New Indian Restaurant Inks Deal for East Village Space
By Celia Young June 12, 2023 5:21 pm
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A yet unnamed Indian restaurant from the creator of Gramercy Park eatery GupShup inked a deal to set up shop in the East Village.
Restaurateur Jimmy Rizvi, under the entity Hungry Hospitality LLC, signed a 15-year lease for 5,600 square feet on the ground and basement levels of the condominium building at 24 First Avenue, with plans to open his new eatery later this year, according to Gavios Realty’s Aaron Gavios, who brokered the deal for landlord and developer Rybak Development.
Asking rent was $80 per square foot.
The restaurant, with 37 tables and 12 bar seats, plans to offer up a mix of Indian, European and East Asian cuisine similar to GupShup, such as lamb chops, braised short ribs, and truffle naan with black cumin and roasted garlic, according to WhatNowNY, which first reported news of the eatery.
And local East Village denizens should be excited to chow down on the new outpost’s offerings, Gavios said.
“We’re very excited to have them, and I think they will bring a lot of value to the building [and] the neighborhood,” Gavios said. “It’s going to be a very hip, cool and modern kind of place where even if you don’t like Indian food, you’ll like their food.”
Rizvi first approached Manhattan Community Board 3 with plans for the new restaurant in May. He signed a lease for the space, including 5,000 square feet on the ground floor and a 600-square-foot basement, at the end of that month, according to Gavios and the board.
He plans to open the restaurant between East First and East Second streets later this year after scoring a liquor license, which the New York State Liquor Authority has yet to issue, Gavios said.
Rizvi isn’t new to Manhattan’s Indian food scene. He opened GupShup in 2018, and the eatery quickly attracted celebrities, including Anupam Kher and Jimmy Fallon, while serving creative dishes under chef Gurpreet Singh, Eater reported.
JLL (JLL)’s Donald Cafero brokered the deal for the tenant. Cafero, Rizvi and a representative for Rybak did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Celia Young can be reached at cyoung@commercialobserver.com.
