Inwood Restaurants Got $10M From Federal Stimulus: Here's Which

INWOOD, NY — Nearly 30 Inwood restaurants, caterers and other food spots received grants from the federal government as part of the stimulus package passed in January, according to newly released data.

Ranging from $7,900 to $1.7 million, the grants came from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, a key component of the American Rescue Act. The recipients were revealed Friday by the Small Business Administration in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

Inwood did not have a restaurant come close to receiving the maximum $10 million grant.

All told, 27 businesses in Inwood got money, amounting to $10,043,664 combined. The government's $28.6 billion fund closed at the end of June after granting less than a third of the more than 370,000 requests made nationwide.

Compared to other Manhattan communities, restaurants in Inwood received less than other neighborhood's eateries.

Restaurants on the Upper East Side and Upper West Side got $107 million and $72 million, respectively. While, one ZIP code in the West Village, a much smaller neighborhood than Inwood, but one known for its restaurants — received $75 million from the fund.

With that being said, Inwood eateries did receive more money than those in Washington Heights, which as a neighborhood received just under $9 million.

In Inwood — the average grant was $371,987 — $158,000 more than the average in Washington Heights. The top $1,725,277 grant winner was the Inwood Beer Garden & Bistro, which runs the Inwood Bar & Grill at 4892 Broadway.

Here are the 10 Inwood businesses that got the biggest grants:

1. Inwood Beer Garden & Bistro Inc., (owner of the Inwood Bar & Grill), 4892 Broadway: $1,725,277
2. Vida Mexicana Inc., (owner of the Papasito), 223 Dyckman Street: $1,202,318
3. 888 Group LLC, (owner of Tenth Avenue Bar & Grill), 3795 10th Ave: $1,157,685
4. Vida Cafe Inc, (owner of MamaJuana Cafe), 247 Dyckman Street: $916,914
5. Meltbakery Inc, 4915 Broadway: $704,253
6. Brown Sugar Bar & Restaurant, 5060 Broadway: $490,061
7. Bocaditos Bistro & Expresso Bar, 4863 Broadway: $358,305
8. Luxor NY LLC, (owner of Luxor New York Restuarant), 3775 10th Ave: $356,865
9. 565 West Side Cafe Corp, (owner of Raices NY), 565 West 207th Street: $349,234
10. Cafe Buunni Broadway Inc, (owner of Buunni Coffee Inwood), 4961 Broadway: $298,703

The Inwood eateries are among more than 27,000 in New York state that got Restaurant Revitalization grants, totaling more than $9.6 billion.

The fund was initially supposed to prioritize restaurants owned by women, veterans and members of other marginalized groups, but that aspect was halted after white business owners sued, alleging that the government was discriminating against them.

Below, scroll through the full list of Inwood spots that received federal grants. (Note that many are listed under business aliases, but searching the name on the state's liquor license database can reveal each one's identity.)

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.