Thursday, May 30, 2024

The East Village, full of bars, gets an anti bar

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

Don't expect to find a list of mocktails at Kosmic Community Anti Bar, now in soft-open mode at 115 Avenue C between Seventh Street and Eighth Street.

Owner and East Village resident James Lockwood (below middle with business partners Tyler Garrett and Apostolos Filippas) said they are "not big on mocktails," instead opting for a full coffee bar with drink specials including Italian sodas, hibiscus vanilla teas, yerba mate, fruit presses and juice options.
We spotted the Kosmic Community sign going up last Friday, and Lockwood gave us a tour of the space (the former Mug & Cup). It includes a retro sitting area complete with a phone booth and back garden...
In the future, Lockwood plans to offer some live music ... and possibly a food menu.

But first things first: The official grand opening is coming in about a month. 

For now, the daily hours are 10 a.m. to midnight, possibly later on weekends "if people want to stay." 

16 comments:

Scuba Diva said...

Looking forward to this!

editrrix said...

Ditto, this looks fun!

Anonymous said...

Best wishes- looks cool!

Matt Josephson said...

Very excited about this, let's rock and roll brother!

Andrés Gallardo Bustillo said...

This place is great! Tried it this week and it is already one of my favorite spots in the city!

Rachel Thompson said...

This place is so cool inside, so much to take in. It is definitely the type of place you have to go to a few times to see it all. Great tea offerings, fantastic coffee, and kind owners.

7 said...

Truly a work of art you can walk through. I love living in nyc where places like this exist. Excited to use this as my go to coffee shop to read, work, and socialize. This will be the go-to cafe for summer with its wide open windows and back patio area. Friendly staff, all natural health conscious beverages, and they even have decaf!

Longtimelesres said...

This place sounds good except for the back patio. Having lived above a business that had a back patio, I can tell you it's very disruptive no matter how decent the customers are. The rear areas of LES tenement were not intended for commercial use. The noise travels and gets amplified. You can't work with your windows open, the list goes on. I would encourage this business to skip the rear patio.

An EVer said...

@longtimelesres - this seems like a cool place and I hope to stop by soon. But also agree about businesses using backyards.Sound travel in backyards can be insane...they way it bounces around the whole block's interior. Might be a good idea for folks to check whether there is an official certificate of occupancy to use the backyard for customers. Landlords may tell businesses that they can use them but it's not totally up to the landlord. I heard of one business recently where the landlord even wrote it in lease that backyard can be part of usage but it turns out it would be illegal for the business to use for CUSTOMERS because there is no certificate of occupancy for the BACKYARD.

crazed gardener said...

Stopped in today and the people and place were lovely. (Note: currently only non-dairy milks for your coffee.) I understand the backyard noise concerns but the patio is very small, maybe 8-10 feet deep with just a few chairs, so I’d be surprised if noise became an issue.

skunkyskies said...

I am so glad this place opened on my block. It's a really fun place to be in firstly because as a 20 year old I'm finally allowed in a bar, and secondly because it's super cozy and unique. The owners really have thought of everything and are so sweet. It's a great hang out spot with yummy drinks and cool people.

kadelorenzo said...

There’s also a sober bar in the EV. Which in a way, is an anti bar.

Nina C said...

Drinking isn't my thing, so I love that there's another awesome place in the anti-bar community to spend time with friends, work from home, and be part of an amazing community. Kosmic Kommunity is a truly unique and welcoming place, with a cozy environment to enjoy alcohol-free beverages. I'm looking forward to spending lots of time here!

Jared said...

Please serve soup. No soup nearby.

Eden, the bartender, was very nice and helpful.

Anonymous said...

The decor and ambience in this place are so cool! Fresh, tasty, well-priced drinks and friendly owners -- the perfect place to sit back and relax with friends.

Anonymous said...

Hekate