Navy to Close in Soho, Following Years of Friction

Navy the seafood-centric restaurant in Soho is closing March 25th. Akiva Elstein and former owner of Beatrice Inn, Matt Abramcyk are looking to reopen the restaurant Downtown because they were never able to secure a full liquor license (they’re serving beer, wine, soju, and sherry, but no hard alcohol). In the meantime, Navy staff will be moved to sister restaurants, Yves in Tribeca, which opened in October, along with Smith & Mills.

Navy caused tension in the neighborhood since it took over the Jean Claude space the spring of 2014, when aggravated Sullivan Street neighbors complained of blaring music and too many loiterers. Even neighbors of the old Beatrice Inn who didn’t "want it to happen to anyone else," voiced an opinion via the Soho Alliance.

Then in August 2014, Abramcyk withdrew the liquor license application from the community board agenda, “saying he wants to give it a few months so that he can prove to residents that he can ‘rehabilitate Navy’.” A spokesperson told Eater:

Navy is a neighborhood restaurant beloved by most. As always, in a community and block as strong as the historic Sullivan Street, it takes time to accommodate all the strong, important personalities of the neighborhood. We welcome the challenge and our biggest reason for opening in the mornings for breakfast and coffee and staying open through to dinner is to welcome our neighborhood community all day long, every day of the week.

Having never gotten the license, Navy couldn’t serve boozy cocktails — and increase sales on high-rent Sullivan Street.