After nine long years of forced dormancy, legendary West Village speakeasy Chumley's will finally wake from its long slumber and reopen on Bedford Street. The bar, which has been closed since a chimney and wall collapse in 2007, has faced years of opposition from local groups and the community board, who've "dreaded" what they perceive as a nuisance in a now-tony part of Manhattan. But Eater has reported that a local restaurateur has swooped in to reopen the bar and allay fears from locals that their peace will be disturbed by any anticipated "ruckus from students and tourists," as described by detractors.
Alex Borgognone, operator of lauded Sushi Nakazawa just a block away, has signed on with two business partners to spruce up Chumley's to appeal to the neighborhood. Jim Miller, longtime owner and fire stoker at Chumley's, said he teamed up with Borgognone when he realized it would be a way to finally reopen the bar while appeasing locals.
"One of the things that I had to promise to the neighborhood and to the CB and the SLA and everyone was that we would try to bring back Chumley's historically and in a way that everybody would embrace and enjoy," Miller told us via phone this morning "The neighborhood has changed down there and we needed to consider that. We wanted the historical accuracy and charm and 1920s feel and Chumley's experience, but we needed to realize the product and the service needed to be elevated to today's standards."
To that end, the new Chumley's will apparently still have the wood-paneled walls and old photographs, but will serve "a concise food menu of half a dozen or so 'well executed classics'—think burgers, wings, and steak frites...in the $10 to $25 range," according to Eater. They're also going to be implementing a "comprehensive cocktail program" with drinks priced between $10 and $15. It'll be Chumley's, but wearing a sport coat instead of a sweatshirt.
"All along we've heard the voices, we hear the neighborhood, we don't want the '60s/'70s Chumley's. I worked there in the '90s and I think it doesn't get a fair shake, I think it was very good for the neighborhood, there were never any problems," Miller contests. "We're going to stay true to trying to get this thing as historically accurate as we can—the building did fall down!—and we're bringing in a very talented restaurant team to deliver what we think will be the Chumley's experience that everybody can enjoy."
