At 86 Bedford, the former home of Chumley’s pub—once a storied haunt of the Beat poets and downtown’s bohemian set—has been fussed and glossed into a buzzy room designed to see and be seen in. The Eighty Six is serving straightforward, easy-to-love steakhouse fare with an unmistakable Catch Hospitality Group twist. (They’re folks who brought you Catch and the always-packed Corner Store, so expect caviar, a raw bar and American fare like a New York strip steak.) If you’re not that hungry, stop by for a bar snack and to see what’s new in the storied Chumley’s spot—we like the potato croquettes with caviar and sardine toast on olive sourdough. A short wine-by-the-glass menu keeps it super simple if you’d like to pair your house-aged steak with a solid Chianti or Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vibe: Rumor has it that the restaurant phrase “86” originated at Chumley’s when a patron had to be shown the door. 86d, then, is your chance of walking and getting a table without a reservation, as E.E. Cummings did so many times before you.
The food: Approachable, indulgent food like a “colossal” shrimp cocktail, a porterhouse for two served with marrow bones and a whole roasted lobster dripping with pink peppercorn lemon butter.
The drinks: Go classic-ish with an olive oil old fashioned and an espresso martini made with salted vanilla, or go full tilt into 2025 with a tomato water negroni and a marg made with melon and “fluffy” pineapple.
Time Out tip: The fourteen-day dry-aged deckle, an outrageously rich portion of marbled, melt-in-your-mouth rib cab, is calling out to you. It’s a treat to find on a steakhouse menu (in fact, this one has come all the way to NYC from South Dakota), so ordering it is a real insider move.