A new hot pot and skewer dish restaurant is hitting Bayside‘s food hub on Bell Boulevard.
Signs for Li’s Garden and Restaurant are now up at 38-05 Bell Blvd., replacing another Asian eatery, Tanko. It is unclear when the restaurant will open, as Bayside Village Business Improvement (BID) Executive Director Christine Silletti shared that she reached out to the business owners and is waiting to hear back.
The Department of Buildings (DOB) issued work permits to L2 Construction, a Flushing-based business owned by Zuning Lin. The company’s BuildZoom.com page shows that L2 Construction is currently working on projects in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan.
DOB records indicate that work and electrical permits for the building expire in summer 2020.
Silletti said that Tanko’s sale is a direct result of the ongoing infrastructure project in the neighborhood. The Department of Design and Construction (DDC) broke ground on QED991 in March 2018.
“The sale of Tanko is another example of the duress small businesses on that block have been through due to the poor planning and housekeeping of the contractor who ran the water main project for a year and a half,” Silletti told QNS. “Thankfully, our small business owners are creative problem-solvers, committed to the neighborhood and our neighbors are committed to them, so most persevered, but it’s been tough. We’re happy the water main project on our section of 38th Ave. is finally finished.”
Signs on the store’s facade indicate that Li’s Garden will serve traditional Sichuan dishes like fish filet in chili oil, spicy Mapo tofu and stir-fried quail with hot pepper. Additionally, the restaurant will also serve hot pot dishes, which involves cooking various ingredients in simmering soup stock.
Prior to its closure, Tanko marketed itself as an “Asian fusion” restaurant, serving up a variety of Japanese and Chinese dishes. According to records from the Department of State, the business had been active since March 2013.
