It looks like Otto's Tacos, the wildly popular taco shop that now has outposts in the East and West Village, is looking to open a third spot in Hell's Kitchen. According to the Community Board 4 agenda [link to PDF] for this month, one Otto's Tacos is applying for a liquor license at 705 9th Avenue, between 48th and 49th Street. That's the space that long ago housed the Japanese dessert specialist Kyotofu.
Eater has reached out to Otto's for more details, but for now, no news on how soon the shop might grace the far reaches of Hell's Kitchen with its fresh pressed tortillas and masa fries. But it sounds like this could be the start of an expansion tear for the taqueria, which just opened its West Village outpost last month. In any case, it certainly has earned plenty of fans – including Robert Sietsema – since opening on 2nd Avenue back in 2013.
Meanwhile, another application worth mentioning is that of Maritima, LLC, which is applying for the restaurant space in the Maritime Hotel that once house La Bottega. This, of course, is where Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich will open a restaurant come summertime. So is Maritima the name of that new restaurant? Unclear, but Eater is investigating the possibility.