Andy Ricker Is Handing Over the Whiskey Soda Lounge Space to Carla Hall

Whiskey Soda Lounge, the excellent Thai bar/restaurant on Columbia Street from chef Andy Ricker, may be closing up shop soon. This afternoon, Hustle and Flo Fab tweets about the impending closure of Whiskey Soda Lounge, and Carla Hall's plans to move into the space. But at this point, there are no other details on the fate of the restaurant. When reached by phone, a Whiskey Soda Lounge employee would not confirm or deny the rumors about the shutter, but the restaurant is indeed open for business this evening.  Ricker opened the restaurant two summers ago as a place for people to hang out while they waited for dinner at Pok Pok Ny down the street.

Eater has reached out to Ricker about the news. More details as they become available.

UPDATE: Andy Ricker tells Eater that the "last day of service is today," and he notes that Carla Hall's team will move into the space soon. So, if you want to raise a glass to Whiskey Soda Lounge, tonight is your last chance to do that. Ricker also operates the stellar Pok Pok NY and Pok Pok Phat Thai down the block.

No word yet on what Carla's got planned for the space.  Last year, she started an online fundraising campaign for a Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant called Carla Hall's Southern Kitchen.  Stay tuned for more details on her new Columbia Street project as they become available.

UPDATE 2: Andy Ricker passes along this statement about Whiskey Soda Lounge:

I am writing you with equal amounts of sadness and excitement to inform you of the closing of Whiskey Soda Lounge Ny. Despite a small loyal following and critical success, including a nice one star review by Pete Wells in the NYT, WSLNY never found it's footing in the neighborhood. Contributing to this is the fact that since Pok Pok Ny started taking reservations, the need for a place to hold people while waiting for a table has diminished. While I am saddened by the fact it never really caught on the way the concept has in Portland, I am also very proud of what we were able to deliver to the few folks who did make it a regular stop, and to those we hosted while they waited for a table at Pok Pok Ny.

The good news, and the exciting part of this turn of events, is that we have found a buyer for the space in the person of Carla Hall and her team, who plan on opening a concept as soon as they are able to get the space remodeled to suit their needs. I will leave them to explain their plans and simply say that we welcome Carla to the neighborhood with the hopes that a more diverse restaurant scene in our little corner of Red Hook will bring more folks to the Columbia Waterfront District, joining Pok Pok Ny, Pok Pok Phat Thai, The Hop Shop, Alma's as well as all the other small businesses and restaurants nearby.

In the meantime, Pok Pok Phat Thai at 127 Columbia Street (the original location of Pok Pok Ny) has a full liquor license and we welcome folks to hang out there should there be a wait for a table at Pok Pok Ny, if they do not have a reservation. Phat Thai also serves our famous Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings as well as Thai noodles and offers delivery via DoorDash.