Tipster Chris writes in: "today is the last day for Bereket on the corner of Orchard & Houston after 20 years in business. Apparently, the landlord sold the building." Bereket opened in 1995.
I went by to check it out and they confirmed they will be open through tonight, until 6:00 AM, and then shutter. They hope to reopen nearby and are looking at a possible space on Allen Street.
Back in March, Bowery Boogie reported that the building--along with ALL the remaining low-rise buildings on that block of Houston, except for Katz's--were bought by Ben "The Sledgehammer" Shaoul.
Goodbye open sky! Yet another tower of misery is coming.
So now we're mourning businesses which were part of the gentrification of the LES?
ReplyDeleteI was living down there when it opened. It replaced some businesses which had been there for years, and the only people I ever saw eat there were the NYU students and yuppies which were sweeping out all the locals.
You might as well have told me a Citibank branch closed.
what you say might be true, and point taken... but there are degrees to that. At this point...
ReplyDelete"students" and whatever classification it is who've taken the new wave of the neighborhood don't usually eat there. I would sit at a window table and watch them pass by or stop to use the ATM. It was an odd mix of people coming in though.
It was one of the few places left down here where you could get a good warm healthy meal pretty cheap. Local families ate there.
good bowl of lentil soup
There's a big difference between a Citibank and a falafel joint.
ReplyDeleteAs someone in a totally different continent, and maybe a naive understanding of business in America help me understand the situation. Why are these long standing restaurants being closed down? Is it a case of not enough business or some bureaucrats doing what they do when there's a little blood in the water??
ReplyDeletedejaneiro, it's landlords who think that new york needs starbucks, ATMs and condos, nothing more. back in the old days, landlords used to hire arsonists to burn tenants now. they're more "genteel" now.
ReplyDeleteearth first isn't just for the rural areas of america, though.
I liked Bereket and ate there fairly often over the years. And I'm neither a "yuppie" or NYU student. I'm sorry it's closing, but after all, what's more important a luxury residence or restaurants that serve good food at reasonable prices. Carol
ReplyDeleteVery sad, this was the go to place in the mid 90's after hitting up nearby Chez Es Saada, bar16, Dharma Bar and a whole bunch of other places.
ReplyDeleteDitto to JM and Carol...I've lived in NYC over 40 years and Bereket has been my go-to falafel place since Habib had to close down.
ReplyDeleteTo the first commenter, "Don"...
ReplyDeleteOh right. That's the first sign of gentrification. When an affordable falafel place moves in. Next thing you know it'll be all Starbucks and Barnes and Noble.
Never been a yuppie or an NYU student. Ate there when I was poor and coming up in NYC. Sorry we haven't all been living on the LES since 1980 you grumpy asshole.
The point is it was a great restaurant with THE BEST lentil soup in the city and was part of the ever vanishing affordable Manhattan good food scene.
You're probably one of those jagholes who's sad they closed the peep shows in Times Square.
Always stoped by whenever I was in the neighborhood. Delicious and authentic Turkish food and great prices. Sad to see them go.
DeleteAlways stoped by whenever I was in the neighborhood. Delicious and authentic Turkish food and great prices. Sad to see them go.
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