This year (and most since the pandemic, really) has been a rough one for business.
And this week, two more spots announced closures in the days ahead. Zona Rosa—steps from the Metropolitan Avenue stop at 571 Lorimer Street—will be closing on August 31, while Thief—the corner bar a stone’s throw from the McCarren Park track at 595 Union Street—is set to close on September 20.
Zona Rosa boasts an impressive 14 years of serving Mexican cuisine from a 1956 Spartan trailer with two-story seating and a bar built around it. In 2020, the restaurant cooked thousands of meals for hospital workers, and more recently, they closed for the day to support their staff who wanted to take part in the “A Day Without Immigrants” protests standing up against harassment of migrants. They’ve also hosted chef collaborations, New Year’s Eve parties, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and other events. Between now and closing, Zona Rosa will have daily happy hours featuring $10 margaritas, $8 sangria, and $6 beer.
According to an article in Crain’s New York Business and New York City Department of Finance documents, Flushing-based LLC Apple Realty Group Corp purchased the building earlier this summer.
Thief opened in 2021 and has served up a menu of craft cocktails (including friesling, their less conventional alternative to frosé), beer, wine, seltzer, and a small rotating food menu. Live music can regularly be heard from their open windows. They’ve also hosted many activations over the years, most notably being their Miracle on Union Street holiday takeover, which transformed the bar into a winter wonderland complete with novelty Christmas drinkware (available for purchase after drinking, of course). They’ve also opened their doors for sporting and other special event viewings like Wimbledon and the NBA Finals, SNL’s 50th anniversary, the Oscars, and even a Phish concert live stream.
Starting September 6, their final run will feature happy hour all day, every day and more pop-ups and live performances.