HAGS says goodbye to First Avenue Oct. 18, with a bigger Bowery home due in 2027
The queer tasting-menu restaurant ends its East Village run this Sunday. It plans to reopen in Noho early next year with more seats, a la carte dishes and cocktails.
HAGS will close its East Village dining room at 163 First Ave. after service on Sunday, Oct. 18. The farewell is a brunch where guests pay whatever they can, running 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Chef Telly Justice and sommelier Camille Lindsley, who co-own the queer tasting-menu restaurant, are already building a second home in Noho. They hope to open it early in 2027, most likely in January or February, at 334 Bowery, where the Bowery meets East Third Street.
Why HAGS is leaving First Avenue early
The owners signed for the Bowery space in June and started building it out in early September. They gave notice on First Avenue through a good guy clause, a lease provision that lets a commercial tenant walk away after fair warning. Another tenant was keen to take over quickly, so HAGS ended up with just 30 days. Efforts to stay a little longer fell through.
Justice said she holds nothing against the other side, since everyone is simply doing their job. Staff will get what she called a lengthy severance, and she said everyone on the team, herself too, will take a long paid break.
What changes at the new HAGS in Noho
Seating jumps from 20 on First Avenue to roughly 60 to 70 on the Bowery. Tasting menus give way to a la carte ordering, and a full liquor license means cocktails alongside the wine. Sunday brunch on a pay-what-you-can basis stays.
Expect small bites sold by the piece and platters for sharing. One dish Justice highlighted is a two-bite tuna melt inspired by White Castle sliders. It is built on rice brioche with confited tuna, crunchy celery, fennel and Basque peppers, then topped with American cheese made from coconut milk.
The restaurant opened in 2022 in the room where the original Momofuku Noodle Bar once operated, and the owners knew from the start it was too small. In 2023, Justice received the Young Chef honor from the James Beard Foundation. The name HAGS is short for “Have a Good Summer” and also plays on the word hag.
When the pair went hunting for a bigger home, they had their sights set on the Bowery, and the Noho corner matched what they wanted.
Quick answers
When is HAGS's last day in the East Village?
Sunday, Oct. 18. The final service is a brunch where diners pay what they can, from 11 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
Where is HAGS moving?
To 334 Bowery in Noho, at the Bowery and East Third Street. The owners hope to open there early in 2027, likely in January or February.
Will the new HAGS still have a tasting menu?
No. The Noho location will serve small bites and platters a la carte, add cocktails and keep the pay-what-you-can Sunday brunch.
