Izakaya

Walking around the East Village, you are bound to see some strange things.

Take this, for example: the beloved Izakaya restaurant on East 6th Street.

Izakaya.

It hardly looks like a restaurant at all — where's the name?

I don't know if the window is for ordering food to go, but I wouldn't stand on cellar doors to do it.

I think they must keep a motor running inside, since someone wrote on their door:

Written-on door.

They could have ask politely, instead of defacing the door…

#eastvillage #graffiti #izakaya #restaurants

A Portuguese Thong

Once upon a time, when old East Villagers were new East Villagers, there was a restaurant on St. Mark's Place called the beloved Yaffa Cafe.

Today, it is the soon-to-be-beloved Taberna Uma Tanga Portuguesa:

Taberna Uma Tanga Portuguesa, and a photographer.

I'm guessing this is going to be some kind of Greek/Portuguese fusion restaurant, because "Taberna" is Greek (and the color scheme is modern Cycladic-island) while "Uma Tanga Portuguesa" is Portuguese. It means "a Portuguese thong!*"

More evidence of its Greekiness is this array of vessels outside:

Array of vessels.

Finally, where once was the freaky mural, now there is a hearty mural:

Hearty mural.

Until now, I thought Hek Tad only pasted up photocopies of his name!

* * *

* When I look up "tanga" in translate.google.com, it says "moth", but when I look up "uma tanga" it says "a thong". It's obvious which translation I'm going to use — moths are scary!

#eastvillage #hektad #photographers #restaurants #stmarksplace #tabernaumatangaportuguesa #yaffacafe

'Merica

I was riding my Citibike across East 6th Street recently, when I noticed some new awnings — the awnings of the beloved 'Merica NYC:

Two awnings.

It has two awnings! I wonder if it will have two entrances?

Here are closer shots of the awnings:

Taste the freedom!

Taste the liberty!

East 6th Street used to be filled with cheap Indian restaurants, but they mostly all left.

This new restaurant is not Indian, however — it's 'Merican!

#eastvillage #mericanyc #6thstreet #restaurants #awnings

Fonda

I was walking up Avenue B this past Monday evening, when I passed by the beloved Fonda Fonda Fonda Fonda:

Fonda.

They must really be fonda this name!

#eastvillage #fonda #avenueb #restaurants

A Bunch O' New Places

While walking around the East Village this past Saturday, I saw a whole bunch of new places to eat that I hadn't seen before!

Here is one of them, the beloved Secchu Yokota, at the site of the formerly-beloved Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant, on East 3rd Street:

It looks a bit foreboding, no?

They only offer "tastings":

(I wonder if they have the same riot gates?)

Here is another new restaurant: Agios:

Agios Greek Rotisserie, on Agios Mark's Place.

Agios means Saint!

If you're looking for chocolates and coffee, there's Rose and Basil, on East 7th Street, complete with AstroTurf!

Rose and Basil for chocolates and coffee.

According to their web site, they sell breakfast in a jar!

And they open eearly:

Open Eearly.

Ubba-dee, ubba-dee, ubba-dee… That's all folks!

#eastvillage #3rdstreet #7thstreet #agiosgreekrotisserie #astroturf #meskel #ethiopian #restaurants #roseandbasil #secchuyokota #signs #stmarksplace

One More Go Round

It's been one beloved venue after another, here on East 6th Street, next to the beloved Sidewalk Bar and Restaurant, but no one has been able to make this place work!

Won't work.

This past Saturday, I passed by and saw this sign taped onto the door:

Attention residents & neighbors.

Soon the beloved Cholo Noir will give it a go — I hope someone warns them about the gypsy curse!

#eastvillage #sidewalkcafe #6thstreet #restaurants #cholonoir

The Smell of Victory

East Villagers love the smell of fresh paint in the morning — it smells like victory!

I was walking across St. Mark's Place two Saturday mornings ago, when the smell of victory reached my nose.

I didn't have to look far before finding the source:

The source.

It was the site of the formerly-beloved Sushi Lounge!

I took the picture, and thought that I would write another story about how East Villagers love paint, but then this past Saturday morning, I walked by the site again, only to see a sign hanging where before there was none:

Restaurant for lease.

So this is a story not just about new paint, but a new beloved restaurant to boot!

#eastvillage #sushilounge #stmarksplace #paint #restaurants #signs

Unbelievably Beautiful Restaurant

An unbelievably beautiful restaurant recently opened on Avenue A and East 6th Street — the beloved Mother of Pearl:

Unbelievably beautiful restaurant.

Look how wide that space is, without any upright impediments!

East Villagers love unbelievably beautiful restaurants.

#eastvillage #motherofpearl #avenuea #6thstreet #restaurants

The Final Day of Benny's Burritos

Today is the last day Benny's Burritos, a San Francisco-style, Cal-Mex restaurant on Avenue A and East 6th street, will be open.

Word of their closing spread quickly, and many people stopped by to take a picture while it was still open. This is one of them:

Final photo before closing… forever.

