Nov. 4, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
A Mexican restaurant and a dental practice are set to open on Jackson Avenue early next year.
Hot Peppers, which operates a restaurant in the Oakland Gardens section of Queens, and LIC Dental Associates, which has a practice in Hunters Point, are moving into a ground floor space in a five-story office building located at 27-35 Jackson Ave.
The businesses will move into a brick building that has recently undergone extensive renovation. The building was built in 1965 and five adjoining ground floor spaces have been transformed into expansive commercial units with high windows.
They will join three other businesses that will open in the new row of commercial units at the building.
The other three units will be occupied by a Paris Baguette bakery and restaurants Mito Asian Fusion, which specializes in Asian cuisine and Dun Huang, which offers hand-pulled noodles from northwestern China. None of the businesses have opened yet.
Hot Peppers is taking a 2,500 square foot space in the building while LIC Dental Associates is renting 1,800 square feet, according to Michael Makris, a commercial real estate agent with DY Realty Group. Makris brokered all five commercial deals with Ranee Jaber, a partner at the firm.
It is unclear when Hot Peppers and LIC Dental Associates will open. Both were unable to be reached for comment. However, Makris expects that they will both open some time in the new year.
Hot Peppers will offer traditional Mexican fare such as tacos, quesadillas, nachos and burritos. It has one other location at 78-33 Springfield Blvd. in Oakland Gardens, which opened in 2018.
Meanwhile, LIC Dental Associates has been operating at 50-02 5th St. since 2015. The dental practice offers a wide range of services including cosmetic dentistry, restorative care for fillings and crowns as well as orthodontic treatments like Invisalign — a type of invisible braces.
The Jackson Avenue space will be the practice’s second location.
The Long Island City commercial market has been in demand in recent months and there has been a lot of interest in the Jackson Avenue spaces, Makris said.
The opening of Trader Joe’s at 22-43 Jackson Ave. in June coupled with the news that Target is coming to 1 Court Square West has spurred a lot of movement in the market, Makris said.
“Leasing activity in retail has exploded since Trader Joe’s opened, it has been a big trigger for the area,” Makris said. “The announcement that Target is coming also caused a lot of activity.”