Cheers! Noodle Bar, Australian Eatery and Maybe a Pub Coming to Prospect Heights

Three new restaurants are likely coming to Prospect Heights, though two of them will have an easier time opening than the third.

 At last week’s meeting, Community Board 8 approved licenses for The Calf BK and  Chuko.

 The Calf, which would be located at 611 Vanderbilt Avenue between Bergen and St. Marks, would serve Australian cuisine. It would seat 32 two people at tables and the bar and be open until 2 a.m. weekdays and until 4 a.m. on weekends (which includes Thursday night/Friday morning).

Chuko, at 552 Vanderbilt at the corner of Dean Street,  would be a noodle restaurant and bar seating 40 people at tables an a bar. It would be open from noon to midnight daily. It is only seeking a beer and wine license, not a full liquor license.

The next step for both places will be approval by the New York State Liquor Authority.

However, the board failed to give their stamp of approval for a liquor license for The Bearded Lady, which has leased space at 686A Washington Avenue at the corner of St. Marks.

“I’m shocked,” said co-owner Patrick Britton. “We had a very good hearing at the economic development subcommittee,” he said, adding that 33 area residents signed a petition in support of the bar.

 In fact, after the motion failed, the board seemed shocked as well.

 While 12 people voted yes on the board and only 7 people voted no, 12 abstained, meaning the motion fell short of a majority and failed – despite the fact that the license was supported by CB’s economic development subcommittee.  

Approval by the board would have strengthened the owners’ case for the license when they go before the State Liquor Authority, but there’s still a decent chance the authority will approve the license, since the board didn’t reject it outright and the economic development subcommittee supports it. In addition, the owners have a petition with 33 signatures from area residents and business owners supporting their request.

If the SLA rejects the request, the Bearded Lady owners could apply again, which would give CB8 another chance to vote on the license.

 “We’ll be back,” Britton said.