Big news for downtown dive bar nostalgists: not only might Max Fish be coming back to its original neighborhood, Mars Bar — or some facsimile of it — will be resurrected at its old address.
Bedford & Bowery broke the news after noticing an item about the bar on a meeting agenda for the local community board’s liquor licensing committee. Frank Penza, Mars Bar’s original owner, said it will return somewhere within Jupiter 21, the new residential building at the corner of First Street and Second Avenue. The TD Bank on the corner means Mars will have to be relocated slightly within the building.
Rejoice, right? Perhaps not. Penza said the new establishment will be “much different” from its venerated forebear, and that it may not even retain the “Mars Bar” name (Penza is operating under partnership with BFC Partners, the developers behind Jupiter 21).
Bedford & Bowery‘s post ends on an ominous note from Penza: “I miss the old times, but you can’t be the same way no more. There’s a lot of money invested.”
(Photo: @Dan DeLuca)
