YORKVILLE — East End Kitchen was shut down by the health department for roaches and mice, amid a legal battle to fight eviction, according to records.
The 539 E. 81st St. restaurant — which specializes in grass-fed meat and organic ingredients — was shuttered after an inspector found flies, live roaches and mice and contaminated food during an inspection on April 14, according to the department's records.
It also discovered contaminated food preparation surfaces and use of prohibited pesticides, records show.
The restaurant racked up 60 violation points total and was immediately forced to close.
The closure is the latest blow to the restaurant, which has been fighting to stay open since it received a notice of cancelation of its lease last month from its landlord.
East End Kitchen, owned by Allan and Diane Carlin, filed a lawsuit on March 31, asking a judge to block a developer's attempt to evict the restaurant from the building.
The Lightstone Group is planning to demolish the six-story, mixed-use building at 40 East End Ave., which includes the East End Kitchen, and build a new luxury residential building.
The developer and the eatery have struggled to come to an agreement on a buyout plan and Lightstone ultimately served the eatery with a notice, cancelling its lease. The lease was due to be terminated as of April 4, according to court records.
Lightstone did not respond to requests for comment.
According to the lawsuit, the notice stated that the restaurant violated its lease by using the building's lobby and therefore allows the owner to cancel the lease and not pay for ending it abruptly.
East End was not open at noon on Monday, but an employee who answered a call to the restaurant said the manager was not available to comment on either the health code violations or the lawsuit.
The Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request for more information.
