'Illegal Outdoor Nightclub,' 6 Others Lose Liquor Licenses In BK

BROOKLYN, NY — Seven more Brooklyn restaurants have had their liquor licenses pulled for ignoring rules meant to help stop the spread of the coronavirus crisis, the governor said Monday.

Seven spots in Bushwick and Crown Heights were among the 14 bars and restaurants to have their liquor licenses temporarily suspended by the New York State Liquor Authority this week, the latest round in a crackdown by Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office on pandemic-related rules.

"My message to bar owners is the same: this is about protecting the health of your employees, your patrons, and the public writ large," Cuomo said. "These are serious violations, and we are taking aggressive action because there are simply no more excuses for non-compliance."

At least 25 bars and restaurants in Brooklyn have now had their licenses suspended so far as a task force of investigators prompted by videos of late-night, maskless partiers make surprise inspections across the state.

Perhaps the most egregious violations in the latest round of suspensions were at La Perla Del Ulua Restaurant on Melrose Street, where investigators found 37 people drinking and dancing "shoulder-to-shoulder" at an unauthorized DJ set-up.

The restaurant had "effectively created an illegal outdoor nightclub" with the dance party outside of its restaurant, the governors office said. Inspectors — who visited after an 11 p.m. curfew for any outdoor dining — also found people drinking inside, despite the face that indoor dining still isn't allowed in New York City.

Restauranteurs have pleaded with officials to allow indoor dining in recent weeks to help the industry survive as weather grows colder. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pointed to a lack of compliance with coronavirus safety measures, among other factors, for reasons allowing dining inside is still risky.

People were also found drinking or eating inside other restaurants that lost their liquor licenses, including Mally's Deli & Grocery on Knickerbocker Avenue, La Fogata Restaurant and Cafe on Gates Avenue, New Heights on Schenectady Avenue, NY Pizza Cafe & Spanish Food Restaurant and El Salvador Restaurant de Marina, both on Myrtle Avenue.

At Izzy's Fried Chicken on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights, the diners were in a makeshift indoor space that was enclosed "without the approval of the SLA or the NYC Department of Buildings," the governor's office said.

Several of the restaurants were also serving drinks without food or had employees without face masks, according to the governor's office.

Under orders from the governor, establishments can only serve alcohol to people ordering "substantial food" and indoor dining still isn't allowed in New York City.

Other Brooklyn spots that have had their licenses pulled include a Bed-Stuy restaurant with a hookah shed in the backyard, "party boat" in Red Hook and a Sheepshead Bay bar with a 150-person party on the roof.