It Appears Max Fish is Selling Rebooted Orchard Street Bar

For the second time in years, obituaries are to be written for a Lower East Side classic. Max Fish, which defied the odds to reopen in a new location, might close down all over again.

The first evidence of what’s to transpire here on Orchard Street is an application for a new liquor license at 120 Orchard Street. Paperwork shows that Max Fish co-owner (and founder), Ulli Rimkus, is selling the assets (Ulli Bar Corp) to a different corporate entity.

The newcomers are from an events company called 29Monroe, which partners with local bars like Grey Lady, Sel Rrose, and Short Stories. The group will vie for the sale of assets during the SLA subcommittee meeting of CB3 next month.

Max Fish shortly after the move, Jan. 2015

Rimkus, a local artist, founded Max Fish in 1989, and held down 176 Ludlow Street for over two decades. It quickly became a choice watering hole for artists, skaters, and other assorted misfits. A quarter-century later, high property taxes and skyrocketing rents forced the icon from its perch in July 2013. However, it found a new home on Orchard Street (despite previously considering Williamsburg) while its OG space became the Lower East Side outpost of Sweet Chick. The reboot debuted in August 2014

Here’s a clip from the Ludlow Street sendoff seven years ago: