By Patrick Hedlund
DNAinfo News Editor
LITTLE ITALY — A pair of longtime neighborhood mainstays were recently shuttered by the city for health code violations.
Mulberry Street Bar, the 103-year-old tavern near the corner of Broome Street that provided the backdrop for scenes in "The Sopranos," closed last week after a notice from the Department of Health appeared in its window, NYC The Blog reported.
The bar failed a March 22 health inspection — earning 47 violations points for possible contamination of food and evidence of live vermin — but expects to reopen Tuesday, a staffer told DNAinfo.
The employee, who only gave his first name William, chalked the closure up to the bar having "outdated" permits and an old liquor license. However, the Health Department notice indicates the action came as a result of last week's failed inspection.
Farther north, Ray's Pizza on Prince Street near Mott Street got slapped with a similar Health Department violation and was shuttered over the weekend, Eater reported.
No records of the restaurant's health inspections are available online, and no one answered the phone at the popular slice joint on Monday.
The 1959 pizzeria is generally considered the first location to use the now-ubiquitous Ray's name.
