The East Village’s hottest new cocktail bar recently opened at the Corner of 1st Ave. and 6th Street, and it’s serving as the neighborhood’s living room for good drinks, good food, and good times. And we’re not kidding about the “living room” part–the space is literally split into two areas: the living room and the kitchen table, and the overall aesthetic is giving your cool friend’s house party vibes.
The new gem is called schmuck., and it’s brought to us by acclaimed bartenders Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy. The duo were both at one point behind Barcelona’s Two Schmucks (Aljaff opened Two Schmucks in 2017) which was ranked number seven on the World’s 50 Best Bars in 2022, and after a pit stop in Miami in early 2023, they, along with their now business partner Dan Binkiewicz, set their eyes on New York for the permanent location for schmuck., marking their U.S. debut.
And though cocktail bars often get a bad rap for being pretentious, schmuck. is anything but. The space actually operates like a casual cocktail party–in this case, the 1,600-square-foot space is split into the Living Room and the Kitchen Table, each of which has its own unique drink menu and aesthetic. Just like at any house party, guests can drink, snack, mix, and mingle across the various spaces.
On the menu guests will find 22 ingredient-driven, flavorful drinks spread across the two spaces. The menu in the Living Room features 12 drinks, including FIKA, which recalls food memories of enjoying a fresh cinnamon bun with coffee using Bacardi 8 and Mr. Black, BLANKA, inspired by the classic French winter salad of raw fennel with an orange vinaigrette with Four Walls whiskey, fennel, mustard vinaigrette, and pecan, and BREAD WITH TOMATOES, which evokes the feeling of dipping bread into tomato water remaining after a crisp tomato salad.
The smaller room–which has its own entrance and is meant for multiple visits per week–is for guests who are interested in dipping in and out of multiple conversations. The 10 cocktails here focus on one or two straight forward, big, strong flavors, such as Le Banané, Melon, Cheese, Pepper, and Strawberry & Cheese.
And of course, no house party would be complete without snacks, and the ones at schmuck. highlight Persian-meets-Western European flavors and techniques. Dishes include White Bean Cacio e Pepe with smoked bread crumbs, tarragon oil, and black pepper, Middle Eastern Spiced Sausage with caramelized orange jus, and mashed potatoes, Smoked Labneh with fresh & pickled veg, chili oil, and flatbread, and Puff Pastry Pizza, fried with a parsley-tarragon-dill pesto, and topped with a ton of parmesan cheese.
Aljaff stated:
The beauty of the schmuck. brand is that it’s ever evolving and truly cannot be contained to one thought, idea, drink, or mood…This has been a labor of love to the fullest. We’ve been so welcomed by our New York hospitality family…as well as the locals whose excitement for this project has given us those small energy boosts needed to keep pushing on…At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of schmucks from all over, joining forces to provide memorable moments for our guests.
Overall, schmuck. is a true reflection of Aljaff and Larrouy, with the cocktails, food, design, music–basically, the overall vibes in general–stemming from the duo’s Middle Eastern and European heritages. Just like a house party, whether you know all the attendees or just the host, everyone is welcome to join, relax, and have a good time.
schmuck. is open Tuesday to Sunday. Limited reservations are available via Resy though most of the seating available for walk-ins–and, judging by the crowds we’ve seen outside the bar on social media, we can say this new venture is already getting the recognition it deserves! Find more info on schmuck.’s website.
📍 97 First Avenue