The Smile's Matt Kliegman Wants to Keep Winnie's a Chinatown Karaoke Bar

Matt Kliegman, the co-owner of popular Nolita cafe The Smile, apparently has his eye on the recently shuttered karaoke icon Winnie's in Chinatown, and wants to keep it a karaoke bar. According to a liquor license application on file with the community board, he's shooting for seating for 24, including 12 people at the bar. He'll go before CB 3 on Monday, but it looks like the cards may already be stacked against him. Chinatown activist and community board member Karlin Chan tells The Lo-Down that he's organizing a petition against the bar. He worries that too many bar owners are looking towards Chinatown as the Lower East Side reaches its liquor license saturation point.

No matter what happens, Kliegman already has a busy summer ahead of him. He's helping run the show at adult summer camp Ruschmeyer's in Montauk, closing his nightlife spot The Westway in July, opening a new, larger Black Seed in the former De Robertis space, and launching a Italian spot Lilia with Missy Robbins in Williamsburg.