One of the city’s best eateries is getting an upgrade. The 2nd Avenue Deli, an iconic destination for any fan of pastrami and corned beef sandwiches, a proper bagel, and smoked salmon, has opened a second floor to the restaurant. Josh and Jeremy Lebewohl, the brothers behind the restaurant that was founded by their Uncle Abe in 1954, are opening a bar directly above the Jewish eatery. Dubbed 2nd Floor, the cocktail bar is a cozy respite from the quiet streets of the Upper East Side, and accessible from East 75th Street.
A list of handcrafted cocktails by bar director Jason Jeffords III includes the Man-O-Manischewitz with Dorothy Parker Gin, spiced Manischewitz and lemon, the Upper Eastsider with gin or vodka, house ginger beer, Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray, cucumber and mint, and the Japanese Sunrise with tequila, Aperol, yuzu, mandarin, grapefruit and rosemary. A selection of beers, ciders and kosher wines from Israel are also offered.
The bar is meant to be a tribute to the restaurant below it, and does so with a menu of modern-Jewish delicacies crafted by Chef David Teyf including birch-smoked tongue sliders, gefilte croquettes, pastrami deviled eggs, and stuffed and fried chicken skin known as Helzel.
The walls are adorned with Yiddish theatre posters, leather banquettes, a brass cocktail bar, and vintage furniture to act as a step back in time to the New York of yesteryear, featuring enhanced, modern concepts in each cocktail and dish.
Above all though, the cozy new cocktail bar is meant to be a nuanced approach to the family and restaurants legacy. The bar puts one foot forward into popular restaurant culture in New York today, while keeping the other foot planted firmly in the vast history of the 2nd Avenue Deli.
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