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Read the press release here.

Yaffa Cafe Closes After 31 Years on St. Marks Place

By Lisha Arino | October 2, 2014 10:47am
  Yaffa Cafe, located at 97 St. Marks Place, announced its closure after 31 years via Twitter on Oct. 1, 2014.
Yaffa Cafe, located at 97 St. Marks Place, announced its closure after 31 years via Twitter on Oct. 1, 2014.
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Yaffa Cafe

EAST VILLAGE — After more than 30 years in the East Village, Yaffa Café on St. Marks Place officially closed after being shut down by the city last month.

The restaurant, beloved by NYU students for its large backyard patio, announced the closure on Twitter. Its menu will now be served at nearby Simone Martini Bar

“Bad news bears: Yaffa is officially gone,” the restaurant tweeted Wednesday night. “But good news: all recipes have moved to @SimoneMartiniNY on the corner!”

The longtime eatery has sat empty for the past month, with its lights turned off and its outdoor chairs stacked against the wall, after the Department of Health shut it down on Sept. 5. The Department of Buildings also closed down the restaurant's popular 100-person patio. 

Health inspectors found evidence of mice, live roaches and filth flies, according to the department's website.

“Critical” violations also included food stored at improper temperatures, sanitized equipment or utensils that were not properly used or stored and “inadequate” personal cleanliness, including outer garments stained with a “possible contaminant” and no “effective hair restraint” where food was prepared.

The Department of Buildings also issued a partial vacate order for an illegal backyard dining area in September, EV Grieve first reported. The order was issued at about the same time as the Health Department shutdown, records show.

Workers dismantled the backyard area on Wednesday, according to EV Grieve, which posted pictures of the work on Oct. 2.

In a Facebook message to a DNAinfo reporter last week, the restaurant blamed its closure on the city.

“Unfortunately the mean authorities of NYC closed Yaffa," owners wrote. "After 31 years, they sent 35 employees out to the streets with no work."