This week feels like a blessing, complete with perfect low-humidity weather, the Knicks leading the playoffs, and the Word Cup starting any day now. If it wasn’t before, now is the time to make al fresco dining (and drinking) priority number one because another cool crop of newly-opened bars and restaurants have sprung up around town.
Look for a slice shop from a well-known Brooklyn pizza team, an East Village taqueria by way of Mexico City, a new bar in Bushwick from the folks behind New York Distilling Co, and more.
Paulie Gee’s East Village Slice Shop
In late May, an East Village outpost of beloved Brooklyn slice shop Paulie Gee’s opened, right, near 6th Street on First Avenue in a space formerly occupied by a Dunkin’ Donuts. With this stretch of First Avenue blowing up with bars and restaurants seemingly by the day, there aren’t a ton of pizzerias, so it’s certainly welcome.
With cozy booths, stool seats, New York style pies (like pepperoni, with vegan options too), and Coca-Cola flowing from a soda fountain, there’s a retro, old-school vibe which helps make this place feel lived in already. 100 1st Ave., East Village, pauliegee.com
Bar Bas
A hidden cocktail lounge in Hell’s Kitchen, Bar Bas opened on May 29, tucked beneath Marseille brasserie and led by Chef Driven Hospitality, the family-owned group created by Simon Oren. Inspired by the laid-back atmosphere of 1970s French bars, and featuring a resident DJ on the weekends, Bar Bas can also fit the bill for a pre-theater meal too.
The three-course dinner (with options of moules frites, steak frites, and more) for $39 is a great deal, show or no show. Bar Bas also serves Marseille’s Champagne and wine list along with cocktails, non-alcoholic options, and French-inspired small plates. 357 West 44th St., Hell’s Kitchen, barbasnyc.com
Limo Bar
Limo Bar opens June 11, straight from the team behind longtime East Village fixture Virginia’s. The idea was to build a space that feels “celebratory, familiar, and unmistakably New York.” The menu features refined-but-approachable bites including mozzarella sticks, club sandwiches, and desserts. The drink menu follows suit with comforting cocktails including the standout Clean Dirty Martini (fun fact: Developed in Paris by bartender Colin Field, the cocktail features a frozen orb of olive juice suspended in the center of the martini, encasing a single olive).
“After 10 years of owning and operating Virginia’s, I knew I wanted to invest more into this neighborhood,” said Limo Bar co-founder Reed Adelson. “[This isn’t] an extension of Virginia’s, but a straightforward, comfortable, cocktail-focused space that I felt the neighborhood needed.”
The Alphabet City space is filled with scans of vintage private car service brochures, automobile auction catalogues, paparazzi photographs of iconic limousine moments, and personal photos of friends and family in limos, reinforcing the idea that everyone has a limo story. 33 Avenue B, East Village, limobarnyc.com
Jaywalker
Also opening this week on June 11 is Jaywalker, a new cocktail bar and event space in Bushwick from the team behind New York Distilling Company. From the large Bushwick space, Jaywalker looks to reimagine the typical distillery tasting room as a place to connect by inviting guests to engage directly with the process through guided tastings, blending experiences, and, yes, cocktail tastings.
The creative cocktail list, with Martinis and Manhattans priced at just $12 each, was created by industry veteran Jamie Gordon. At the center of Jaywalker is the eponymous Jaywalk Rye, a whiskey created from a 17th century variety of New York rye that is just one-third the size of conventional rye, and there’s a reimagined Rye Egg Cream on the cocktail menu as well.
“Steinbeck said that ‘New York is where you prove if what you think in theory makes sense in real life.’ For me, the simultaneous simplicity and complexity of a great Manhattan is the epitome of a great night out,” said Allen Katz, founder of New York Distilling Co. “By the second drink in hand there is usually a realized plan in play built on curiosity and confidence. That’s the feeling we want Jaywalker to capture.” 573 Johnson Ave., Bushwick, nydistilling.com
Tacos Domingo
The first U.S. outpost of Mexico City taquería Tacos Domingo opened this past weekend, on June 7, bringing a taste of CDMX to First Avenue and Saint Mark’s Place. With a slew of locations in Mexico, here in Manhattan they’re offering a small but incredible menu, serving char-grilled tacos with a focus on carne asada, flour tortillas, and house-made salsas.
The bean and cheese taco is excellent and at just $5, is a bargain in this economy. Also look for a quesadilla, aqua frescas, and Top Chico water. House in the former Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, which closed earlier this year, the blog EV Grieve first reported the taco takeover last month. 131 1st Ave., East Village, mundodomingo.xyz
