Owners of Joyface to debut HiLot this week on Avenue C

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy

The team behind Joyface is opening a new lounge-restaurant this week at 102 Avenue C between Sixth Street and Seventh Street.

HiLot is the name of the cozy and well-appointed space that will serve various drinks and shareable plates (the cold spinach dip in a pumpernickel bread bowl is said to be quite good). 

The place is named for Joyface co-owner Jennifer Shorr’s uncle, a prominent figure in the San Fransisco Jewish gay liberation movement of the 1960s through the 80s. His drag name was Lottie, and his nickname was HiLot, short for HI LOTTIE!, which his friends would yell when he walked into a room. 

The HiLot team includes (from left) Shorr, bartender Carter Wilsford and Joyface co-owner Brian Powell ...

Like Joyface next door, Elizabeth Ingram designed this provocative and moody space...  

... which includes a clawfoot bathtub in the bathroom... 

... and space in the back currently going as "the cuddle pit" ... 

HiLot officially opens on Friday, though some friends-family events are ahead. Moving forward, the hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. You can find updates @hilotnyc.

HiLot takes over from the rather generic Avenue C Restaurant, which went dark in late 2019. Joyface, with the 1970s vintage decor on the SE corner of Avenue C and Seventh Street, opened in December 2018.

Joyface debuts on Avenue C

A new neighborhood bar called Joyface opens today at 104 Avenue C at Seventh Street.

These photos, by Steven, were taken last week with the Joyface signage was added to the exterior...



This has been in the works going back to the summer of 2017, when applicants Jennifer Shorr, who used to live in the building at 104 Avenue C, and her partner Brian Powell were OK'd by CB3 to take over the space.

The previous tenant, Alphabet Lounge, was apparently not well-liked by immediate neighbors. During the CB3 SLA committee meeting in August 2017, four longtime residents of either No. 104 or nearby buildings talked about what a horror show Alphabet Lounge was. (They were also there to support Shorr and Powell.)

The bar's 1970s basement rec-room look was also the subject of a feature last week in Architectural Digest...

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A post shared by Elizabeth Ingram Studio (@elizabethingramstudio) on Dec 21, 2018 at 10:24am PST

Previously on EV Grieve:
New ownership taking over the Alphabet Lounge space on 7th and C