Hey Hey Canteen Is 2nd Vendor To Leave Gotham Market This Month

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — Another popular vendor at Fort Greene's Gotham Market has moved on from the food hall. Asian restaurant Hey Hey Canteen left to join another market in Manhattan, officially closing its doors just two days after tapas vendor Boqueria shut down its Gotham spot.

The second closure didn't come as a surprise to the market, given that Hey Hey Canteen was opened as a temporary pop-up, but it does leave only four of Gotham's six vendor spots filled going into the new year. A representative with Gotham said there have already been talks with other vendors looking to replace both Hey Hey Canteen and Boqueria.

Hey Hey Canteen began as a four-month pop-up in the Fort Greene market, but extended its time to nearly 14 months, owner Kay Ch'ien said. The "Asian comfort food" eatery is ready for its next chapter and will join Turnstyle Underground Market in Columbus Circle in the New Year, he added.

"We had a great year serving customers in Fort Greene and our time in Gotham Market has prepared us well for our next step - a location in Turnstyle Underground Market in Columbus Circle," he said. "We will be serving grain bowls, salads and dumplings with vibrant Asian flavors in Turnstyle, and are scheduled to open in January."

The restaurant had its last day in the market on Dec. 22, two days after Boqueria's last day on Dec. 20. Boqueria had been with Gotham since around the time it opened in January 2017, but decided the market-model wasn't working as well as their stand-alone locations around the city and in Washington D.C.

Both closures coming so close together was simply a coincidence, the Gotham representative said.

The two empty spots, though, does follow a year of turnover for the market. Earlier this year, Gotham nixed four of its six vendors based on feedback from customers and replaced them with three new businesses last spring, Eater reported at the time.

Now, the food hall houses four vendors, two of which are drink-focused attractions — Hungry Ghost coffee and The Flamingo for beer and cocktails. Bolivian Llama Party will continue to serve modern Bolivian cuisine and craft-beer spot Fulton Hall offers a pub-fare menu.

Photo by GoogleMaps.