LIC new local biz update; workouts and bubble tea heading our way
New Bistro for Long Island City? 49th Ave & Vernon Blvd
NEW New LIC Local Biz
RUMOR: Buzzing about the Arris Lofts is the rumor of a full-service gym coming to the gigantic ground floor retail space. No pool folks, but an open community gym should still hit the spot. 27-28 Thomson Ave, LIC
A funky sandwich/panini deli is opening up on Vernon Blvd @ 44th Drive, in the former site of the slated cigar lounge (Halo) which never came to fruition, and across the street from the Board of Ed building.. We say funky, because it’s got a stylie interior for a deli. Though it’s more than just a deli, there’s supposedly bubble tea as well. Should pop sometime in the late summer, early fall. The name and interior photos are currently under wraps, pun intended.
RUMOR: Looks like the folks behind Café Henri are hooking up a new spot on 49th Ave. There’s been a new, bright yellow awning marked ‘BISTRO’ outside their extra-kitchen space on 49th Ave for while now, right at Vernon. Near where the fruit guy stands, who’s back btw!
The Blue Sky Diner on the corner of 49th Ave and 21st St is also transforming into a new place, called M. Wells Diner, which will be featuring Quebeco-American cuisine, and is slated to open at some point this summer. It’s a new fusion combination for LIC, at least.
Site of upcoming sandwich deli, Vernon Blvd & 44th Dr, LIC
Old New LIC Local Biz
A burger joint called The Burger Garage has settled into the corner of Jackson Ave & 44th Drive and should be opening any day now, and will be serving burgers, fries, shakes, homemade pie, and more. 25-36 Jackson Ave, LIC
The SHI brothers are bringing a casual Mexican bar & restaurant called Skinny’s Cantina to Queens West at 4705 Center Blvd. The Real Deal says they’re aiming for September, and they’ll be serving “traditional Mexican fare and beverages, including frozen margaritas.”
A new café called the LIC Market is aiming for a July opening on 44th Drive, just west of 23rd Street. Their awning has been up and they’ll be offering breakfast, lunch, brunch, a rustic wine bar, and artisan grocery market in a welcoming, homey space with lots of repurposed details. 21-52 44th Dr, LIC
Updates on Old New Local Biz
LIC’s newest grocer, the Natural Frontier Market, is open for business and still offering a 10% discount until the end of June. The café section with free WiFi is now officially open! 12-01 Jackson Ave, @ 11th St.
The Breadbox Café‘s ensuing rolling-pin facade has taken an interesting twist. The BB is selling each rolling individually and donating 100% of the proceeds to the New York Foundling. Your charity rolling pin will have your name on it and it will be preserved on the Breadbox facade 4eva. 47-11 11th St, LIC, 718.389.9700
so glad to see new businesses opening – a great sign for LIC, especially in this very dire economic environment!
i really think we’ve finally hit a critical mass
The bar next to the new Quebeco-American place on 49th Avenue is interesting. Go right after work and you see exiting people from the LIRR running in, putting down money and then exiting with large styroform cups Jack and Coke. So funny!
Why would they put a gym in the Arris? Don’t they have one there already? I was hoping it would be something more retail. Or some amazing restaurant.
Since Arris residents have a gym already and the YMCA is near there, right by Queensboro Plaza, who would use that gym? Purves and Vere residents have their own gyms too.
And it will probably be really really expensive. I don’t buy this rumor.
Gym in Arris = Dumb move
I can see why a gym as a tenant would be attractive to the Arris dwellers. They don’t want anything food-related because of the rodents and bugs that will be drawn to the building. And I’ve heard that they don’t want a high-traffic place to limit the noise. And they certainly don’t want the tenant’s customers parking in their precious free parking spaces.
But why would anything but a high-traffic-drawing business want that spot? Citibank employees cannot be the only sustenance for a business.
BTW: It looks like the Law School has its own gym.
So glad the old fruit guy is back! The guy who was there at the beginning of the season was terrible. Also, no mention of the scaffolding in front of City Lights being taken down?!
They took down the scaffolding on Citylights!!! How many years has that been?! F**king finally….
King of Queens baby
all good news! keep ‘em coming!
CAFFEINA in the LIC Art Center building has been open for some weeks now and has seemingly built quite a following already.
Really good munchies and coffee! Check it out!
