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A cyberpunk-inspired Asian food hall and beer garden is coming to Queens

The bustling night markets in Asian cities are its inspiration.

Shaye Weaver
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Shaye Weaver
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The bustling night markets in cities across Asia are the inspiration for a massive new food hall and beer garden coming to Flushing, Queens this summer.

The space, which is cyberpunk meets organic industrial, will open at Tangram—a gigantic mixed-use complex in Flushing that has retail, luxury residential towers, an office tower, the Renaissance New York Flushing Hotel and a state-of-the-art 4DX movie theater from Regal Cinemas.

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When it opens this summer, it'll have its own international eats from Na Tart, Cruncheese, Qing Shu, Zaab Zaab, Da Wei Mei Shi and more. The hope is to recreate the nightlife seen in Netflix's docuseries Midnight Asia and BHDM Design principal Dan Mazzarini’s extensive travels through Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei), and renderings certainly suggest that will be the case.

According to a press release, Mazzarini was "in awe of their unique, kinetic energy—a frenzy of people, products, sights and smells—and how the markets were physically activated with people and visually activated by lights and signs."

Tangram food hall
Rendering: courtesy of Tangram

Entering the space will be pretty cool, too. The entry is marked by a dropped proscenium header (think theater arch) and a compressed, stalactite ceiling made of layers of pointed triangles that catch light. This piece will essentially be an optic art installation.

The food hall itself will be pretty dynamic—in the daytime, textures like reclaimed cedar columns with metal cuffs, concrete floors, exposed ceilings, and textured metal details will be highlighted by sunlight, but at night, bright, dancing lights, TV screens and neon ceiling signs will brighten up the space.

Vendors will be along the perimeter with an "undulating" header with vendor names but also in the center as individual islands. Above the central island, vendor stalls have "cage-like" fixtures made of black metal gridded boxes. The main alley will have high black ceilings with exposed mechanicals and hidden lighting.

Tangram is also opening Hoi Polloi (the Greek term for "the people"), which is a night beer garden with multiple bars, 24 beers on tap, including local beer, curated cocktails made by mixologists, a gaming alcove, and a robust sound system for live music and space for private parties.

Overhead, sphere-shaped lights, a disco ball and LED lights will color the room neon pink and teal in a circular design that repeats throughout the space. Perhaps the most attractive piece of Hoi Polloi is its main feature—a wall that is meant to look like a lava lamp. It leads out to a 40-person outdoor terrace, where drinkers can see the neighborhood. 

Light and color are the central characters here. 

According to Tangram, Hoi Polloi will use natural light from the west-facing windows to shine color into the space with graphics that are pasted on its windows. LEDs will animate the room and "pulse to the beat of the music" in the evenings.

"The lights are a marriage of architectural and theatrical lighting," Tangram said in its release. "The designers tapped Tirso Lighting to help create this vision. To further expand upon this design premise, simple black and white surfaces were used so light can reflect off of them to become a focal point."

Make sure to stay updated about its official opening date at @tangramnyc on Instagram.

Tangram Beer Garden Hoi Polloi
Rendering: courtesy of Tangram

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