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191-Year-Old Queens Bar Neir’s Tavern Is Back From the Brink With A New Five-Year Lease

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Plus, the MTA Board approves a percentage rent deal for Grand Central Terminal tenants — and more intel

The exterior of a neighborhood bar that sits in a two-story, corner clapboard house with a brown exterior and white window frames.
Neir’s Tavern is here to stay for a while
Nicholas Strini/PropertyShark

191-year-old Queens bar Neir’s secures new lease

Historic Queens bar Neir’s Tavern — which has been on the verge of closure several times in the past few years — has now secured a five-year lease with an option to extend it a further five years after that, a spokesperson for the establishment says.

Owner Loycent Gordon will sign the new agreement with landlords Ken and Henry Shi at the 191-year-old establishment, located at 87-48 78th Street, at 88th Avenue, on Thursday. The spokesperson for the establishment did not disclose the rent Gordon will now be paying under this new agreement, but the deal nonetheless caps a remarkable turnaround for a bar that had previously announced it would shut down for good even before the pandemic.

At the time, the landlords had increased Gordon’s rent by more than $2,000 per month to about $5,400 per month. Following a groundswell of support from Woodhaven residents, local elected leaders, and even Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gordon initially reached a temporary agreement with the landlords. The pandemic dealt another blow to the establishment, but the new lease along with the continued support from local residents has encouraged Gordon to keep going on.

In other news

— The MTA Board approved the percentage-based rent measure the agency had proposed earlier this month for Grand Central’s small-business tenants, which includes several restaurants. The new agreement retroactively covers rent starting from August 1 this year and limits to 10 percent of gross sales or the actual rent. The deal will remain in place through January 31, 2023 or until ridership returns to 75 percent at pre-pandemic levels.

— The new Trader Joe’s location under the Queensboro Bridge is now set to open at the end of 2021.

— NYC has launched a program to connect restaurants with architects — in areas of the city that have seen more closures than other parts due to the pandemic like several neighborhoods in the Bronx, East Harlem, and Sunset Park — to provide free consultation services to enable restaurants to create outdoor seating spaces and be compliant with city guidelines.

— Grub Street editor Alan Sytsma wonders if NYC is actually ready to expand indoor dining to half capacity next week given the rise in COVID-19 cases in parts of the city and across the country.

— See how two newlyweds created a French bakery in their Brooklyn apartment and are now selling their goods through Instagram.

— Chobani and Seamless have teamed up to give 1,000 NYC election poll workers $40 off their next order on Seamless. Workers can redeem the discount through November 11.

— Times Square’s restaurant week, which was set to end Friday, has now been extended through Sunday, November 1.

— A new Wagyu beef specialist, J-Spec, is taking over the former East Village home of Michelin-starred sushi omakase spot Jewel Bako.

— LOL:

Neir's Tavern

87-48 78th St, Woodhaven, NY 11421 (718) 296-0600 Visit Website