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A major addition is coming to the New York cocktail scene, and we couldn't be more excited. One of Chicago's most revered cocktail bars, The Aviary, is opening a second location on the 35th floor of the Mandarin Hotel at Columbus Circle.
The bar is a product of the Alinea Group, which is also behind the revolutionary three-star Michelin restaurant Alinea and a collection of other great restaurants in Chicago. The Aviary takes a similar approaches to cocktails as Alinea does to food: Both establishments focus on providing mind-blowing experiences as much as they do on serving delicious food and drinks.
The Mandarin has released renderings of the new space, and it looks incredible. The space will have a circular lobby, cozy furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Central Park and the skyline. From custom floor lamps to views of the spot's glass-enclosed Drink Kitchen, the space is poised to be NYC's swankiest new cocktail bar.
The menu will be headed up by the group's James Beard–winning chef Grant Achatz and The Aviary's current head bartender, Micah Melton, who also has a James Beard award on his resume.
The bar is set to open later this summer, but it's not the only Chicago establishment that the group is bringing to the hotel. NYC is also getting its own version of The Office, an intimate, 40-seat space that will serve tasty, mind-blowing cocktails.
Once it opens, you can expect The Aviary to have some of the most coveted seats in the entire city. But trust us: Cocktails that look like this are worth the trouble.
