Tiki Bar | The Lo-Down : News from the Lower East Side

Health Department Shuts Essex Street Tiki Bar PKNY

Authorities returned to PKNY at 49 Essex St. last night and shut it down.

It’s been a tough few weeks for PKNY, the Lower East Side tiki bar formerly known as Painkiller. On top of losing its former name in a federal lawsuit over trademarks in late May, city health officials issued it terrible inspection report earlier this month. Even though the beloved one-year-old artisan cocktail bar received a passing score on a subsequent inspection, authorities arrived late last night and closed it down.

Notices on the door this morning attribute the closure to “operating without a permit.” The cleaning crew on site a few minutes ago said they understood it to be a temporary problem and that the bar would open up in a few days. They did not want to be identified, and referred questions to the owners.

The Early Word: Painkiller

There’s only one thing Mitch Weinstein enjoys more than a good meal, and that is a good cocktail. Here’s his early take on the Lower East Side’s newest bar:

Welcome to the neighborhood, our new tiki bar, called Painkiller. Located right next to the Pickle Guys on Essex Street, in a space formerly occupied by the East Side Company Bar, Painkiller will help you do just that.