West Village Favorite Gabe Stulman Is Eyeing the Iconic Great Jones Cafe Space

Looks like prolific West Village restaurateur Gabriel Stulman is trying to get in on the former space of Noho icon Great Jones Cafe. Stulman’s name is on the Manhattan Community Board 2 agenda, applying for a liquor license at the 54 Great Jones St. restaurant, as EV Grieve first pointed out.

He’s the second person to try and open a new business there; in the fall, a crew including a Tao vet applied to reopen Great Jones as a “modern American” restaurant. The Cajun restaurant closed in August after 35 years, a shutter that happened shortly after owner Jim Moffett’s death. It was known for being a lively neighborhood hang, a stand-by for locals and a late-night fixture.

Knowing that history, the last people to try and open a restaurant in the space told neighbors that it would maintain “the spirit” of the original Great Jones. What Stulman plans to do with it is to-be-announced; he declined to comment on the liquor license application.

But Stulman is known for creating neighborhood vibes. The man behind small but bustling restaurants like Bar Sardine and Joseph Leonard expanded out of the West Village last year with the much-larger Simon & the Whale in Gramercy, and despite a big increase in size, he gained accolades for maintaining “neighborhood-hangout appeal.”

The Great Jones Cafe landlord declined to comment but noted that the previous applicants are no longer involved.

• Gabriel Stulman vying for former Great Jones Cafe space [EV Grieve]

This post has been updated with information from the landlord.