tap-and-grill-rockaways-queens

Image source: Rockawayist

Rockawayist reports that a boutique hotel will be opening up in the Rockaways, which would be the first one of its kind in the area. They assert, in part, that with the arrival of Rockaway Taco in 2007 leading to the resurgence of interest in the Rockaway peninsula, it has attracted the kind of clientele that would likely appreciate a boutique hotel (read: Brooklyn hipsters). 

The potential hotel will make itself at home at what has been the Tap & Grill, a local spot at 97-20 Rockaway Beach Boulevard (GMAP), just a couple blocks from the subway (easier to attract the hungry masses that way) and the beach. They were in business for 19 years. Their website has become a “memories” page; they closed on August 26, 2012.

The property was purchased by Cayuga Capital – they are a private real estate investment firm that focuses primarily on Brooklyn – in 2012, and it is showcased on their site with this description:

CCM purchased this site in 2012. It is a mixed use space with 12 residential units on the second floor and Bar/Retail at ground level. It is 7,050 gross square feet with 5,000 square feet of retail space.

So, the ground floor will remain a place where people can eat, drink, and hang out, but the 12 units above are currently residences  That doesn’t mean that they won’t change to hotel rooms in the future. With that in mind, additional research indicates that the second floor has been advertised as having an “Inn component” with “strong seasonal demand.” Additionally, “it is smack in the middle of the ‘HUGE’ surf and hipster community. 200′ from the A train.” Dubious about the “surf” element? Check out this guy surfing at the Rockaways in this video!

So, perhaps it really will become a hipster hotel hot spot next summer. It will be interesting to see how much the bar/restaurant on the ground floor changes (we are guessing it won’t stay the same – here’s the old Tap & Grill menu) – the new owners already applied for their liquor license. And according to the Rockawayist eyes, the building is boarded up and no one’s home. It would make sense, though, for construction to happen so as to have the place open by summer 2013, judging by the increasing numbers of crowds who flock to the area when it warms up

Say what you will about hipsters, the Rockaways have a lot going for them – they are home to pretty tasty eats; some beautiful parkland in Jacob Riis Park (just don’t try to park on the street on weekends in the summer). Breezy Point is a birders paradise, too.

Cayuga Capital Portfolio [Cayga Capital]
The Tap & Grill: Rockaway’s new hotspot? [Rockawayist]
Lost City Asks “Who Goes to The Tap and Grill?” [Lost City]


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