Famed East Village Bar Coyote Ugly Shuts Down Following Failed Rent Negotiations

The original Coyote Ugly bar in the East Village is closing down after 27 years in the neighborhood, owner Liliana Lovell has announced. Local site EVGrieve first reported news of the shutdown.

“After sitting closed for six months due to COVID restrictions, we simply can’t afford to pay rent,” Lovell said in a video announcing the closure. The bar attempted to negotiate rent relief with its landlord, but talks fell through and the bar vacated the space over the weekend.

In the video, Lovell alludes to a new space for the bar, telling customers to expect that it will be “a little bit nicer” and have “better bathrooms.” EVGrieve reports that Lovell may be relocating the bar to a space on 14th Street between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue. Eater has reached out to Coyote Ugly for more information.

Coyote Ugly opened in the East Village in 1993. It hit the national spotlight after a blockbuster movie based on the bar and bearing the same name was released in 2001. An expansion rush ensued, and Coyote Ugly now operates over a dozen locations across the U.S. and another 14 locations internationally, according to its website.

This isn’t the first pandemic-related shutdown for the company. Coyote Ugly also closed the doors at its lone California location — a 7,000 square-foot bar in San Diego — in May after six years. In New York City, Coyote Ugly’s closure joins an ever-growing list of restaurants that have shut down due to economic hardship during the pandemic.