Xio Lounge (Photo: QueensPost)
Jan. 23, 2014 By Christian Murray
A Sunnyside nightclub that was the subject of numerous neighborhood complaints has gone out of business.
Xio Lounge, located at 39-19 Queens Blvd, was closed by court order today so the landlord could repossess the property.
Xio, which opened at the end of 2011, was often criticized by residents who lived on 39th Place.
The residents would complain that the club’s patrons would walk down 39th Place and then enter into their back courtyards to smoke pot. The men would also urinate in their courtyards, they claimed.
Last April, following a spike in complaints, the police arrested two men as a result of increased surveillance. One man was arrested on a public urination charge while another for criminal trespass.
The police also arrested a bartender who was wanted on an outstanding warrant at the time.
Featured Events
32 Comments
I promise, I’m not an old fart, Im not a soccer mom, and I’m not a racist. Im young, I like to go out, even get shitfaced from time to time. Sometimes do a little drugs.
That said, XIO lounge creeped ME the fuck out. It wasnt a Racial thing, I saw scumbag characters of all shapes, sizes and colors file out of that shit show. Nobody was ever there, even on dollar beer night. The only time anyone showed up was when they would throw all night or sunday morning parties. Nothing like leaving my old apartment on 39th place on a sleepy sunday morning and stumbling over wanna be pimps and ho’s half passed out, holding back puke, fucking against one of my poor neighbors cars.
Im beyond happy this place went under.
I have lived in the area for about 7 years and I’m in the bar business.I would love to open that bar and have it run right like my other ones good food good times and make it part off the community where everyone can come and have a good time ,I hear people would urinate in court yard I would put cameras and embarrass the and ask them never to come back if anyone knows the landlord he can email me at jfkcorpny@aol.com thanks
$1 beer night was for the neighborhood people. ALL races. The irish bars aren’t welcoming to everyone.
Other nights the owner would throw “free parties” by raffle to make the place look full and attract all types of people. The free party usually was a few hours of free drinks for x amount of people.
Sunday morning was because they were running an illegal after hours from Saturday nights to stay afloat. I don’t know ANY neighborhood people who when there on that day.
The bars in the neighborhood serve a purpose. Lately it’s the only businesses that can afford the raising rents. It brings in business and people from all over queens and parts of brooklyn and Manhattan. and not everyone works a 9 to 5 after working a double in a restaurant I would like to have a drink or just hangout and talk to friends. without the bars there is just the bagel shop and the diner. which is kind of sad.
no body needs a Starbucks. Bad Coffee, and we already one. That’s good enough for any neighborhood. Although a nice all night crepe place or a trader joes…..
Would really like a sandwich shop or some healthy fast food on that corner. We need a restaurant there, not another bar.
There’s a Starbucks on 46th & Queens Blvd. Nowhere in Queens are there two Starbucks sites that close to each other. It’s very unlikely, even without factoring in the new coffee shop on 42nd.
Starbucks is perfect. Landlord would love it. I am in RE and have worked with site acquisition specialists for Starbucks and Caribou coffee. I’ll put a call into them….but FYI there is a trendy Korean coffee shop (Starbucks of Korea) opening on NW corner of 42nd St and QnsBlvd.
I hope they open a Paris Baguette or a Starbucks on the site now. The neighborhood needs good coffee/food and a social space.
I was never in Hemsin but a regular customer told me that the owner of the building would not let the owner of Hemsin get a liquor license. It’s tough enough to run a restaurant but having an iffy location and no liquor license–well, even good food can’t make it a success.
@gohome…… Really? People from the north side have no class? You are the only classless and brainless idiot i see here. Grow up.
I remember when I moved to Sunnyside Hemsin was in that location. What a great restaurant, such a shame that corner went downhill.
@ what about
They do fundraisers apparently so all good…. minorities on the other hand have everyone gripping their purses
to ANN – there was NEVER anybody there even on $1 beer nite – 5 customers all nite? people with a brain KNEW it was a front!
