Temple Bar, the clandestine bar on Lafayette Street that served up martinis, mood lighting and a downtown version of uptown glamour until it closed on New Year’s Eve in 2017, is now reopen. And though the management may be new, it is decidedly loyal to the memory of the original.
Maneesh K. Goyal and David Rabin have joined with Michael McIlroy and Sam Ross to resurrect a bar they all often leaned against in the past. Temple Bar’s name and its Art Deco-ish green décor will remain the same, though the space has been thoroughly refurbished. Also remaining in place is the skeletal chameleon that was the bar’s logo and is still the only clue that 332 Lafayette Street contains an elegant saloon.
The drink list will be heavy on martini variations, Champagne and mezcal, but with playful touches. The house Negroni will be blue, the Campari stripped of its red hue and recolored. Several of the stirred cocktails on the menu can be ordered as “royales” — that is, topped with Champagne.
The partners’ intentions in reviving Temple Bar aren’t too far from what the bar meant to achieve when it first opened more than 30 years ago. “I like to call this nightlife for grown-ups,” Mr. Rabin says. “It should feel a little bit elevated, a little bit aspirational, but it shouldn’t feel like just going to a club somewhere.”
templebar.co
332 Lafayette Street | New York, NY 10012
Hours
Monday—Wednesday 5pm—2am
Thursday—Saturday 5pm—3am
Sunday 5pm—1am
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