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July 24, 2009

Original Bonita to Close

bonita-bedford-0709.jpgThe original Bonita at 383 Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg is due to close on August 15, reports Brooklyn Based. The reasons are two-fold: 1) They've never been able to get a full liquor license, which is bummer for a place that should be doing a big business in Tequila; 2) The tenant-landlord relationship is irretrievably strained. (”He hates me,” co-owner Andrew Tarlow told BB. “Always has.”) Big bummer, but at least the restaurant's younger sibling, Bonita II at 243 Dekalb Avenue in Fort Greene, is still going strong. GMAP
Photo by TapIt Water




Posted by Brownstoner at 11:14 AM | Comments (39)
Categories: Streetlevel, Williamsburg

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Comments

No!!! Horrible news.

Posted by: canyouwink at July 24, 2009 11:19 AM


So, they had a "partial" liquor license?

Posted by: East New York at July 24, 2009 11:21 AM

Good riddance - Bonita sucks.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 11:21 AM

why does bonita suck? i did wish they had tequila, but i always liked the food and vibe and think that the place looks great from the street. makes bedford ave look cool and a bit more upscale than some of the other places.

they'll probably land elsewhere.

Posted by: wine lover at July 24, 2009 11:27 AM

Sorry but I'm a loyal follower of DH's bar ratings. if he says it sucks, that's all I need to know or hear.

Posted by: more4less at July 24, 2009 11:30 AM

Bonita doesn't "suck" - some of us actually enjoy it. I hope it lands somewhere else nearby and can keep the same general vibe. My guess is on Berry or Wythe somewhere. Cheaper rent, and with all the stuff that's moved (or moving) there of late, there's more foot traffic than before.

Posted by: bjw2103 at July 24, 2009 11:30 AM

Wine Lover, is there anything in Williamsburg you don't like?

Posted by: sixyearsandcounting at July 24, 2009 11:31 AM

Why does Bonita suck? Well for one, the food has gone majorly downhill in the past year. They overhauled the menu using lesser ingredients and charge the same (if not more) for an inferior product. Beans are obviously refrigerated and reused the next day.


I doubt they will land anywhere else, too much stiff competition on the mexican front in the nabe as of late.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 11:33 AM


"Wine Lover, is there anything in Williamsburg you don't like?"

The Hispanic population.

Posted by: East New York at July 24, 2009 11:33 AM

"wine Lover, is there anything in Williamsburg you don't like?"

Yes.

People who don't have white skin.


Posted by: 11217 at July 24, 2009 11:34 AM

Totally agree with DH. Bland, overpriced food (even though I want to support restaurants that use higher-quality ingredients like Bonita allegedly does) and uneven service.

Posted by: tinarina at July 24, 2009 11:36 AM

Also - the address is 338 Bedford, not 383

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 11:43 AM

I found Bonita hot (air temp) and slow to serve.

Posted by: dittoburg at July 24, 2009 11:49 AM

I've only ever been to the one on Dekalb and found it fine. A better place to have drinks than to eat, but certainly wouldn't be pleased to see a major tenant like this leave Bedford given the direction of Williamsburg at this point in time.

Posted by: 11217 at July 24, 2009 11:55 AM

Wonder why they never got approved for a liquor license.

That could prove to be a problem for potential new tenants.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 12:01 PM

11217 - are you sure? I thought wine lover was asian? ENY hit the mark.

Posted by: dittoburg at July 24, 2009 12:14 PM

Too bad. I love their tile -- both the new (on the left) and the old (on the right).

But Dirty Hipster is right, the food is bland and overpriced. And the lack of tequila was a major disincentive to eat there. And there's now tons of competition in the Mexican department.

Also must put in another plug for Taco Bite off the Marcy stop. It's a regular neighborhood tacqueria with inexpensive prices that serves green salad and margaritas. What more could you want? The service is spectacular. So is the pork burrito. Chicken fajitas also excellent. Tacos are good. Avoid the enchiladas.

Posted by: mopar at July 24, 2009 12:24 PM

Fuck 'em. They make you pay for chips. 'Fuck kind of Mexican restaurant makes you pay for chips?

***Bid half off peak comps***

Posted by: Brownstones Half Off at July 24, 2009 12:27 PM

Ditto,

I think ENY was probably more on point than I was.

Either way, I loved that we both said it at the same time.

Posted by: 11217 at July 24, 2009 12:28 PM


Me, too.

