The Roost opened around the corner from me a few months ago. On Avenue B between 13th and 14th street, I walked by the cozy little coffee shop several times and kept telling myself that I would stop in at some point. Weeks passed, then weeks turned into months, and I still hadn’t made it in. Not until this past Saturday was I able to finally stop in.
The Roost may not look like much from what you can see through the windows, but what looks like another small artisanal coffee shop opens up to a much larger space when you’re inside. Past the coffee shop at the front, the Roost extends and leads you to a intermediate room where you can sit down on the modern furniture to enjoy your coffee, cortado, capuccino and free wireless internet.
Past that is the true surprise as the coffee bar is hiding large bar where all the stools, tables, floors are made of shiny, reclaimed wood. The room is glowing with two large skylights that pours sunlight into the interior.
With all the recycled wood, exposed fixtures, craft beer, and a dozen types of bourbon, The Roost feels very San Francisco (or Brooklyn) in look and feel. I was struck by the pristine organization and sleek feel of the establishment. This wasn’t just a tidiness associated with a bar that just opened, but there’s a polish to The Roost that indicates experience. I thought The Roost must be a second or third venture for a previous entrepreneur.
Vito DiTomaso opened the original Luca Lounge on Avenue B back in 1997. The venue closed sometime in the spring of 2012. (Luca Bar remains open on St. Mark’s Place.) Turns out that DiTomaso is making a return engagement to 222 Avenue B with The Roost, a coffee shop-bar hybrid
The space is well laid out, feels relaxed, and the interior exudes warmth. As my friend said, it’ll make a “great winter bar.”
Though I haven’t been there more than once, I have a feeling I’ll be back multiple times, possibly in the same day. I see myself stopping by The Roost in the daytime to do some work on my laptop, grab a beer in the afternoon to watch a basketball game (they have three large televisions), and then back in the evening to have a drink or two with friends.
The Roost
222 Ave B
New York, NY 10009
East Village