The owners at Arris really don’t have a say as to what goes in to the commercial space since the developers are the ones selling it. There’s a ton of foot traffic on that block due to the fact that LaGuardia College is right over the Thomson Avenue bridge. I suspect they’re banking on that being the primary clientele.
I love that someone is finally doing something with the old Blue Sky Diner. That place is utterly unique and fabulously retro. I hope they retain a bit of the old patina of the place–it could be really hip or a collosal failure if they try too hard.
#2 you sound like a broker. We have not hit ‘critical mass’ and it’s annoying people keep saying that. We are not a saturated neighborhood by any standard. Every year a handful of new businesses open. It’s slow and steady growth. Keep your shill to yourself. This is normal for us, not anything new. Sorry but I hate how brokers always write bullsh*t rhetoric about LIC. It’s all lies.
With all the empty retail space in these buildings it’s too bad none of the developers donated a space and some money, for the seniors in our neighborhood to go to, now that their Senior Center is closing on friday. It would be a nice tax write off I bet and there wouldn’t be empty store fronts. My neighbors who use this center have no idea what they will do now. The center provided affordable meals for those on a fixed income, a place to socialize with others and provided help with things like dealing with medical insurance etc. This is the big shame of this neighborhood that no one fought to save it, but we can’t wait for another new place to eat/drink. You all will be old someday too.
okay 16 we get it, but not every post has to be about the senior center. you think something should be done, then do something other than complaining online.
It’s wrong to blame us for being insensitive to the senior center closing. They’ve known for months, heck even years, that it was in danger of closing and there was plenty of time for fund-raising efforts and no one did anything. I think many of us would donate to keep it open, but someone involved needed to do some organizing A LONG TIME AGO. Talking about it now and the useless petition they have online is going to do nothing. Don’t blame us for being happy about new business because someone dropped the ball on the SC months ago.
On topic, I’m kind of fascinated by the idea of a Quebeco diner. Hope it’s something special. liqcity keep us in the loop! And great job as usual.
i think a gym would do well. the gyms in all these buildings are small and limited. they are great for a quick workout,but if a new gym had all the extra’s i think i would pay for it
ummm can someone tell me how to get chinese food ????
the one on vernon burned down…. help, i need a working chinese food number, i am so hungry !!!
I can’t wait for Skinny Cantena. If its half as good a s Shi it will be awesome. LIC needs more places of this caliber.
For Chinese, try Fortune Cookie on 45th Rd at 23rd St. It’s consistently great take-out.
#22, the correct way to end your comment would have been “Me so hungee long time”
“Quebeco”? I have never seen this word before today. Am I totally ignorant or is everyone else pretending to know this term? I always thought the word was”Quebecois.” Maybe I should have taken a French class at that kid’s clothing store.
23′s comment is quite racist, no?
Fortune Cookie is great, except when it’s Saturday and the PS1/WTB overwhelm it. They it is really bad quality.
I find Fortune Cookie to be a bit greasy. We could use a better place for Chinese takeout.
Um hello?? SHI anyone? The best chinese in LIC hands down.
What free parking at Arris?!? The garage in the building is privately owned and Arris residents do not get a discount off the monthly price. Street parking is by meter. If there is free parking in the area, please let us know where!
I can’t wait for the burger garage to open!! We need a decent burger in LIC. I know I know people like the burgers here and there, but there is no BURGER PLACE. That specializes in BURGERS. Everywhere else it’s another kind of restaurant that sells burgers just to fill the niche. Burgers and fries and a milkshake. That’s what I want. Yeah!!!
I HEAR YA #30 – CANNOT WAIT for a truly good burger, fries and a milkshake. I hear their beef will be supplied by the same butcher (Pat LaFrieda) as Shake Shack. Mouth is watering…..
Shi is pretty good, but it is also several times more expensive than normal chinese food. it would be nice to have a good chinese food restaurant at normal chinese food prices. ihawan is great for filipino food. tuk tuk is horrendous and i have no idea why people continue to go there.
and #23 should keep his racist comments to himself..seriously..what is wrong with you?
32, Tuk Tuk is absolutely NOT horrendous. Are you kidding me? It’s not the best Thai food I’ve had, but it is always reliably fresh and good and the service is great. That’s the reason why people continue to go there.
We *had* a good burger place in the ‘hood until McReilly’s closed down. RIP.
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Quebeco-American? Interesting. Does that mean they’ll serve Poutine? We could use some good poutine around here.