Coszcal de Allende, a beloved Mexican restaurant in Bay Ridge, will reopen in a new location after owners feared they would be forced to close forever.
According to Council Member Justin Brannan, who represents the neighborhood, his team stepped up to help the restaurant after the small business owners announced in January they would have to close due to “landlord issues.”
The team first attempted to work with the landlord to keep the restaurant at its 6824 3rd Ave. location — but once that proved unsuccessful, they explored other alternatives.
“Once we saw that that was a dead end, we did everything we could to support them in finding a new location,” Brannan told Brooklyn Paper. “We just want to be as supportive as we can to make that move as a small business as smooth as possible.”
On Aug 2., management posted a sign on the door of the eatery telling patrons they would be relocating to 7506 3rd Ave., not far from their original location. They have not yet announced an exact reopening date.
Coszcal’s owners originally posted about their potential closure on social media in January, drawing an outpouring of support and mourning from the community.
“With the saddest of hearts the Coszcal Team is announcing that we will be closing this year due to landlord issues,” the post read. “We do not have an exact date yet, but we just know it’s soon.”
Managers did not respond to Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment.
Part of the challenge to keep the eatery open included moving their liquor license, a process that must be approved by the New York State Liquor Authority and brought to the respective community board 30 days before an on-premises application is filed with the Liquor Authority.
Josephine Beckmann, district manager for Community Board 10, said the restaurant did notify the board of their request to remove their liquor license from their first location and have it moved to their new address last month.
You didn't honestly think I was gonna let them close for good, did you?😉#BayRidge pic.twitter.com/IgiCLSEwrI
— Justin Brannan (@JustinBrannan) August 2, 2023
“We are very happy and delighted that they found a good location because they are certainly an establishment that is beloved in the community and very respected,” Beckmann said.
