HELL’S KITCHEN — A popular empanada spot that was gutted by a fire will rise from the ashes in the space next door.
Empanada Mama at 763 Ninth Ave. — which has been closed since a blaze tore through the building in January — is replacing The Cannery at 765 Ninth Ave., between West 51st and West 52nd streets, owner Socrates Nanas said Tuesday.
The craft beer and sports bar will be closing within the next few weeks, he said.
“It’s been pretty rough,” Nanas, 47, said of the months since the fire. “We’d been there for so long — everything was established, and we definitely wanted to open up in the same place.”
“We got very lucky to be able to open up right next door,” he added.
A manager at The Cannery could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.
Nanas hopes to open the new-and-improved eatery — which will still “feel and look like Empanada Mama did before” — within the next two months, he said.
The restaurant will be able to accommodate more people in its new space than it did before, he added.
Transferring Empanada Mama’s liquor license to 765 Ninth Ave. is the next hurdle Nanas’ business will have to overcome.
His plans have already faced “a bit of resistance” from neighbors concerned about noise and delivery bicycles on the block, he said.
“That’s only normal. [But] I’m one who likes to follow rules and regulations,” Nanas said.
“I’m just hoping to open up as soon as we can,” he added.
