Coffee Shop’s Famed Union Square Space Will Indeed House a Chase Bank

Chase Bank confirms takeover of former Coffee Shop space, and a reopening

It was previously rumored that Chase Bank was in talks to take over part of the space that formerly housed the iconic Union Square diner the Coffee Shop, which closed in the fall of 2018. That rumor has now been confirmed, with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approving the bank’s application to open a new location on the southwest corner of 16th St. and Union Square West, where part of Coffee Shop once stood. Additional retail and restaurants are still expected to open in the space.

Meanwhile, the neighborhood restaurant Tree Bistro is back up and running following a closure due to fire damage. The outdoor area, however, remains closed.

Two food festivals hit the Lower East Side this weekend

Public School 110 is hosting its fifth annual “Lower Eats Side” festival tomorrow at 285 Delancey St. from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There will be performances as well as food prepared by the school’s parents based on family recipes with origins in over 20 countries. It’s $10 to enter. This weekend also marks the return of LES’s annual “Egg Rolls and Egg Creams” festival, a celebration of two defining dishes of the neighborhood. It takes place this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. outside of the Eldridge Street Synagogue at 12 Eldridge St.

Gowanus music bar and cafe adds food

Public Records, the new bar in Gowanus that serves up cocktails and natural wine as well as musical performances, debuted its food menu, which is all vegan and gluten-free and comes from chef Mariela Alvarez. Dinner is served from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and a daytime menu and weekend brunch will roll out in the future. Dishes include king oyster mushrooms with butternut squash and tarragon, as well as a black bean brownie with sesame ice cream. The bar also has low-ABV and non-alcoholic cocktails.

A new brunch in town

The LES Thai restaurant Wayla will debut weekend brunch this Saturday, serving chef Tom Naumsuwan’s Thai comfort foods. Dishes include a crab meat omelet with roasted potatoes and chile sauce, grilled flank steak served on a sizzling platter with basil fried rice and a fried egg, and Thai-style coriander fried chicken with rice and ginger-garlic sauce. Brunch drinks come by way of beverage director Anthony Baker, formerly of the Aviary and the Grill, and include a cocktail made with campari, bergamot, orange juice, nasturtium, and ground cherry. The back patio is also now open for brunch, which runs Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m, and the restaurant also rolled out a new punch bowl program for dinner.