The Shutter: The E.U. to Become Tonda Pizzeria

East Village: We knew back at the beginning of the month that trouble plagued East 4th St. restaurant The E.U. wasn't doing so well when it about cut its hours in half. Turns out it was a sign of things to come—the East Village's first 'gastropub' has closed for good, news that some in the neighborhood have seen coming for a long time. The restaurant encountered a great deal of adversity (see here, here, and here), so respect to owners Jason Hennings and Bob Giraldi for struggling through for as long as they did (and for not drawing this out any longer than they had to).

As for the new tenants, a tipster tells us the people behind Bread (in Soho and Tribeca) have a new venture opening up in the space. Whether or not they're behind it, according to the restaurant's answering machine and a worker there, the new place will be an Italian trattoria and pizza spot called Tonda. It will open around March 15.
· Trouble-Plagued E.U. Loses Lunch, Cuts Hours [~E~]
· All EU Coverage [~E~]