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East Harlem's X-rated 'sports bar' stirs local outrage, but lax enforcement from City Hall
By
Charles Lane
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 25, 2025
Modified Sep 25, 2025
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Charles Lane/Gothamist
By
Charles Lane
and
Giulia Heyward
Published Sep 25, 2025
Modified Sep 25, 2025
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A glowing neon sign that reads “GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS” greets customers inside the door.
Women in fishnets and thongs dance in front of a stage as customers throw cash. For $100 to $200, they’ll expose their genitalia and allow patrons to grope them.
But the owner of Bodega Paradise, which opened in East Harlem in May, says it’s not a strip club.
The club’s neighbors, who said the owner pitched the venue last October as a café and bar, began raising concerns shortly after spotting stripper poles inside and seeing lurid snapshots online. But instead of providing answers, they said, the mayor’s Office of Nightlife dismissed many of their concerns.
City Councilmember Diana Ayala, who has a district office across the street, said she also saw the dancing poles. But when she complained, she said, the head of the nightlife office “gaslit” her and dismissed her concerns. A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams originally told Gothamist that Ayala was “spreading misinformation.”
The episode, Ayala and others say, is emblematic of the Adams administration’s lax enforcement of nightlife establishments. In 2023, Mayor Eric Adams dismantled the Multi Agency Response to Community Hotspots — or MARCH — program, which conducted late-night raids on bars and clubs, primarily in communities of color.
But neighbors and local leaders say Bodega Paradise misled the community about its business and now the city is allowing the club to operate in violation of clear rules about adult entertainment venues.
When pressed by residents at a public meeting, Capt. Eric Carrasquillo, the commander of the NYPD’s 25th Precinct, said the definition of a strip club is largely in the eye of the beholder.
“Does it look like a strip club? Maybe, maybe not,” he said. “It all depends on what you consider a strip club.”
City zoning rules, however, clearly define what an adult entertainment venue is and forbid “adult establishments” in residential zones like East Harlem. The NYPD posted foot patrols outside the venue in response to community concerns, but the agency isn't responsible for enforcing zoning rules.
Adult venues, as defined by the city, provide live performances focused on "specified anatomical areas" or "specified sexual activities.”
These activities include “human genitals in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal; actual or simulated acts of human masturbation, sexual intercourse or sodomy; or fondling or other erotic touching of human genitals, pubic region, buttock, anus or female breast.”
Several of these activities were on display when two Gothamist reporters recently visited Bodega Paradise after midnight. Specifically, women simulated acts of sexual intercourse, touched each other’s covered breasts and genital areas and offered to expose their vaginas and breasts in exchange for cash.
Errant employee or business model?
In October 2024, Bodega Paradise owner Alex Meskouris told Manhattan’s Community Board 11 that the business would operate as a breakfast spot and sports bar. He made no mention of erotic or nude dancing, according to a recording of the meeting.
The board, which only serves in an advisory role, declined to approve a liquor license for the location on the corner of 116th Street and Park Avenue, saying Meskouris’ proposed hours of operation were too late in the night. The State Liquor Authority still granted a temporary retail permit in March, which carries many of the same privileges as a full liquor license — most importantly, the ability to serve alcohol.
Bodega Paradise opened in May. Soon after, it was promoted on Instagram by a now-deleted account called “kingofstripclubs,” with images of scantily clad women and phrases like “gentleman’s club” and "featuring the hottest women in the industry.”
Meskouris told Gothamist the “kingofstripclubs” promotion was the fault of an errant employee. In a statement earlier this summer, his lawyer, Gen Harris, said Meskouris delegated the club to a manager, whom he later fired.
“This manager strayed from the agreed-upon direction and began steering the venue toward a more adult entertainment-oriented atmosphere,” Harris said. “The moment Mr. Meskouris became aware of this shift, he terminated the relationship and reversed the changes.”
Meskouris did not provide the employee’s name, so Gothamist was unable to verify his account.
Weeks later, when Gothamist laid out its findings for Harris, she denied any knowledge of “criminal sexual misconduct” and said she and her firm were engaged by Bodega Paradise only for assistance in securing a liquor license and communications to the local community board. Harris also requested that her name be removed from the story.
Neighbors who spoke to Gothamist said over the past few months they were able to enter the club and saw what looked like poles on a stage behind the bar, but Meskouris denied that they existed.
“There's no poles,” he said. “There was, for a decoration, for a vibe. But it's covered, it’s long gone.”
Two Gothamist reporters visited the location a month after Meskouris said the poles had been removed. The poles were covered, but many of the women dancing were not.
A journey to the back of Bodega Paradise
Gothamist visited the club twice over the summer — once during the day and once after midnight. The adult-oriented atmosphere was even more pronounced than depictions on social media.
The venue is divided into a front bar and a back-of-club area where a neon “GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS” sign points to a heavy metal door with a one-way glass window cut into it. The area was off-limits during a daytime visit, and a reporter witnessed an employee being reprimanded for leaving the door open.
