In a city like NYC with so much going on, the word “interactive” has lost its meaning–it seems like everything is deemed interactive these days, but when we hear the word we expect to be fully immersed into a world that makes it hard for us to differentiate between reality and imagination. But Pinky Swear, a new interactive art lounge and restaurant, is going back to the basics and “reigniting the curiosity and defiant spirit of even the most cynical New Yorkers” this spring.
Pinky Swear is redefining how we interact with art, food, drink, and space by not only presenting itself as a restaurant and cocktail lounge, but intertwining the two with an experiential, immersive art installation. The space describes itself as “an immersive social experience for artists, creatives, gourmands, and creatures of the night.”
Visionaries Jeanette Didon (interior architect and hospitality designer) and Nathan Roth (artist and interaction designer) have created a space where surreal aesthetics blend with functional elegance. Their imaginative design invites guests into an environment that stimulates the senses and reignites the imagination.
The 3,000-square-foot venue is divided into three distinct experiences, plus a rotating gallery and front bar featuring an oil slick-inspired finish—a nod to NYC’s streets. Handmade elements—from mirrors and light trails to furniture and poured concrete—create a textured canvas for interactive light, generative digital art, and code-driven sculptures. The result is a space that blurs the line between art installation and nightlife destination, transcending your traditional dining experience
Outside, there’s a courtyard complete with a firepit and tableside s’mores service. A press release reads:
Inside, every one is Alice, and every space is Wonderland…Nothing is left to chance, and you can certainly feel it. Everything is connected to art and the joy of creating. And whether you are there for the gallery, the event, the restaurant, the cocktails, or just the company, the experience will keep growing on you with new discoveries throughout the evening, and through your visits.
Throughout the space guests will find non-traditional, hyper-interactive art installations, sculptures, and fixtures that generally don’t reach wide audiences and are unlocked utilizing Pinky Swear tokens. From payphones that unveil the answers to life’s great mysteries to ancient marble busts that whisper secrets to passersby and even parking meters that “pay” guests for their time, each interactive art piece animates your imagination.
That’s to say, you certainly won’t find art like this at The Met!
All of the space’s installations have been crafted by a team of visionary artists–some of which are veterans who have collaborated with NYC icons like Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Shepard Fairy, and Banksy. The installations are featured on a rotating basis and each one adapts depending on how you interact with them, so you’ll never have the same experience twice.
This revelry for the senses even carries through the bar and food menu, where conventional recipes are reimagined–your negroni may have saffron and your brisket burger may have Cheez-Whiz, for example. Consulting culinary director Will Horowitz’s menus and food are as ever-changing as the scene and seasons, and are inspired both by nature and his relationship with local farmers and fishermen.
If you’re looking for a quiet, uneventful dinner, you certainly won’t find that at Pinky Swear. However, if you’re looking to tap into creative rebellion and discovery and bring that feeling home with you, the space encourages you to come calling. A press release writes:
Social masks are to be discarded at the door, as this is a place where every button is meant to be pressed. Where music is to be heard with your eyes. Where phone booths can call the future and ancient marble busts can voice their long-lost stories. Every interaction is intended to break down walls and inhibitions, so we can once again rebuild what’s been lost since the onset of COVID: interaction.
We’re certainly looking forward to the chance to explore the space and reignite our childlike wonder. Follow along with Pinky Swear on its website.
🗓 On track to open April 24th
📍 171 Chrystie Street