CELEBRATE!!!!!!!! saw the owner slithering out yesterday morning at 6am with the bar’s possessions – the “customers” that frequented this bar/drug den/whorehouse either came from Jersey (by license plates or uptown or da bronx) nothing but ghetto trash all around! what legitimate bar opens on sunday morning at 8am with 2 bouncers and the shades pulled all the way down but the music PUMPING –
1st it was a turkish restaurant, Hemsin, then it was a Middle Eastern-Seafood, then (cant remember the name but with good food but no business) and then this dump XIO!! NOTHING EVER LASTS ON THIS CORNER!
I actually liked Xio before it was sold to this new owner. The food was quite good and it was nice service although it was sort of a bizarre mixture of lounge/club/sports bar that made it not a first choice place.
Obviously this is a problem with the new owner (isn’t this the same owner who put out an add wanting to hire only “hot” bartenders or something?). Not with the actual place.
I hope who ever comes in to buy it can bring some quality.
What about all the drunk Irish people that stumble down queens blvd and SkillmAn ave shut all of then down
@ Anne Ward– agreed. Race isn’t the issue here. Rather, it’s behavior and lifestyle. One isn’t “ignorant” or racist for objecting to illegal and/or anti-social behavior, which can be engaged in by persons of any race. So, no, I won’t spit on Obama, I’ll just object to inappropriate behavior in my community. One need not imply the other. Let’s drop the demagoguery and focus on real issues.
I think they were having their last hurrah on Monday/MLK Day. As my wife and I walked by around 4pm, we noticed 2 very promiscuous women rushing out the door and down our street / 39th Place. They were whispering to each other and glancing behind them as if they were being followed. Who might you guess was following them? Yep, you guessed it…seconds later a heavy set, pimp-like fool in a tee (in freezing temps) came out shouting at them and begging them to come back inside. He caught up to them about and started nudging and pulling them by the arm. If it weren’t for normal folks like us looking on, he probably would have used greater force – and foul language for that matter. It was a bizarre scene for this otherwise peaceful street. We used to live across from the ghetto in another borough. We put up with it for 8 years. We moved to Sunnyside for the relative peace and civility.
LANDLORDS…WISE UP!!
@Anne Um….what?
$1 BEERS WEDNESDAY
To all that went and celebrated the great specials, speak up, you know who are, you know we always went there don’t let these people bring down a place that we all know did the right thing and was forced to leave for the wrong reasons
you all think that is now safe for you walk by 39th Street and Queens Boulevard anyone who will say that it’s a fool is s**** that corner is dark and scary… So you think scary was looking at someone at 1 o’clock in the afternoon you will get robbed if you walk by the corner after 9 p.m. You guys are ridiculous
I am a Irish resident of sunnysidefor those of you who enjoyed the one dollar bill Wednesday please stand up and see something to these ignorant fools it doesn’t matter if you’re Black Indian, Chinese, Spanish or any other race that was always welcome at Xio, don’t let these old stupid peipje take away you fight. people like these were the same ones that years ago would spit on a black president, say something now….
I thought this place was already closed down months ago…. Am I wrong? Either way, I am so glad this was officially shut down as it was bringing in trash to the neighborhood! I hated walking passed this place on a Sunday with my baby at 10am and seeing ghetto club goers all dressed up and hanging out right outside just always looking like they were going to cause trouble. So I can only imagine what it was like on a weekend night if this is what was happening in the daylight hours.
why don’t you people say what really needs to be said. The people who went to this place were ghetto garbage. The lowest of the low , strippers and dumbass trouble makers looking to hang out and raise hell wherever they went.
Most of the people attending this place Are from the north side no class
This is outstanding news! The people attending this joint were obnoxiously rude and inappropriate. The drug consumption was obvious as well as the odd brothel-like women exiting as well as entering. The odd hours that you would see drunk people roaming around outside the venue,Half naked women lingering on summer mornings. I will for sure not miss this place.
No Gallaghers can come back
Excellent song about Sunnyside. Worth buying for a buck. Do these guys have any local gigs?
http://angelsandvagabonds.bandcamp.com/track/queens-boulevard-serenade
Suprise,Suprise!
Good riddance.
What’s with the public urination? Didn’t the club have toilets?
I don’t like to see local businesses close but this one was obviously a nuisance.
Alleluia! Now let’s hope for a better business or venue that’s “compatible” for this neighborhood!