Bars, Food and Drink
Nov 26, 2018

The Royal Underground Soft Opens In The Old William Hallet Space

William Hallet closed down this past September, which we covered briefly, and for a short while, there was no news about what would happen to its 30th Avenue space. But (…)

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Royal Underground in old William Hallet

New signage going up at the old William Hallet location on 30th Avenue.

William Hallet closed down this past September, which we covered briefly, and for a short while, there was no news about what would happen to its 30th Avenue space.

But there’s new life stirring inside.

A sharp-eyed Astoria resident snapped these photos of some new signage being installed on the old storefront a little whlle ago. The name is The Royal Underground, but so far, they don’t seem to have much of an online presence; their Facebook and Instagram pages are pretty bare.

According to one of our readers, The Royal Underground had a soft open this past weekend, and it’s reported that it’s a spacious location with a good selection of liquor. Operating under the same manager as William Hallet, they’re testing the waters before an official grand opening. Hopefully, that will be coming sometime soon.

We also learned that the owner is Gary Anza, who also owned Bistro 33 and Bowery Bay on the corner of 21st Street and Ditmars Boulevard.

When they do open, there may be some changes made based on feedback (kind of like this article!) and we’re certainly looking forward to checking out the new spot.

The Royal Underground
36-10 30th Ave., Astoria
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5 Comments

Ilona

Yay! I was a huge fan of Bowery Bay, (Gary is awesome!)and can’t wait to see how it’s going to be. Love the name!

Def will be visiting soon!

Reply
Korin

Hello! Unrelated to The Royal Underground (but thanks for the update), I’m curious about the old Bargain Stop space. Is it fated for more apartments? A healthy restaurant would be great. Thanks for any details you have!

Reply
Maria Antonucci

I really hope this place is a BIG change from what my friends and I dubbed, “William Don’t Have It.” Seriously EVERY SINGLE TIME I was there they were out of something I ordered whether it was a food item or a drink.

I also thought this place was clique-ey – they had their regulars with whom they were very chummy and the rest of us, well … the service was cold to say the least.

Fingers crossed for a great option added to the avenue!

Reply
Matt A

They had their soft opening this weekend. The place feels more spacious inside, along with new floor to ceiling windows on the frontage – a nice change! Menu is nice, had French onion soup (awesome!) and mu shu Tacos. Beautiful new back bar with a large spirit selection. Same manager as Hallet – the place was organized and service was strong. They were actively asking for feedback and mentioned that they’ll be adjusting a bunch before a grand opening. Looking forward to stopping by again!

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