Artichoke Pizza Backs Out, El Sombrero Spared (For Now)
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Some pseudo-good news on this third day of 2014. We are told that neighborhood staple El Sombrero will live to see another day. Apparently the deal to bring Artichoke Pizza to 108 Stanton Street fell through within the last couple months. So, the cash-strapped Hat will continue on its course; it’s a reprieve, though likely not long-term.
We spoke to longtime Sombrero server Regina Bartkoff, who says that there are “no further plans” just yet regarding closure. But that the whole liquor license application ordeal certainly wasn’t good for business. “We are staggering along,” she says. “Now people think we are closed so we are losing even more business! It’s a mess!”
From the sound of things, El Sombrero will operate until another bidder rears its head. So the news is sorta bittersweet.
Artichoke Pizza appeared on the SLA docket back in September, prompting an outpouring of grief over the then-imminent loss of El Sombrero (December was announced as closing date). The mini-chain, which boasts three locations, withdrew their application for OP liquor before said meeting, and did not return again.
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