Philly’s Cheese Steak Follows Bereket Out of Business; Low-Rise Stretch of East Houston Endangered
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Bereket was but the first, yet certainly not the last, to wilt ahead of the wrecking ball. Its neighbor two doors down at 191 East Houston Street also appears to be closed.
Philly’s Cheese Steak and its Disney-infringing neon has been dark the last couple days. The state of the interior paints more of the proverbial picture. Garbage is strewn about, stools are stacked, and tools in mid-use. We placed numerous calls to the business and all communications went unanswered.
You may recall that this hole-in-the wall late night joint was preceded by the confusion-inducing Cheesesteak Factory.
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Bereket abruptly (but not surprisingly) shuttered Saturday night after nineteen years at the corner of Orchard and East Houston. These two recent casualties are but pawns in the overall chess game between owners and suitors. Ben “Sledgehammer” Shaoul is still rumored to be the new owner looking to cash in big. We heard some additional chatter of late that lease buyouts were extended three months from the end of May, as previously reported. However, no public documentation as yet about any property changing hands or any construction permits.
We’ll keep you posted.
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