“It seems a prospective tenant for the old Megu space on Thomas will be an outpost of the international bar/restaurant/music/event space chain called Buddha Bar,” emailed a tipster. “That would be (another) disaster for the neighbors on Thomas and other nearby streets who went through summers of horror with Megu (and Obeca Li before it), particularly their after-hours parties. Locals are suiting up for a fight, and The Community Board seems already aware of this.”

Indeed, CB1 confirmed that the application has been filed, and it’ll be discussed at the April 13 meeting of the CB1 Tribeca Committee.

On one hand, it’s not illogical: Buddha Bar restaurants look like the 12,500-square-foot Megu space, if glitzier. On the other hand, the location—on a narrow side street in a residential neighborhood nowhere near the Meatpacking District—is a questionable fit. Moreover, Community Board 1 will presumably never agree to hours beyond midnight Sunday through Thursday and 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.

If you’re not familiar with Buddha Bar, here’s the brand’s own explanation:

Since its creation in 1996, Buddha-Bar Paris has been the precursor to a true ‘Art of Living’ concept, with confluent influences from the Pacific Rim. This restaurant-bar-lounge, located on the ultra-chic Faubourg St Honoré, was created thanks to the visionary imagination of its founder Raymond Visan, owner of the famous Barfly in Paris.  On a constant quest for new ideas gathered during his numerous trips, particularly to California, Mr. Visan launched the Buddha-Bar that rapidly became a must-see and be-seen in the French capital. For over 15 years, the Buddha-Bar concept has continued to grow and spread its positive energy throughout the world, with restaurants, hotels, spas, beauty care lines, music… today, it is found in over 25 countries and tomorrow… many more. Buddha-Bar cultivates its concept with its Parisian and international clientele, by providing much more than an invitation to travel to distant lands, through its exotic cuisine from around the world… It offers a fully original experience.

There are currently 15 Buddha Bar restaurants, in locations such as Baku, Tbilisi, Kiev, and Manila. From what I can tell, a Meatpacking District outpost opened in 2006 before being forced to change its name. I’m pretty sure it closed years ago (that’s it below), but TripAdvisor has many recent reviews…. Maybe they’re confusing it with Buddakan?