Sasa’s Lounge, a restaurant, bar and music venue on Columbus Avenue between 105th and 106th street, closed its doors on Sunday. Our neighborhood tipster and an employee at the laundromat next door say the spot succumbed because of an all-too-familiar problem: it couldn’t keep up with rents.
Sad our tipster: “Great, chill bar that always featured some of the best local names in jazz, blues, funk and reggae. Victim of … what else, a major rent increase. Will be missed by many of the locals in the neighborhood.” The shows were mostly free.
Owner Sabrina ‘Sasa’ de Vanna (at right) booked lots of music, including jazz, reggae and mariachi. The restaurant served Italian food and the kitchen was open until after 3 a.m. As the Columbia Spectator wrote last year: “Sasa’s Lounge is dedicated to becoming a neighborhood institution, and de Vanna is big on regulars—one gentleman spent his whole time there while doing laundry next door.”
No one was answering the phone at the restaurant on Monday.
Photo via Sasa’s Facebook page.
good. need more upscale eateries or wine bar in the area, please.
yuppie fascist
…and the death knell continues to toll for New York City. Sad, sad, sad. So, what do we get instead? Another bank?
that place was very unfriendly to the neighbors. it was loud and kept the door open all the time, the horrible jazz fusion music they had there could be heard everywhere up and down the ave and on 105&106 st. way too loud
The owner is rude and I am happy this place is closed . she did not care to listen to the complaints from the neighbors
The ding-dong lounge across the street has much more respect to the
this place was awesome. Sasa was dedicated to her friends and the musicians who played there. Free shows, strong drinks, and an open mind. And the bar was the least of the neighborhood’s noise issues. It’s just part of living in that area. Welcome to the hood.