Schmuck. Wants to Be Your Boozy Living Room in the East Village
Some bar openings are kept under wraps, but the opening of schmuck., from Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy — the pros behind Barcelona’s lauded bar Two Schmucks — was, perhaps, the city’s worst-kept secret: a drama that unfolded in public view.
First, there was Aljaff’s public excoriation of the venture capital-backed investors who compelled him to leave the Barcelona bar he had originally founded in 2017. That was followed by a series of pop-ups in New York, San Francisco, and elsewhere, which teased the upcoming bar. In September, a quirky Instagram reel announced the opening of the new bar had been delayed. And finally, with just $10 left in their bank account, the duo turned to ChatGPT to help direct the final build-out details.
But on Jan. 29, schmuck. finally, officially opened in all its mid-century-modern-meets-space-age-meets-1970’s basement chic glory. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Resy Rundown
schmuck.
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Why We Like It
It’s the American debut from an all-star bar team on the heels of their acclaimed Barcelona spot, Two Schmucks. Here in New York, it’s designed to feel like you’re sitting in a (very cool) friend’s living room, complete with a menu of small bites and cocktails like melon micheladas and buttered palomas. -
Essential Dishes
Crushed potatoes with spicy peanut sauce; white bean cacio e pepe with smoked breadcrumbs to share. The bar opened with a limited menu, and will expand its food offerings later. -
Must-Order Drinks
Fika, a rum-based drink inspired by the Swedish custom of taking a break with a coffee and cinnamon bun; Bread With Tomatoes, a Bloody Mary-esque vodka cocktail; Caramelized Apple, a clarified milk punch that channels autumnal caramel-covered apples.
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Who and What It’s For
Scenesters who love geeky cocktails, cozy date nights, and small groups who want to hang out with a good drink but also don’t want to think too hard about what’s in the glass. -
Fun Fact
The intimate bar has two spaces, the Living Room and the smaller Kitchen Table, and each has their own entrance from the street, as well as separate drink menus. -
How to Get In
Limited reservations drop seven days in advance on Resy for the all-seated main room experience, aka the Living Room, with most of the seating available for walk-ins, and the ability to add your name to the waitlist in person. The Kitchen Table has its own entrance on First Avenue, and is walk-in only, with standing room allowed, but no running waitlist. The entrance for the Living Room is on the corner of First Avenue and 6th Street.
1. One of the world’s most-lauded bar teams is bringing their sizzle to NYC.
The venture brings together Aljaff, who was born in Iraq and grew up in Sweden, and French native Larrouy, a former sous chef who went on to work at Paris bar Le Syndicat, and later became the beverage director at Two Schmucks. The pair left Two Schmucks in 2022, “due to a difference in future goals with a new investor,” they say, and set sights on the U.S., starting with a residency in Miami. That was where they connected with a third member of the team: Dan Binkiewicz, co-owner of Sweet Liberty and Medium Cool in Miami and Old Glory in Nashville, among other venues.
It’s a star-power team that’s been behind multiple World’s 50 Best bars, though Aljaff tries to play that down: “At the end of the day, we’re just a bunch of schmucks from all over, joining forces to provide memorable moments for our guests,” he says.
2. The name of the bar has Yiddish roots.
The name of the bar, “schmuck,” is a Yiddish word referring to a hapless fool — although the team IRL is clearly savvier than that persona. “We love Larry David,” Aljaff explains. “We wanted a simple word to explain our state of mind, our personality trait.”
Ironically, the East Village location of the bar, at the corner of First Avenue and 6th Street in the East Village, was once a thriving center of Jewish life, where businesses like Moishe’s Bakery and Second Ave Deli once stood, and Yiddish was spoken freely.
3. The vibe is space-age-meets-1970’s-house-party.
Officially, the design influences include mid-century modern, Brutalist, and Space Age features, incorporating vintage design pieces from Europe, including Eames chairs, dark green Togo sofa chairs, and bar-top mushroom lamps.
All that means it’s a space that’s alternately cozy and sleek, with lots of warm, orange-colored cherry wood alternating with the more austere concrete and a stainless-steel bar; plus leather cushions, silver-flecked tabletops, and UFO-looking pendant lamps that will remind some of “The Jetsons.”
