Tribeca Cantina Cited for Illegal Outdoor Dining
In June, Community Board 1 (CB1) enacted a resolution strongly opposing an application by Zona Tribeca Mezcaleria restaurant (353 Greenwich Street) to renew its liquor license. The measure argues that the restaurant is “currently serving alcohol on the sidewalk outside of the premises,” without the legally required State Liquor Authority (SLA) or City Department of Transportation (DOT) approval. The owners had previously applied for DOT sidewalk and roadway cafe permits, which were approved. But due to continued violations and unresponsiveness to multiple summonses, the DOT rescinded these approvals and ordered the restaurant to remove the dining structures it had erected on the sidewalk and in the street. Last November, however, CB1 received a report that Zona had disregarded these orders.
In January, DOT issued Zona a 14-day warning letter. In response, the restaurant removed plexiglass windows from its outdoor structure, but a follow-up the next month revealed that Zona was operating a second outdoor cafe space. For this, the restaurant received a 48-hour warning letter from the DOT, requiring them to remove that structure. This warning was also ignored.
As of April, the unauthorized outdoor structure remained in place. This led the DOT to issue a summons for operating a sidewalk cafe without a license. CB1’s June resolution states that “the [Community Board] is currently working with DOT on a plan of action to bring the applicant into compliance after they have ignored multiple DOT correspondence and… is also looking into potential [Department of Buildings] non-compliance in regards to the attached outdoor structure.”
The CB1 resolution is significant because the SLA gives considerable weight to Community Board resolutions in deciding whether to issue to renew liquor licenses. This finding builds on concerns first raised by CB1 last year. A June 2025 resolution noted, “there are two fire escapes along the restaurant frontage and [DOT] requirements state that ‘No portion of a sidewalk cafe including vertical elements like an awning or umbrella can block or be attached in any way to a fire escape.’”
The most recent resolution requests that Zona’s “renewal of their liquor license be suspended until after SLA enforcement has visited the premises and confirmed that the applicant has corrected their non-compliant actions and are also compliant within DOT and DOB regulations. […] CB1 strongly opposes the renewal of liquor license… unless the applicant complies with the limitations and conditions set forth by the SLA, and DOT above.”
The owners of Zona Tribeca did not respond to a request for comment.