Inwood's Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge Shut Down By State

INWOOD, NY — The Inwood nightlife spot Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge was shut down by the state this week after local police complained that the business was a drain on its resources due to "violent incidents and noise complaints on a constant basis."

The business, located on Sherman Avenue between Thayer and Dyckman Street, will no longer be able to serve alcoholic beverages effective immediately, the state Liquor Authority announced Thursday. Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge has been the site of five violent incidents — three involving employees — this year, state officials said.

"This establishment is rife with disturbances, illegal activity and fights, and the bar’s employees continuously endanger patrons by engaging in physical fights and refusing to call 911 to report violent incidents," counsel to the liquor authority Christopher Riano said in a statement. "The repetitive nature of these violations shows that the licensee is unwilling to change his conduct and I applaud the Members of the Authority for shutting down this poorly supervised operation."

The two most recent violent incidents at Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge both occurred on May 15, according to state officials. Police responded to the business and spoke to a customer who said that a waitress struck her in the head with a hookah after a dispute over a bill. The women suffered a concussion, swelling and two black eyes, state officials said. Later that night, police had to respond to the business again after two customers got into a fight which spilled out into the street.

The police also had to respond twice to violence at Viva on March 10. That night two groups of customers got into a fight which resulted in hookahs, glass bottles and chairs being thrown, state officials said. Three bystanders were injured and had to be treated at a hospital. That same night a man who was "severely intoxicated" was struck by a car after leaving the business, state officials said.

Another large fight broke out at the bar on Feb. 11, two people were slashed outside the business on Jan. 10 and a four-person bar bight broke out on Jan. 6, state officials said. A woman was robbed after leaving Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge on Sept. 4.

Staff at Viva Tapas Bar & Lounge failed to report many of the violent incidents to the police, state officials said. In addition to frequent violence, Viva was described as "chronically overcrowded" and generated 40 noise complaints so far this year and 57 noise complaints in 2017, state officials said.

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