Posted by: East New York at July 24, 2009 12:29 PM

"Also must put in another plug for Taco Bite off the Marcy stop"

haha awesome mopar - i thought i was the only person who knew that place existed.

zocalo on broadway is good too.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 12:33 PM

I used to go to the three sisters running the mexican food place in the back of the bodega on bedford between N6th and N7th. Are they still there?

Posted by: dittoburg at July 24, 2009 12:37 PM

food was great. service was spotty. rumor has it that sergio had to be shuffled between the 2 locations to watch over the zone-outting wait staff.
also fyi: waitress at bonita, bedford said (last night) that bonita, fg will become a marlow.

Posted by: live14 at July 24, 2009 12:42 PM

"Wonder why they never got approved for a liquor license."

Proximity to a church, no?

Posted by: bjw2103 at July 24, 2009 12:47 PM

maybe they weren't willing to pay off the gov officials like they did in NJ

Posted by: more4less at July 24, 2009 12:52 PM

"waitress at bonita, bedford said (last night) that bonita, fg will become a marlow"

Well that would be cool!

Posted by: 11217 at July 24, 2009 12:53 PM

I am kind of disappointed. I really like this place and go here often. Honestly surprised by the tone of the comments on this thread. all of the places owned by these guys are great. Luckily I can hit up La Superior for a mexican fix, which I thought was great the one time I went.

Posted by: king of the burg at July 24, 2009 12:57 PM

How can anyone hate Andrew?
Nice guy and always impeccably dressed.

Posted by: gs3 at July 24, 2009 1:00 PM

Yes - proximity to a church (storefront church, next door) means you can only get a beer/wine license. Don't remember the exact distance, that triggers it, but Bonita is well within it.

I haven't been to Bonita in a couple of years, so I'll take DH's description of the slide in quality on faith. Too bad, as it was a great place.

Dittoburg - you're talking about Matamoros Grocery, no? They lost their lease some time ago, I think. The cart that's set up shop on Bedford between Metro and N 3rd may be the closest to what Matamoros was.

Posted by: WBer at July 24, 2009 1:14 PM

Yes thats the one - what a shame.

Posted by: dittoburg at July 24, 2009 1:54 PM

Gentrification is collapsing just like the Mutant Asset Bubble!

Buh Bye 'tards..

The What (Cya!)

Someday this war is gonna end..

Posted by: Return of The What at July 24, 2009 1:58 PM

Bonita should take over the space where Bedford & Berry used to be, next to Soma. Be a perfect space for them, and closer to Marlow and Diner.

Posted by: BBurgYunnie at July 24, 2009 2:30 PM

Oh, and FWIW, Bonita must really suck given the multitude of people who'll pay $10 for chips and guac.

Just because the rest of you are so used to eating crap Mexican like Chi Chi's and On The Border from your days in the Midwest doesn't mean it's good. Some people don't mind paying the bucks to eat fresh, quality food.

Posted by: BBurgYunnie at July 24, 2009 3:12 PM

Yes, Return of the What, one restaurant not getting along with its landlord means the end of gentrification! Also, if I pee on your doorstep, the property value instantly halves! Be on the lookout - you never know when I have to go.

Posted by: bjw2103 at July 24, 2009 3:52 PM

Mexican food is so divisive in NYC.

They should just open up another Marlow in a new spot.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 3:57 PM

The What, dude, you have totally jumped the shark. Get a new gig already. Try to keep it interesting for the little people.

Posted by: BBurgYunnie at July 24, 2009 4:09 PM

BB-my point of reference for Mexican food ain't Chi Chi's. Give me a mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant in Bushwick any day over Bonita. I appreciate grass-fed beef and all, but the food still has to have some authentic flavor. If anything, Bonita caters to Midwestern tastes in its safety and blandness.

Posted by: tinarina at July 24, 2009 4:20 PM

I'm surprised at all the defenders of Bonita - I really didn't think anyone went there anymore.

Posted by: dirty_hipster at July 24, 2009 4:25 PM

A long, long time ago, I can still remember how when that place was a semi-permanently closed family restaurant and I lived upstairs next door. I hated my landlord too, although they were not the same.

I hope whomever moves in keeps the old sign.

We went to Bonita once when we first moved back to Williamsburg... it was okay, but the ambiance was much better than the food. Never been to the Fort Greene one.

Does anyone else remember when the place on Bedford between Grand St. and Metropolitan (now the first Kim's Milennium Market, I think?) was a Mexican restaurant? It was great, and BEFORE that, even, it was a small bodega owned by this Mexican family who would make tacos on a tree stump inside the store. Anyways... that place. I want that place back. I don't suppose anyone knows what happened to them?

Posted by: Heather at July 24, 2009 6:07 PM

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