All About Kees and Mixteca, the City’s Newest Destination for Cocktails

1. The players certainly know their way around cocktails.

For those who might be unfamiliar, PDT was among the city’s first speakeasy renaissance bars of the mid-2000s. Opened by Jim Meehan, Brian Shebairo, and Chris Antista back in 2007, it’s hidden inside Crif Dogs and accessed by a now-notorious phone booth. The bar was instrumental in igniting the craft cocktail boom that became a global trend, even spawning a branch that opened in Hong Kong in 2019.

Jeff Bell arrived in New York after college in 2009, then met Meehan working at the now-shuttered Union Square Hospitality restaurant Maialino and quickly became his mentee. “I was in my mid-20’s and my mind was very porous. I lapped it all up. Jim [Meehan] was a visionary, he taught me so much, like how to develop cocktails, but also how to bartend in the hospitality sense, the people part,” says Bell.

Bell had worked in bars in his native Washington State and loved the craft of cocktails and what came with them: the conversations, the service, and the responsibility. He landed at PDT in 2010, where he met Lopez, who had started as a line cook at Crif Dogs and worked his way up. They worked side by side for over a decade as the bar racked up a James Beard Award and 50 Best Bars win in 2011. Bell received several accolades in his tenure, including Best Bartender in the U.S. at the 2013 DIAGEO World Class Bartender of the Year, as well as Best American Bartender at Tales of the Cocktail in 2017. He also consulted on the cocktail bar inside the newly restored Waldorf Astoria New York, Peacock Alley.

2. The journey to Kees and Mixteca was personal for both.

“At every great restaurant, there’s a person executing all the little details perfectly to make it special. That’s what puts it above, into the next caliber and Victor was like that for PDT. I just love him as a human and I wanted him to have the opportunity to have equity in a business,” says Bell. When the two of them saw consumers’ tastes shift from bourbon and Old Fashioneds to agave-based spirits like Tequila and one of PDT’s iconic drinks, a mezcal mule, it was a lightbulb moment. Lopez, who is originally from Puebla, felt that opening a Mexican-style bar was a logical choice. “He had spent so much of his career making other people’s drinks; it was time for him to make his own,” says Bell.

If Mixteca represents Lopez’s journey from Puebla to PDT and beyond, Kees represents Bell’s own path. “It’s been a fun evolution of a concept in my head over time. It was first going to be luxe, then that wasn’t right. I wanted it to be democratic, a place where someone with a black card could go to, but also the 24-year-old Bell of 2009 could go to, too.” What he arrived at was Kees, where the focus will be on classic cocktails. Think back-to-basics, but each cocktail will come in several variations. Like PDT, it’s hidden: You’ll be transported to it via a secret door at the front of Mixteca’s dining room, where a host will check you in and escort you downstairs to the bar.

3. The vibes will be very different upstairs and downstairs.

Where Mixteca, located upstairs, is casual, Kees, located downstairs, is pomp and circumstance. “When we got the space, we wanted to lean into taking the external influences and acknowledging them to evolve the concept,” says Bell. Both spaces were designed by Post Company, under the directive that Mixteca would bring a taste of Pubela to the West Village and Kees would be a return to an old-school, more opulent New York.

That’s why the upper level with a high-ceilinged, street-facing window and open layout houses the more easygoing Mixteca. At Mixteca, even the walls are made from agave; the plant fiber is spun into the walls as reinforcement. At Lopez’s request, the Talavera tiles throughout the space were imported from Mexico. The music — a mix of Reggaeton, cumbia and other Latin-influenced genres — is loud, and the spirit is lively. If you’re looking for a retreat, there are a few intimate booths and a small room in back that cater more toward date night or quieter conversations.

Downstairs at Kees is a whole other world. You’re ushered in by a host through an aluminum-walled stairwell and transported into opulence. With dim lighting, velvet booths, and a bar that was custom-built to radiate soft light from within, Kees embodies more of the bygone glamor of Old Hollywood than anything of this age. Most of the seating caters to two-tops, with some standing room at the bar and a few booths for larger parties. It feels chic, exclusive, and like a place where you could joyfully lose track of time over that perfect gin martini and oysters. There’s a sense of occasion that is hard to find downtown.

4. It’s one address with two menus.

At Mixteca, the food is distinctly Mexican and follows a similar model to what PDT did with Crif Dogs. During Bell’s annual pop-ups at Coachella, he forged a bond with the Los Angeles-based Tacos 1986 founders, Victor Delgado and Joy Alvarez. When he came upon the 1 Cornelia Street space, he invited them to open a location inside. Instead of Mixteca having a separate kitchen, a modified version of the Tacos 1986 menu is available at the bar. It includes simple, but well-executed things like tacos, quesadillas, and guacamole.

Cocktail-wise, expect plenty of Tequila and mezcal, with five versions of a margarita. While the standard Mixteca is made from blanco Tequila, lime, and Cointreau, the more out-there Vetiver variation is infused with vetiver and Serrano chile. Beyond margaritas, there are still plenty of Tequila-based options, like the Hada Madrina with pineapple, cilantro, and absinthe. Outside the realm of agave, there’s a riff on the gin and tonic made with tomatillo, lime, and celery, and the ultra-refreshing Campo Verde, a zero-proof option with Seedlip Garden, lime, cilantro, mint, and basil. For some additional lower-ABV options, check out the whole Michelada section.

At Kees, Bell took inspiration from classic cocktails and divided the menu into eight sections, each based around a specific drink. Martinis, spritzes, Negronis, Manhattans, the Collins, the Old Fashioned, and highballs each get their own section, with multiple interpretations of each, including a house standard. “I love the classics. They’ve been around forever for a reason. The way we’ve organized the menu is a way to put the guest in a bucket. The guest knows what their preferences are and then we take them on a journey in each category,” says Bell. The house martini will be gin-based, with a three-to-one ratio served with both an olive and a twist. Two other versions of the martini include one made with a “dirty” castelvetrano olive-infused vodka and sherry, as well as a low-ABV version.

Food-wise, you won’t find tacos down here. Look for classic New York bites like oysters Rockefeller, Marcona almonds, chips and dip with trout roe, and Spanish gildas. “You won’t be coming to Kees for dinner, but we’ll have some delicious sustenance and snacky things to get you through,” says Bell.

Mixteca is open daily from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Kees will be open from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily beginning on Feb. 11. Tacos 1986 is open daily for lunch, dinner, and late-night dining.