Those in the know had been speculating that they would close, ever since they took the Bay Burrito off the menu!

#eastvillage #avenuea #bennysburritos #6thstreet #restaurants

Pastelheart

There is an artist — Pastelheart? — who paints the same mural, more or less, on the riot gates of restaurants around the East Village.

Here is one example, at D-Lish Pita, on Avenue A:

Here is another, at Meskel Ethiopian Restaurant, on East 3rd Street:

Don't the owners of these restaurants want to distinguish themselves from one another?

Maybe this is the future of all restaurants… in the East Village!

#eastvillage #artists #murals #restaurants #dlishpita #meskelethiopianrestaurant #avenuea #3rdstreet

Poco Closed?

I was on my way home from work this afternoon when I passed by Poco, the popular restaurant on Avenue B and East 3d Street. I was hurrying to get home before the full brunt of Winter Storm Cato bore down on the East Village, and therefore my head, but I stopped to take this picture:

Poco closed.

As you can see, Poco is closed. I thought that perhaps the recent assault on their sidewalk caused such distress for the owner that he/she decided to shutter permanently!

I even checked inside the wind-guard doors:

Inside the wind-guard doors.

Definitely closed.

When I got home, I looked online, only to discover that they don't open until 5:00pm during the week.

False alarm!

#eastvillage #avenueb #3rdstreet #poco #winterstormcato #restaurants

Bullet-Proof

This place was once an auto repair shop:

Former auto repair shop.

Some years ago that closed and it became a restaurant. I never ate there so I don't know if they got the motor oil and gasoline smell out. A fire destroyed the interior last year.

Today it's empty. No one even maintains the plants in front of it. The one on the left has managed to survive but the others have not.

That's all there is to say about it. I just liked the way it looks, with the bullet-proof exterior and all!

#eastvillage #4thstreet #plants #restaurants

Snack Dragon

I passed by the Snack Dragon today, on East 3rd Street:

Snack Dragon.

I never liked this sign (you know how I am about signs) — too many typefaces!

This place was similar to Jennifer Cafe, except that it's recessed into the building instead of protruding outward.

They recently went out of businesses. This is what the inside looks like now:

Inside Snack Dragon.

Some new hole-in-the-wall is sure to open up here soon!

#eastvillage #3rdstreet #snackdragon #restaurants

Paul's Da Burger Joint

Paul's is one of those da burger joints that people love to talk about. It's located on Second Avenue, just below St. Mark's Place.

Paul's Da Burger Joint.

Here are a couple of ideas how Paul's could fix itself up to look better: 1) Get rid of the flag – it covers the sign; 2) Get rid of that hand-drawn sign – it's a total mess and repels more people than it attracts; 3) Move the double-burger statue away from the edge of the building – it does no good back there – close to the tree-line would be good.

Paul's is hemmed in on both sides by the awnings of his neighbors – there's nothing they can do about that, so they need to open up their front more. (By the looks of it, their own awning is in bad shape, so thankfully they keep it withdrawn!)

On the other hand, the neon lights in the windows are great! They're the right size, properly spaced, not glaring… The problem is that the flag, hand-drawn sign, and burger sculpture all work to visually block them.

#eastvillage #paul'sdaburgerjoint #secondavenue #stmarksplace #restaurants #signs

Farm-to-Sidewalk

The East Village is very rustic, in many ways. One of these ways is in trendy restaurant decór!

It's farm-to-sidewalk at Bar Primi!

Getting into Fall on The Bowery!

#eastvillage #bowery #2ndstreet #restaurants #fall

$28 Brunch

Not too long ago, I wrote about this restaurant, Poco, on Avenue B and East 3rd Street, and how it was so popular that people stood waiting on the sidewalk to get in.

Lining up for a $28 brunch.

Why would people line up to pay $28 for brunch? I think I know what it is. Take a look at the fork on their sign:

Poco sign.

It has five prongs!

Now you know… the rest of the story.

#eastvillage #poco #restaurants #signs #brunch #avenueb #3rdstreet

Man the Barricades!

Do the people at the Proletariat Bar on St. Mark's Place know about this place, on East 7th Street?

The Bourgeois Pig restaurant:

What could it be?

Close-up of their sign:

Close up.

What's that? Fondue is back?!

I am there!

#eastvillage #7thstreet #bourgeoispig #restaurants #proletariatbar #stmarksplace #fondue

Graffiti Restaurant

East Villagers love graffiti. So much so that restaurant owners use it to attract customers!

Empellón al Pastor, a restaurant on Avenue A and St. Mark's Place, is an example:

Empellón al Pastor, along Avenue A.

Avenue A closeup 1.

Avenue A closeup 2.

Around the corner, on St. Mark's Place.

Somebody must have taken some drugs before doing this one:

Whoa!

This restaurant is sure to do well!

#eastvillage #avenuea #graffiti #restaurant #stmarksplace #empellonalpastor