A storied slice of Greenwich Village restaurant real estate has a new occupant. The 4,000-square-foot space at 170 Thompson St., home to Lupa Osteria Romana for more than 25 years after it opened there in 1999, has been leased to Chiqui, a new restaurant from hospitality operators Jonathan Adler and Riasat Azmee.
The deal was completed by Meridian Capital Group, according to New York Real Estate Journal. The transaction was arranged by Stephen Ligambi, senior director at Meridian Retail Leasing, who represented the tenant. Lease terms, including rent and length, were not disclosed.
The space itself comes with some built-in advantages for a restaurant operator. It includes 2,500 square feet on the ground floor plus 1,500 square feet of prep space on the lower level, with 25 feet of frontage along Thompson Street. The outlet's report notes the location is fully built out, with a vented kitchen and gas service already in place, sitting across Thompson Street from Carbone.
A New Name Steps Into a Landmark Address
Chiqui has already cleared a hurdle that trips up plenty of incoming restaurants: it has received all required approvals, including its liquor license, per the same report. Ligambi was quoted saying the new operators respect the address's history and bring their own point of view, a nod to the weight of following a restaurant as entrenched in the neighborhood as Lupa.
The team behind Chiqui brings a mix of beverage and hospitality credentials to the space. Jonathan Adler is known for his work as beverage director of Shinji's, whose cocktail program has been featured by the Michelin Guide and earned VinePair's 2024 Next Wave Award for Bar Program of the Year. Riasat Azmee, described as an experienced hospitality operator, has a portfolio that includes Shinka Ramen and Bowery Beer Garden, and he is also a partner and creative director at Stone & Soil. Together, the report states, the pair have built hospitality and beverage programs across the city.
Thompson Street's Shifting Retail Mix
The Chiqui lease lands in a stretch of Thompson Street that has seen other notable retail activity recently. Just down the block, Luckin Coffee inked a 910-square-foot lease at 184 Thompson Street, also known as 154 Bleecker Street, as reported by Commercial Observer, a deal with a term of 10 years and six months. That building, owned by landlord Broad Street Development, holds 5,809 square feet of street-level retail space across its 135-unit condominium footprint.
Commercial Observer's report also offers a rent benchmark for the surrounding blocks: the asking rent for another neighborhood restaurant, Chubby Bowl, was $130 per square foot as of March 2025. While that figure applies to a different lease and not necessarily to the Chiqui space, it gives a sense of the competitive retail rents restaurant operators are navigating in this corner of Greenwich Village.
No opening date has been announced for Chiqui, and the evidence available does not go beyond confirming that it will occupy the space and has cleared its approvals. For now, the signing closes the latest chapter for an address that spent more than two decades under one name before changing hands.
