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$10K Burglary at Papacitos Restaurant in Greenpoint

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A sign posted on Papacitos over the weekend announced the robbery.

Papacitos, the wildly popular Greenpoint Mexican restaurant with the best vegetarian tacos in town, was the victim of a brazen robbery Saturday night. Co-owner Cody Utzman tells us that thieves broke into the establishment after it closed, hopping the courtyard fence and entering through the back. According to Utzman, the robbers smashed open the cash register and made off with a safe that had $10,000 inside, as well as the restaurant stereo and some employees' personal belongings. Police have dusted for fingerprints and are investigating the incident.

But there's also good news for Papacitos fans; Utzman tells us he's doubling the size of the place by expanding into the adjacent storefront, which is part of the same building and was the former home of a palm reader. He adds that a "very high profile" designer is overseeing the expansion, which will include a 12 foot tequila bar (whenever Papacitos' liquor license finally gets renewed) and a new mosaic fountain in the spacious courtyard. Work is expected to start next month, with the expansion complete by the end of July.

And starting this weekend, Utzman, who won accolades for his brunch when he was head chef at nearby Brooklyn Label, unveils his new brunch menu, which includes such appetizing items as an Eggs Benedict with chipotle hollandaise and masa corn cakes in lieu of English muffins, and a chocolate and chili French Toast. So go throw them a few bucks; Utzman says the robbery "couldn't have come at a worse time," because quarterly taxes are due soon and his insurance doesn't cover cash theft.

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By John Del Signore in on June 22, 2009 12:37 PM

Comments [rss]

  • that guy

    hahahahahahahahhahahaha... "cokehead cody, i love it

  • youowememoney

    Cokehead Cody?? Inside job??? NEVER! ha. you deserve it you scammer

  • squirrel23

    HA!

    I highly highly doubt any "high end designer" (stated as if he is speaking of a pair of jeans!!!) would help that hole.



    the food has been so inconsistent for the passed almost year it has been open.



    stop scamming...plus STOP LYING! SURE THING YOU HAD NO INSURANCE!

  • whitecastlerock

    Oh get a grip-Well south is about 10 blocks in your book. My comment is not inaccurate-the area was not Mexican, but Puerto Rican. Anyone without their head up their ass would know that





  • algul_siento

    Actually above Greenpoint Avenue there has been a large Spanish speaking population for a long time.

  • whitecastlerock

    Never were they seen on Manhattan Avenue-not unless they were working at Socrates diner

  • jaycjay

    Socrates is well south of Greenpoint Ave. Anyone who's spent much time in Greenpoint in the past couple of decades or so knows that algul_siento's comment is accurate.

  • whitecastlerock

    I had no idea Mexicans took over Greenpoint-it used to be all Polish

  • tsol

    There's nothing Mexican about the California Tofu Tacos they serve there.

  • John Del Signore

    They're made with seitan.

  • NannyState

    Seitanism in Brooklyn?

  • GREGORYABUTLER

    HAIL SAITAN [pentagram drawn in blood]

  • grandeur

    I used to work for the guy. In my opinion, he's a shallow asshole. But a GREAT chef.



    Wouldn't be surprised if it was one of his former employees.

  • coyote64

    Anyone checked Papacito's DOH violations recently??



    http://167.153.150.32/RI/web/detail.do?method=detail&restaurantId=41388340&inspectionDate=20090420



    I wish Cody well but that shit is not cool.

  • matukonyc

    12 violation points is nothing!



    Brooklyn Label = 21

    Dunkin' Donuts on Manhattan Ave = 22

    Lamb and Jaffy = 26

    Tacos and More = 89

  • grandeur

    yeah, this sounds like an inside job to me. How else could they figure out where the safe is?





    Sounds extremely fishy.

  • thekillertouch

    How does something 'sound' fishy?

  • grandeur

    take eng 101. read article again. then ask this question.

  • thekillertouch

    I've heard of things 'smelling' fishy, but not 'sounding' fishy.

  • awesome tacos there!

  • BERT

    read again...it was a safe, not register.

  • longacre

    My bad, I only saw the "smashed open the cash register" part. Reading comprehension FTL. :-(

  • valeriob

    It may as well have been a register. Who keeps 10k in a portable safe?

  • datswhatsup

    who keeps 10k in a portable safe, on site, and doesn't even have theft insurance.

  • longacre

    Either it was an inside job or those are the luckiest robbers ever. Who keeps $10K in a cash register?

  • wobbleSmith

    don't worry, dude. you can recoup your losses by charging $12 for a burrito! everyone else in NYC is doing it, so it's totally cool.

  • buttface

    You mean $12 for eggs and salsa.

  • sj

    Technically, that's a burglary, not a robbery.



    /pedant

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