Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Joe Downtown: Late delivery will keep Uncle Joe’s in existing shop

Fremont Pizza

Sam Morris / Las Vegas Sun

Longtime Fremont Street eatery Uncle Joe’s Pizza is seen Tuesday, July 24, 2012.

Map of Uncle Joe's Pizza

Uncle Joe's Pizza

505 Fremont Street, Las Vegas

Uncle Joe's Pizza is staying put.

I reported recently that the longtime Fremont Street restaurant had closed and would reopen in the Gold Spike, one of Downtown Project's most recent acquisitions.

Owner Xhindi "Uncle Joe" Hazbi had leased space at 505 Fremont St. for 17 years.

When Downtown Project bought his building, however, he thought he might have to leave when his lease expired in 2015.

Downtown Project, however, instead wanted him to move his operation into the Gold Spike. That's where he appeared to be going.

Hazbi closed his restaurant recently and his store's windows were covered with sheets of brown paper.

Then something unexpected occurred.

Hazbi and his lawyer looked more closely at the 505 Fremont St. lease.

Instead of the lease expiring in two years, they found it expires in 12 years.

Now that he doesn't have to move, Hazbi said he hoped to reopen his restaurant June 1.

Joe Schoenmann doesn’t just cover downtown, he lives and works there. Schoenmann is Greenspun Media Group’s embedded downtown journalist, working from an office in the Emergency Arts building.

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