A new chapter in downtown New York nightlife begins with the debut of No. 79 Bar & Terrace, the latest venture from hospitality impresario Nur Khan.
Known for shaping the city’s nightlife landscape through concepts like Two Fifteen at PUBLIC and Butterfly Soho, Khan now brings a fresh yet nostalgic energy to the Lower East Side.
Inside No. 79 Bar & Terrace
Housed in a building owned by Morry Kalimian of Kalimian Equities, No. 79 channels retro French sophistication.
Designed by Craig Shillitto of Cycle Projects—the mind behind the interiors of Loring Place, Lilia, and ABC Kitchen—the space opens up to the vibrancy of its neighborhood with hydraulic hangar-style garage doors.
“The triple hanger door, open-air design is unquestionably one of the first things that catches one’s eye,” says Kalimian. “Once inside the bar, one can’t miss the exceptional execution of the millwork and brass work designed by Craig Shillitto.”
Inside, a horseshoe-shaped bar wrapped in warm wood and vertical black subway tile anchors the intimate space, paired with slightly burnished metals and sheer black curtains. Banquette seating for 50 guests is situated around the bar.
Shillitto shares his favorite elements are the “reoccurring curved geometries in the space, from wall molding to bar shape to our custom lighting. The pendant light fixtures and sconces are reinforcing the theme and geometries of the round bar shape in plan. Conflating the plan shape of the bar into the section shape of the lighting design is a fun game that pays off experientially with these iterative reoccurring geometries.”
Sensuous black-and-white prints by fashion and celebrity photographer Sante D’Orazio further ground the bar in the creative energy of the surrounding streetscape. “Sante D’Orazio is one of the legends in the fashion photography world,” Khan notes. “His images are iconic, timeless, beautiful, edgy, and playful. This is exactly what we strive to be in No. 79 Bar & Terrace.”
A second-floor open-air terrace reveals sweeping, unobstructed views of Downtown Manhattan.
“We are excited to open No. 79 Bar & Terrace, which brings an elevated sensibility while maintaining a downtown edge,” says Khan.
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