But during a subsequent midnight visit on a different day, bouncers at the door charged a $20 cover for a VIP bracelet that allowed patrons past the metal door. Two Gothamist reporters saw three female bartenders wearing black bras, thongs and fishnet stockings. The bartenders regularly touched each other’s intimate areas, simulated sex acts and allowed patrons to touch their genitals.
At one point, a bartender offered to expose her genitals to a group of patrons for $200. The group assembled $125, which the bartender exchanged for smaller bills for them before fondling another bartender while the patrons tossed dollar bills at them. On multiple occasions, the bartenders placed the hands of patrons on their buttocks and breasts. On another occasion, a bartender offered to expose herself to a Gothamist reporter for $100.
Asked to comment, Meskouris denied that any of his employees expose themselves for cash, calling the allegation “completely false and offensive.” He declined to answer specific questions about Gothamist’s observations of bartenders fondling one another and patrons, or if he was aware of such behavior.
Customers and a bouncer gathered outside of Bodega Paradise at night
Charles Lane/Gothamist
City Hall pushes back
Ayala, the local city councilmember, made an impromptu visit to the storefront in May and said she saw the poles for herself. When she went to the city’s Office of Nightlife to complain, she said she was brushed off.
She filed a formal complaint with the city’s Community Link initiative, triggering a multiagency inspection that found several violations, including small fire hazards, loose bricks, the use of hookah pipes in an eating establishment, and upper floors that were inaccessible to inspectors.
The inspections occurred during the early evening hours before the backroom was open, according to a City Hall spokesperson.
But Ayala said the mayor’s office told her initially that she was overreacting. When told of Gothamist’s late-night visit, Ayala said she felt somewhat vindicated and was surprised the mayor’s office wasn’t more concerned.
“Instead, it was just very much in defense of this establishment and trying to gaslight me,” she said.
When initially reached by Gothamist, City Hall defended the Office of Nightlife’s response and pointed to the mayor’s effort to cut red tape for small businesses like restaurants and nightclubs.
Mayoral spokesperson Liz Garcia said Ayala had acted prematurely at first by demanding enforcement and mischaracterized what she saw during her visit.
“Unfortunately, the councilmember requested enforcement action against the business before getting all of the facts,” Garcia said. “While [The Office of Nightlife] has tried to provide the proper information to her, the councilmember seems to be more interested in spreading misinformation in the press at the expense of a local business owner."
But when Gothamist later presented the mayor’s office with its own findings, Garcia said the city would take enforcement action. As of publication, the city has not indicated whether an enforcement action took place. A City Hall spokesperson last week asked that Gothamist turn over evidence of its own investigation to police, but the publication declined.
Police spokesperson Brad Weekes said the NYPD stationed officers outside the club each night in response to community complaints, and that no crimes have been reported.
Ayala hasn’t been the only person complaining. Neighbors said a distinctive crowd started to gather late at night around the establishment soon after it opened.
Residents said they tried to enter the club, but were turned away. Others, like James Ratti, vice president of the NYPD’s 25th Precinct Community Council, said they stopped by repeatedly and were told no one was available.
“[A bouncer] said, ‘You’ve got to come back later,’” Ratti said in an interview. “I came back the next day and he says, ‘No, no, no. There's nobody here to talk to.’”
Kioka Jackson, the Community Council’s president, said she isn't opposed to strip clubs in properly zoned areas, but this one shouldn't be located on a residential block.
“I think it brings down the fabric of the neighborhood,” Jackson said. “If [the owner] had done some culture walks, he would see that this neighborhood didn't deserve a place like that.”
‘Get away with anything’
The Office of Nightlife was created in 2017 to ease tensions between residents and nightlife venues. But in this case, Ayala and other residents said the office acted more like a buffer for the business than a mediator.
They’ve said the city's handling of Bodega Paradise reflects a broader shift in how nightlife is regulated — or not regulated — under Adams.
Early in his administration, the mayor directed city agencies to stop surprise inspections of nightlife venues and focus instead on helping them operate. He has defended that approach as key to New York’s post-pandemic recovery.
Critics, like Ayala, have said such an approach leaves neighborhoods without enough oversight and recourse when problems arise.
Xavier Santiago, chair of Manhattan’s Community Board 11, said he believes the venue operates beyond its stated purpose, and the city’s tepid response sends a dangerous message.
“People think they can get away with anything,” Santiago said. “It's going to take a mayor who's going to have to put on their britches and take harsher actions.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misspelled the name of police spokesperson Brad Weekes. The story has also been updated to reflect that police stationed officers outside the venue in response to community complaints.
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eric adams
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Charles Lane
Charles is a Day-of reporter focused on breaking news and enterprise. He’s very friendly and can be reached at [email protected], or more securely on whatsapp/signal 631-295-6715
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Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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