A Dive-bar Soap Opera Heads to Court

L ast April, Chinatown’s notoriously hectic 169 Bar was sued by its landlord for eviction and nonpayment of rent. In their legal complaint, the building owners say that the bar had failed to vacate after its lease expired on February 28, 2025. At first, it seemed like a regular landlord-tenant dispute. But it became clear this wasn’t the case after the bar fired back with its own claims, any one of which would be enough to raise eyebrows. The allegations, made in court documents and on social media, include extortion, the landlord’s daughter berating employees, theft committed by the super, retaliation against an employee who lives in the building, and the landlord showing up to the building in, well, a disguise. Tomorrow, they’ll appear in court.