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Back in September, the beloved Cherry Lane Theatre, the oldest Off Broadway theater in New York, reopened at 38 Commerce Street in the West Village after a two-year renovation led by its new owner since 2022: indie film studio A24.
As announced earlier, A24 plans to use the space for a variety of one-night-only special events, film screenings and, of course, unique theater programs.
Beyond its traditional theater offerings, the company is also venturing into the culinary world with an intimate new restaurant inside the 167-seat venue. Aptly named Wild Cherry, the restaurant and bar is helmed by chefs Lee Hanson and Riad Nasr, and described in a press release as an “intimate supper club” inviting theatergoers for a pre- or post-show meal—or anyone else simply looking for a classic New York night out at a restaurant.
The dining room fits 45 people and the space is anchored by a 12-seat horseshoe-shaped bar that really gives the place character.
The menu leans heavily on raw options, starting with a selection of oysters, tuna crudo cured with piquillo lemon, scallops, seafood cocktails and mussels. Appetizers range from steak tartare and frog legs to a Caesar salad and chicken liver mousse, while mains run the gamut from a classic cheeseburger to red beans and rice, a monkfish kebab and a lobster club. Diners can also opt for a Denver-cut steak dinner for two, served with a baked potato and salad.
Dessert options are few, but that usually means they’re exceptional: a coconut cake and soft serve, available in chocolate, vanilla or a swirl of both.
Onto the drinks: as the classic New York setting demands, the offerings skew timeless... with a few creative twists. There’s a Bee’s Knees with a hint of passion fruit, for example, but also a Mai Tai (rum, mango, hojicha, coconut, chile), a white negroni (gin, Lillet, lemon verbena, Suze, apricot), a dirty martini (celery, olive, oyster shell, with either vodka or gin) and a spicy Paloma (sotol, grapefruit, cinnamon, Thai chili).
A nod to the times, the menu also features two zero-proof options alongside classic wines and beers. But the real showstopper is the Scorpion Bowl, which is served in a vintage Murano glass bowl and designed for sharing. Priced at $86, it’s a potent mix of rum, cognac, gin, falernum, orgeat, orange and lime. Fair warning: Scorpion Bowls are known to pack a punch, and this one doesn’t seem any different.
All in all, Wild Cherry feels like a taste of old New York—timeless enough to charm any modern city dweller—because in a place where the theater itself demands authenticity, only true New York style will do.