Failure to Launch: Suffolk Arms is Finally Near Opening More than a Year Later

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Suffolk Arms has been in the works at 269 East Houston for well over a year. We first learned about the project in fall 2014, but not through any application at Community Board 3. No, proprietor Giuseppe Gonzales – former bartender at PKNY, Golden Cadillac, and Dutch Kills – decided to circumvent the system altogether, and headed directly to the State Liquor Authority.

Liquor license is still pending for 269 East Houston.

Meanwhile, according to New York Magazine, Suffolk Arms was supposed to have bowed at the end of September. That’s a full year after its initial projection. In fact, the establishment was also listed in the magazine’s 2014 fall roundup.

Its failure to launch is signaled by the ever-rotting plywood shed affixed to the facade. Behind the barrier, though, the makings of a trendy establishment are now visible. As previously reported, Suffolk Arms will boast an “English pub exterior” with a distinct “New York feel inside.” Marquee lettering is also in place.

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Expect to drink a “collection of ‘signature drinks’ Gonzalez has created over the years.” But not for another few weeks. A worker onsite tells us Suffolk Arms will be ready in February.

There is one constant at 269 East Houston – it’s a cursed space. Meow Mix, Vasmay Lounge, and the Local 269 all tried to make it work but failed.

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