08/13/2020
It’s been a wild ride, West Village! After 8 marvelous years, our doors will close on August 27th.
On a magical corner where, somehow, W 4th intersects W 10th, we opened an “inauthentic izayaka”. With Pat Morita looking over the bar and chef-genius Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly presiding over the kitchen, we slung miso-marinated fish heads, chirashi bowls and hand rolls in our Riva boat inspired dining room.
In 2014, that room became Bar Sardine. The “cocktails” sign clicked on and the “oysters” neon began to beckon neighbors for the confusingly-named “Fedora” burger, deep bench of bar talent, counter-sunk oyster trough and positive vibrations.
In a group of restaurants known as date spots, Bar Sardine stood out. Many of those dates begat meaningful relationships. Some of them matriculated into marriages. A select few included the burger in their vows.
The good times continued until March of 2020, when our bustling little bar locked its doors in the face of the COVID-19 crisis. We’ve been fighting for our future ever since. Y’all have been amazing and with your continued support, we believe wholeheartedly we could’ve made it through this mess. Sadly, we encountered a road block we couldn’t overcome. Unable to find an arrangement with the owner of our building that reflected the reality of the public health crisis and the constraints restaurants are operating under, we had no responsible choice other than to close.
To everyone that’s ever stopped in a for a drink, sat for a burger, started their day on the corner, or rounded out their night with oysters and shorties - we salute you. To everyone that’s already reached out - wow! - thank you for warming our hearts. Seriously.
It’s not over yet! Please, come celebrate Sardine, so long as it lasts! Pick-up and Delivery are available whenever our doors are open. We have a couple tables that we reserve. Dinner is pretty much booked. Spots remain available for lunch and brunch. The rest are saved for walk-ins. If there’s a wait, we’ll a grab a name and call you when the seats are ready.
@ Chez Sardine
