East Village Burrito and Bar. Formerly known as La Esquina Burrito and Bar. (Credit: Joshua Alvarez)
We definitely did a double take earlier this year when Cafe Figaro became La Esquina Burrito & Bar. The logo of the new Mexican joint on the corner of 10th Street and First Avenue had a red-and-green color scheme similar to that of La Esquina, the perennial Nolita hotspot.
We imagined it was only a matter of time before a Joe’s/Little Joe’s situation arose.
Sure enough, last month the East Village’s La Esquina was forced to change its name to East Village Burrito & Bar. You can guess why.
“The owner of La Esquina paid me a visit and explained the situation,” said Nazmul Chowdhury, owner of the East Village La Esquina. “It was all very friendly, no problems at all.”
Chowdhury said he had no idea that his establishment had a similar name to the Nolita taqueria, which also has a location in Williamsburg. The name change has not had any effect on the business, he said.
The owner of Nolita’a La Esquina could not be reached for comment.