The cocktail bar, Suffolk Arms, hasn’t been serving drinks in recent days, amid what appears to be a dispute between its co-owners.
The venue was opened in February 2016 by Giuseppe Gonzalez and Ruben Rodriguez, after many construction delays. At the time, Gonzalez, one of New York’s best bartenders, attracted a lot of publicity, but the fancy lounge never seemed to hit its stride.
EV Grieve was first to report that Suffolk Arms has been closed lately. Then Neat Pour, a cocktail & spirits website, noted:
A dispute between co-owners… recently boiled over, resulting in the closure of Suffolk Arms according to multiple sources. No official reason for the locked and dark bar was provided by ownership. Emails, calls, and messages to Suffolk’s Arms official contacts went unanswered as did attempts to reach both owners. Two employees told Neat Pour that they were informed that the establishment would reopen at a later date with a new concept, but the same staff. Other employees declined to comment.
Conflict with business partners is not new for Gonzales. When Suffolk Arms opened, Grub Street noted, “his career up to this point has been defined by his unique ability to make excellent drinks and to piss off basically everyone he works with.”
We’ll let you know what transpires here in the days ahead.
