairs and orange laminate — paired with updated lighting and sound.
Seating will include three front booths, a handful of small tables and counter spots.
Linn also said they plan to display a vintage photo of the building, possibly from the 1930s... about 80 years before the previous tenant, Dunkin', moved in...
As for timing, they're aiming for a May opening, possibly sooner.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Xi’an Famous Foods returning to the heart of the East Village
This marks the brand's return to the East Village. The EV outpost at 81 St. Mark's Place closed in early March 2020 when the lease came up for renewal. (Xi'an opened at 139 Fourth Ave. between 13th Street and 14th Street in May 2024.)
Xi'an is taking over the space that last housed Taqueria Diana. (RIP June 2025.)
The chainlet of quick-serve hand-pulled noodle shops has multiple NYC locations... and has expanded into a few other states.
Company CEO Jason Wang's father, David Shi, got his start in a small food stall in Flushing, a business that became popular after an Anthony Bourdain endorsement.
Openings: Thum Wellness and Spa on 14th Street
EVG reader Olivia shares that Thum Wellness and Spa has taken over the top space...
The ground-floor space here between First and Second Avenues remains for lease. It has been home to restaurants for many years, including Il Faro and, in the 1990s, Manila Garden. Crocodile Lounge never reopened after the COVID shutdown in March 2020.
An LLC affiliated with The Sabet Group purchased the four-story building for $3.3 million in the fall of 2024... the gutting soon commenced.
For generations before this, a family had owned the building known as The James McCreery House. Read its history here.
Sunday, April 5, 2026
A good Friday with Surfbort
Photos Friday by Stacie Joy
Surfbort (plus a friend on the left)
On Friday afternoon, we spotted Surfbort in Tompkins Square Park... enjoying a spring afternoon after lunch at Superiority Burger.
The band members were in good spirits, taking it all in ahead of the weekend's shows. The LA-based band with NYC roots was in town to promote their latest record, Reality Star, their third album, and first since 2021. It's raw, a bit dreamy, and not too worried about staying tidy.
The band was playing sold-out shows at Night Club 101 on Avenue A that night... and Market Hotel in Bushwick on Saturday.
Surfbort got its start in Brooklyn in 2014, with founding members Dani Miller on vocals...
... and drummer Sean Powell...
... the Surfbort family features Valentine on bass...
... guitarist Adam Laidlaw ...
... and guitarist Bee Wright ...
And later at Club 101, Valentine previewed her stage gear — fitting, given how warm the crowded space would get during Surfbort's set, which came in quick, loud bursts ... feedback, hooks, and not much in the way of restraint.
... and Dani with the merch...
... and for the yearbook...
You can keep tabs on the band via Instagram.
Week in Grieview
Posts this past week included (with a photo along 7th Street at Tompkins)
Never miss an EVG post with the weekly EVG newsletter. Free right here.
• D.A. Bragg details indictments over alleged gang-related shootings tied to East Village, LES (April 3)
• Crowd lines Avenue A for secret show featuring Earl Sweatshirt and MIKE (April 2)
... and EVG regular Edmund John Dunn shared this photo from Union Square on Friday... when the line formed for the grand opening of the Uniqlo on 17th and Broadway...
Report: What’s next for the office building at 1 St. Mark's Place?
According to The Real Deal this past week, Manhattan-based firm GDSNY was brought on to oversee leasing and development management at the nine-story office building.
The project, developed by Brandon Miller's Real Estate Equities Corporation, has had a complicated path — including financial challenges before and after the pandemic, as well as a lender-backed refinancing.
Miller reportedly took his own life in the summer of 2024.
The Morris Adjmi–designed building is now complete, though the office portion remains vacant. Sephora is taking the ground-floor retail lease, as we've noted probably too many times. (And someone has taken measures to protect the storefront from tags.)
GDSNY's role includes leasing the space, redesigning the lobby and taking over asset management — a shift from earlier efforts to market the building.
As for REEC's current involvement, that remains unclear, per TRD.
Saturday, April 4, 2026
Saturday's parting shot
Photo by Derek Berg
Dreaming about when the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building have your One World Trade Center in checkmate... Tompkins today...
About photographer Richard Sandler's 'The Eyes of the City' pop-up at Abraço
Photos and text by Daniel Efram
Sandler at The Bronx Documentary Center, 2023
Photographer Richard Sandler, formerly a longtime East Village resident, will be showing selected prints from his timeless book "Eyes of the City" (Powerhouse, 2016) at Abraço Espresso from 2-4 p.m. on Tuesday.
The filmmaker and photographer, who relocated to Vancouver in 2023, is back in NYC for an exclusive exhibition of his work at the prestigious Robert Capa Foundation in Yonkers, running until June 28.
"These were the streets of my youth. [Being back] felt like diving into a river that I'm familiar with… walking my old route," Sandler said about his NYC return. "In this flow, I can pretty much take any picture I want. The skill is being invisible."
The Capa Foundation also screened Sandler's historic "The Gods of Times Square," a documentary about the radical transformation of Midtown, in which he videotaped every day — and many nights — from 1992 to 1997.
Completed in 1998, the film is a must-see for anyone interested in experiencing a different era of the city.
Abraço is located at 81 E. Seventh St., between First and Second Avenues.
Find Efram's recently launched Substack here.
Good Friday procession brings Stations of the Cross to East Village streets
Photos by Stacie Joy
On Good Friday yesterday, parishioners from St. Brigid–St. Emeric on Avenue B took part in the (annual!) Stations of the Cross procession, which began outside the church at the southeast corner of Eighth Street.
The solemn walk — symbolizing the path Jesus took to Mount Calvary — continued north to 12th Street, east to Avenue C, then south to Seventh Street before returning to the church.
Along the way, participants paused for the traditional stations, with reenactments marking each step of the journey.
This year's procession seemed to carry a little extra intensity — some of the reenactments didn't exactly hold back.
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