El Gavilan is Gone. What's Next?

Yesterday we took a look back at the , recalling with amazement and disgust the events that were said to have taken place once the eatery closed its doors at night. 

In addition to serving up plates of passably authentic Mexican fare, the restaurant—whose name means "the hawk" in Spanish— was said to have been the setting of an after-hours club, a prostitution ring and one or more knife fights. One of its patrons was also allegedly seen defecating on a nearby neighbor's lawn. Neat!

The store cleaned up its act after receiving a host of citations, said Detective Michael Milici, who handles community affairs for the 66th Precinct, adding that to his knowledge, the closing of El Gavilan had nothing to do with its history. 

“I know they had various summonses, but I don’t know what the outcome was, whether they beat them or paid them off,” he said. 

Problematic history aside, the El Gavilan building is ideally situated for a promising new tenant. Located on the corner of Church Avenue and East 5th Street, it's a large space with excellent visibility from the street. The question is, what should occupy it?