Go Insider Shake Shack King Danny Meyer's Latest Venture

Restaurateur Danny Meyer has a long list of hits, and his latest venture with Union Square Hospitality Group and Blue Smoke senior managing partner Mark Maynard-Parisi is no different. Porchlight, a cocktail bar that opened this spring in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, is serving up a modern take on Southern classics—and smart design.

Local firm Parts and Labor Design chose to celebrate the bar’s location—inside the 120-year-old Waterfront New York Building—with a salvaged-wood bar, original exposed brick, and cast-iron columns. For a twist on the industrial look, they layered in midcentury pieces, architectural lighting by Gan Leehanantakul of G2J Design, and minimalist glassware.

Visitors can experience the 200-seat space in many ways: Get cozy with a date in the lounge, enjoy a night out with friends in the old-school game room, or take in live music on the indoor porch (yes, there’s actually a porch inside). “We wanted guests to interact with the bar beyond our drinks, food, and service,” says Maynard-Parisi. You can even take a piece of the action home, thanks to specially designed matchbooks, playing cards, and drink coasters.

Porchlight, 271 Eleventh Avenue, New York; porchlightbar.com.

By Lindsey Mather

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