Joey Bats To Take Over Former Lovecraft Bar

Imagine a Crème Brûlée, wrapped up in a flaky croissant.
Photo: Official

Founded in 2012, Lovecraft Bar was one of the more popular bars to be found in Alphabet City. Themed after a Victorian steampunk aesthetic inspired by the writings of HP Lovecraft, Lovecraft Bar was the go-to haunt for all things weird. Sadly, the bar failed to sustain itself in the competitive New York economy and by 2018 it was forced to close its doors for good.

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Since then, the space at 50 Avenue B has remained vacant, but that’s about to change. Joseph Batista, better known as Joey Bats, is currently gearing up to bring his unique take on Portuguese pastries to the former Lovecraft Bar.

Joey Bats, the son of Portuguese immigrants, got his start back in 2016, when he realized that there was a significant dearth of Portuguese cuisine in his neighborhood. Recognizing an opportunity to share some of the food he grew up with, he began selling specialty pastries at various street fairs across New York. In particular, he specialized in a dessert called pastéis de nata, which is essentially like a Crème Brûlée wrapped up in a flaky croissant.

The pastries turned out to be as good as they sound, and soon Joey was able to open his own café on Allen Street – Joey Bats Café. Serving up his famous pastries, Joey Bats is one of the only Portuguese cafes serving the neighborhood. In addition to the pastries, the café also serves Portuguese sandwiches and personal pizzas alongside croquettes and savory puff pastries.

A diligent restaurant owner, Joey can often by found in his café running things in the back. Reviews are quick to point out his welcoming nature, and fans of the café have been eagerly awaiting this expansion. If you want to get a taste of these pastries before the Ave B expansion opens, be sure to visit Joey at his original café at 129 Allen Street.

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers is an author and playwright based out of Brooklyn, New York. A lively performer who is deeply passionate about history and literature, outside of his reporting he also produces short films and plays with his theatre troupe, the LSTC. He is currently producing a web series about a butterfly and moth who are roommates that will be released later in the year.
Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers

Jake Rogers is an author and playwright based out of Brooklyn, New York. A lively performer who is deeply passionate about history and literature, outside of his reporting he also produces short films and plays with his theatre troupe, the LSTC. He is currently producing a web series about a butterfly and moth who are roommates that will be released later in the year.

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