Nightlife and Hospitality Operator Clown Car to Open New East Village Bar

This deal is no laughing matter.

Clown Car, a New York City-based nightlife and hospitality operator, has signed a 10-year lease to open a new bar in 6,500 square feet at 31 Second Avenue in Manhattan’s East Village, according to broker Meridian Retail Leasing. The deal represents a new outpost for Clown Car, which has a portfolio of bar concepts across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Its new spot between East First and East Second streets will include 3,500 square feet on the ground floor and 3,000 square feet on the lower level.

The space will be developed as a “large, multi-level bar concept designed to activate both floors and serve both neighborhood and destination traffic,” Meridian said.

“The East Village was a natural fit for this concept,” Meridian’s Elliot Wygoda, who brokered the deal for landlord Central Management Corporation, said in a statement.

“Clown Car has a proven track record of executing successful bar concepts in dense urban neighborhoods,” Wygoda added. “Their experience operating multi-level spaces and their understanding of this market made this an easy decision for ownership.”

The asking rent was unclear, but a report from CBRE found retail rents in Manhattan averaged $671 per square foot during the third quarter of 2025.

Counter Real Estate’s Justin Losh represented the tenant in the deal. Losh declined to comment, while spokespeople for Clown Car and Central Management could not be reached for comment.

It’s unclear when the new East Village bar will open, but it will be in addition to Clown Car’s portfolio of bars in “high-energy neighborhoods,” Meridian said.

The new bar will be at the base of the East Luxe residential building at 31 Second Avenue, where monthly rents range from $3,200 for a two-bedroom to $6,900 for a four-bedroom, according to StreetEasy.