The space is intended to flow between two rooms: the Living Room, with around 50 seats, and the Kitchen Table, with around 24 seats, including a focal point “kitchen table” bar with 14 seats, which Aljaff says “is like people hanging out in the kitchen or the dining table at someone’s house.” Later in the year, they plan to open a terrace.
Expect a hip-hop-heavy playlist, including plenty of French hip-hop brought in by Larrouy. The genre works for both a high-energy group and mellower moments, Aljaff says. “We love it and grew up with it,” he adds.
4. The drinks are conceptual, but you won’t have to work hard to enjoy them.
A different drink menu will be available at each of the two spaces within schmuck. Both lean into high-concept cocktails, often translated through Larrouy’s culinary background, but they’re intended to be approachable.
“We always start from an ingredient, an idea,” Larrouy says. “Or we come from a dish, a moment, or a flavor — like banana.”
For example, the Living Room menu focuses on “interpretations of a dish or a moment,” Aljaff says. That includes the Larb Gai, a complex Cognac-based drink accented with peanuts, herbs, and chile oil, inspired by the Thai dish, or the Fika, made with rum, cinnamon, and coffee liqueur, intended to evoke the Swedish coffee-and-pastry break (and also nodding to Aljaff’s Swedish upbringing).
By comparison, the Kitchen Table zeros in on specific flavors, such as Le Banané, Mouthwash de Menthe, or Caramelized Apple. “It doesn’t need any explanation, it will be what it says,” Larrouy explains. “It will be a single flavor that will be as bold as possible within the cocktail.” While these drinks may require a lot of preparation behind the scenes — think clarified cocktails, infused ingredients, force carbonation, etc. — she adds, “When it’s in your glass, it will be the most straightforward flavor.”
5. The food leans Mediterranean, with easy-to-share bites.
The menu, created in collaboration with pop-up restaurant LOBB Berlin and founder Arash Ghassemi (who was also involved in the design details, along with his partner Pauline Deckert), highlights Persian-meets-Western European flavors and techniques. “It’s more on the snack-y side,” says Larrouy. For example, the crushed potatoes — small potatoes that are steamed, flattened into chunky discs, fried, and served with spicy peanut sauce — are “our answer for those who want fries,” she says. Meanwhile, the cassoulet-esque white bean cacio e pepe, topped with smoked breadcrumbs, tarragon oil, and black pepper is “easy to share with a spoon for the table, and works well with the cocktails.” Other options include shrimp in harissa butter, puff pastry pizza, and a Middle Eastern spiced sausage made by NYC artisan charcuterie Cochonneries. On the sweeter side, chocolate mousse drizzled with Californian Fat Gold olive oil and crunchy salt flakes fits the bill.
Don’t know where to start? Try these drinks.
Fika
Made with Bacardi 8 rum, cinnamon syrup, and Mr. Black coffee liqueur, this is “a more conceptual interpretation of a moment,” Aljaff says. “Fika is the Swedish custom of taking a break with a coffee or a cinnamon bun. So, we created a drink that’s like having a cinnamon bun and coffee,” garnished with a cinnamon bun-esque icing swirl on top.
Bread With Tomatoes
“The moment when you finish a tomato salad and you dip your bread in the bowl,” is how Aljaff characterizes this savory highball, made with Green Goose vodka, bread, and tomato water. “It’s a savory, Bloody Mary-esque cocktail. But you hone in on this one specific moment.”
Caramelized Apple
Available in the Kitchen Table space, “it’s like taking a bite out of a caramelized apple,” Aljaff says. The drink was inspired by American sitcoms and movies he watched while growing up in Sweden, which sometimes showed caramel-covered apples at fairs, and his experience first trying the iconic American treat as an adult. “It has caramelized yogurt and apple, and we create a clarified punch, and it comes out transparent. But as soon as the liquid touches your lips, it’s apple and caramel flavors.”
Schmuck. is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., with the kitchen open until 11 p.m.
Kara Newman is a New York City-based writer, editor, and cocktail book author. Follow her on X and Instagram. Follow Resy, too.
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.
