Historic Jewish Restaurant Sammy's Roumanian to Return to the L.E.S. Pending One Major Obstacle: A Liquor License
The venue, once famous for its loud, alcohol fueled parties in its small, cramped quarters at a basement storefront on Chrystie, may face an uphill battle in May's SLA Committee meeting.
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Sammy’s Roumanian seems to have been quite the dining (and drinking) experience for anyone lucky enough to have partaken before the restaurant permanently closed in January 2021. It had been there since 1976, when pandemic related troubles forced its closure. The neighborhood lost a vital part of its character on that day, or so all the news outlets are saying.
The general media coverage may contrast with the opinions of those on Community Board 3’s (CB3) State Liquor Authority (SLA) Committee, who hold significant influence over whether liquor licenses are granted. The restaurant is looking past its old, claustrophobic location at 151 Chrystie and applying for a permit at much larger 191 Orchard St, which has been empty, to everyone’s frustration, since 2016.
For anyone unaware, this block is part of what’s colloquially and derisively referred to as Hell’s Square by certain residents who believe the area is choked up with rowdy crowds and the abundant liquor serving establishments that attract them.
Hell’s Square has no formal borders but is generally understood to be the nine blocks bordered by Houston and Delancey to the north and south, and Allen and Essex to the west and east.
Liquor license applications in CB3 are generally approved, but those in Hell’s Square always attract more intense scrutiny and are sometimes rejected despite good faith pleas from business owners. Venues that have a history of late-night parties and live performances - like Sammy’s - seldom have smooth liquor license hearings.
As if those two obstacles weren’t enough, the previous tenant at 191 Orchard was a bar whose license was revoked. The license wasn’t even taken for an alcohol related infraction, but the SLA Committee is supposed to take into account the address’ previous licensing status to make their decision.
Did I forget to mention that the SLA Committee was recently reorganized? The last Full Community Board meeting had several anti-license residents thank new committee Chair Tareake Dorill for his part in making the SLA Committee more skeptical of new liquor licenses. I’m not certain whether he really had anything to do with this, but it’s important to note.
The SLA Committee meeting will take place online on May 15th.
It will be interesting to see how the committee votes here, given that so much cultural capital could be at stake. The tradeoff? The loud, vodka fueled and schmaltz smeared dinner parties will have made their comeback!
Thank you to EV Grieve, Eater NY, and Gothamist for providing a lot of the context needed to write this story! I will have to be more careful while reading the committee agenda next time, so that I can be the one breaking the story next time.
Thanks for reading!!!