Schiller's Liquor Bar Closes After 14 Years On LES

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — The popular Schiller's Liquor Bar closed it doors on Sunday, ending a 14-year run on the Lower East Side.

Management at the neighborhood bar announced in May that Schiller's would be shutting down by the end of the summer, reportedly due to a rent hike. A manager at the bar confirmed to Patch that Sunday was Schiller's last day open. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

"We simply cannot afford it," the bars owners told Eater earlier this year.

Regulars of the bar and restaurant, located at 131 Rivington St., have bemoaned the restaurant's closure, writing and posting about the space's atmosphere and history. The neighborhood spot, which is run by prolific NYC restaurateur Keith McNally, was a harbinger of the popular bar scene in the gentrifying neighborhood.

Last year, McNally wrote a piece in the New York Times reflecting on the more than 14 restaurants he'd opened in 36 years.

"One crucial change that’s hurt restaurants in Manhattan is the drastic rise in rents," McNally wrote. "During my first 30 years as a restaurateur, I expected to pay around 7 percent of my income on rent. Today, it’s at least 14 percent."

McNally has not publicly said by how much his landlord increased the restaurant's rent.

Lead image via Ciara McCarthy / Patch.