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The front cover of Chelsea’s latest bar menu reads as such, “A mixologist, a cocktologist (their words, not mine) and a barchitect walk into a bar.” So, what do you get? Something like Hello Hello.
On July 9, Hello Hello (151 W 26th Street) made its debut in Chelsea. Behind it, a trio of industry vets, Luis Hernandez, Brendan Bartley and Robert Nieves, who bring a combined talent that includes time at Bathtub Gin, the now-closed Seamstress in the Upper East Side and LIC’s listening lounge Record Room. But among the team's prestigious achievements, their joined mission is a simple one: make an industry hang that brings the vibes any time of day.
“We didn’t want to overcomplicate it,” says co-owner and food and beverage manager Luis Hernandez in a press release. “This is the kind of place we’d actually want to drink at. No gimmicks. Just good music, great drinks, and the right energy from day to night.”
In fact, you can say hello to Hello Hello at any time of day as the location operates as a cafe by day, and a self-billed dive bar at night. Mimicking a dreamy 70s lounge, the wood-paneled interior with its high top tables seem ready for a quiet work day or midday hang over freshly brewed Guava & Olive Oil Lattes and pastries sourced from Colson Patisserie. But as the evening slides into night, the red-lipped neon logo on the wall glows even brighter, making the tan leather couches and the wooden DJ stand that spins vinyl even more enticing. But the barroom hides a secret in plain sight. Just beyond the booth through a glass window, you can see the profile of copper still. And just like that, you’ve found the bar's distillery.
Yes, the third element to this bar and cafe is a full blown distillery. The two-floor operation is leftover from Pernod Ricard’s small-batch vodka distillery, the first to open in New York after the Prohibition era. Together, Bartley, master distiller Sammer Aboelela and operations consultant Dave Oz, founder of Bathtub Gin, man the venture. For their first act, the crew went through nearly one hundred iterations to make batches of coffee liqueur. Incorporated throughout the menu, you can find their housemade liqueur in the all-day Espresso Martini and the French Carajillo. Once operations are at full speed, the distillery will soon be able to sell its liquors and others straight from the bar.
This care for cocktails and spirits continues throughout the menu, which is presented as a retro-style magazine. The Red Bull Vodka got the makeover we didn’t know they needed, as the fizzy draft cocktail is clarified with cucumber and green apple juice. Wine caps out at $14, cocktails at $18 and there’s even a Champagne program. The back side of the magazine, er, menu, includes hi-brow bar bites likes Chopped Cheese Popcorn and Pickles by the spear. But there’s a special section dedicated to the almighty the hot dog. Clearly passionate about New York's favorite snack, Hernandez created his own version of “dirty hot dog water," made with a blend of Shaoxing red wine, maple syrup, carrots and apple. You can find dogs toppled with crumbled chips and homemade sauerkraut and a chopped Italian sub version that Hernandez taste-tested seven types of pepperoni to get just right. But the piece de resistance goes to the number 2 dog. Crowned with zippy pineapple slices fermented in a punchy kimchi, this hot dog is finished with jalapeño relish and crispy shallots for extra crunch.
A hi-low dive it plans to be, the offerings here shoot for the sky. So say come say hello to Hello Hello.