The Loft LIC at 2-03 Borden Ave., formerly called the Crabhouse Restaurant.(QueensPost, Dec. 28, 2017)
Jan. 12, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez
The Crabhouse Restaurant is no more, as it has undergone a complete makeover and is now going by The Loft LIC.
The restaurant, located at 2-03 Borden Ave., has a new Latin American cuisine to offer, and is also aiming to hold parties every weekend at the site.
Entrees include paella, churrasco, pork fajitas, and mofongo, with side dishes like maduros, empanadas, and tostones. Prices for main dishes range from $17 to $27.
Interior of the new restaurant (via Facebook).
The interior of the new restaurant also has new decor with splashes of white, along with some booths.
Miriam Garcia, the manager at the Loft LIC, said the restaurant relaunched officially on New Years Eve after operating as the Crabhouse Restaurant since August 2016. The restaurant, however, still has the same owners—Joseph Lucil and Skinny Lee.
Garcia said their efforts to uphold the history of the old Waterfront Crab House, which ran for 40 years at the site until it closed in 2015, were met with criticism from patrons.
“They didn’t accept us with the Crabhouse,” Garcia, who was also manager at the now-defunct restaurant, said. “So we decided to change the concept and start over again.”
Garcia added that patrons dining at the Crabhouse would often point out their issues with menu items and prices, and draw comparisons between their venture and the Waterfront Crab House that the late Tony Mazzarella ran. “Long Island City is becoming an expensive area, and they were used to cheap prices,” she said. “But the old owner used to own the building, and now we’re renting.”
The former Waterfront Crab House
With the new concept, the owners are hoping to bolster business by have “something for everyone”, with space for families to enjoy savory dishes at modest prices, and for night life enthusiasts to dance in the restaurant’s lounge space. They are also hoping to draw in more Long Island City locals with their new look.
The Loft LIC is currently opening for dinner, only, from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and will expand its hours in the near future. The new restaurant will also be introducing brunch hours and parties in the coming weeks. A website is also in the works for the restaurant.
The Gantry Loft, the upstairs event space, has remained unchanged.
The Crabhouse Restaurant in August 2016, now The Loft LIC.
