Mars Bar Is Making A Miraculous Comeback

It's been almost three years since Mars Bar, the most notorious bar left in the East Village, closed its doors to make way for a glossy rental building and a bank. But about a year after closing, stories began to circulate that bar owner Hank Penza had actually struck a deal with the developers for a second, less prominent retail space that would enable him to reopen his beloved bar close to where it had stood for so many decades. It turns out that those stories were 100 percent true, and now Penza (in partnership with the developers) will be opening a new bar in the new high rise building sometime in the near future.

Penza has put forward an application for a new liquor license for the space, and tells Bedford & Bowery that he is still working out all of the details with his new partners, including the design and if they will be serving food. But what is clear is that this will not be a recreation of the old Mars Bar (which would be both creepy and sad) and that it is a very joyous occasion for Penza, who misses his old decrepit bar very much. The last question, which was asked a few years ago, is if CB 3 will even allow a Mars Bar 2.0 to get a license? The bet is yes.
· Mars Bar's Owner: 'We're Going to Reopen' (Jupiter 21 Developers Will Be Partners) [Bedford & Bowery]
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