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Just when you thought each of the East Village’s sippable square feet were all accounted for, a new spot pours into the super-saturated neighborhood.
On Thursday, December 7, Romeo’s opens at 118 St. Marks Place. In kind of a switcheroo, it assumes the space previously occupied by a cannabis lifestyle business. Earlier still, the address had a long life as a different bar, St. Dymphna’s, which has since relocated to Avenue A. It’s like in the 2010s, when a Starbucks that turned into a bank would turn back into a Starbucks, writ for this moment.
The interior is intended as a counterpoint to moody cocktail dens, per a press release, mingling Art Deco details and dabs of 90s-style neon amid bright pink walls and big mirrors. Its 20-foot bar is made of cement, and its banquettes were custom-made.
Romeo’s inaugural drink list is divided into highball, shaken and stirred sections. Every item will be served in a frozen glass to comport with co-owner and beverage director Evan Hawkins’ (previously of Mother’s Ruin, Loverboy and Broken Shaker) commitment to those old lovers: texture and temperature.
“Our cocktail menu utilizes the classics, while putting my own spin on each one,” Hawkins is quoted as saying in the release. “I want people to know exactly what they are ordering just by saying the name. A great cocktail doesn’t have to be mysterious.”
A spicy margarita with house-made avocado agave syrup, espresso martini with hazelnut foam and a mai tai made with Italian pistachio paste are among those introductory, aspirationally intelligible libations.
Romeo’s is located at 118 St. Marks Place. It will be open daily from 4pm-2am beginning Thursday, December 7.