Beloved Greenpoint dive bar Irene's Place has closed after 44 years

Perhaps best known for its $1 Jell-O shots and Polish beers, the spot appears to have shut down without fanfare

Irene’s Place has apparently served its last $1 Jell-O shot.

The Greenpoint dive bar, beloved by locals for its cheap beers (in particular its Polish beers), posted a sign on its window that it had closed after an “incredible” four-and-a-half decade run. The bar had already shut down by 10:30 p.m. Thursday night when the sign was first spotted by our correspondent — “Nooo!” shouted one would-be patron from the sidewalk — and workers were spotted moving things out of the building on Friday.

“Thank you for all of your years of support,” says the sign. “After an incredible 44 years serving the Greenpoint community, we are closing our doors and moving on. We appreciate your local patronage throughout the years.”

The bar on a normally hopping Friday night, closed and empty (Photo by Maggie Cantrick)

It was not made immediately clear why owner Irene Kabala has shuttered the spot at 623 Manhattan Avenue — she could not immediately be reached for comment and the bar remains closed as of this writing. But 44 years is a long time to run any business, especially a dive bar in a neighborhood that isn’t getting any cheaper and with new competition constantly opening. Irene wrote that she looks forward to “seeing what the new owners have in store for this wonderful bar,” hinting that a new spot is taking its place.

Locals, especially the Polish community, loved the darkly lit spot for its Polish beer and Polish music on its jukebox. Irene’s joins a seemingly endless list of classic spots that have closed their doors as small business owners contend with raising rents and the lingering effects of Covid.