Cafe Charbon at 170 Orchard Closes for Good

Posted on: June 9th, 2011 at 6:40 am by

Cafe Charbon officially closed on Monday after nearly a decade on the Lower East Side; a call to the restaurant last night confirms.  This latest neighborhood development was not surprising, but all the more painful.  Behind shuttered gates at 170 Orchard Street, the dining room is dark, with chairs stacked on the tables and curtains partially drawn.

This image has been archived or removed.

It was exactly five months ago that the Charbon folk transferred their full liquor license to the nightlife team NYC Best Bar, which operates frat-boy havens across town (e.g. Jake’s Dilemma, Off the Wagon, 13th Step, 3 Sheets Saloon).  At the time, speculation abounded as to when the French epicerie would actually close up shop.  Some readers posited that they would hold out for roughly another year.  Obviously that was not to be.

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[Photo Credit: Goggla]

As we mentioned back when news first broke, this is a huge loss for upper Orchard Street.  Cafe Charbon was a Boogie haunt for years, offering mostly modest prices and a screen for the occasional soccer futbol match.  One thing is certain, though.  The southeast corner will never be the same once the smoke clears.  While proposals have yet to see daylight, it’s highly likely that the new incarnation will replace character with crap a so-called “neighborhood bar.”

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