Eggslut’s Alvin Cailan Previews Upcoming Nolita Diner This Weekend

Ahead of the July opening of his Nolita diner the Usual, chef Alvin Cailan — of Eggslut in Los Angeles fame — will preview the Nolitan hotel comfort food restaurant this weekend with a fried chicken feast.

When it fully opens in July, the restaurant at 30 Kenmare St. between Elizabeth and Mott streets will serve immigrant-inspired, craveworthy food such as a double patty burger with grated tomatoes, roasted garlic aioli, and onions. But this weekend kicks things off with a fried chicken blowout that sells Cailan’s version of the dish with sides such as potato puree, cole slaw, and kale salad for $20. To sweeten the deal, bottles of rosé and Chenin Blanc curated by his sommelier brother Anthony Cailan are just $10.

“We’re like the third or fourth restaurant that came into this space, so we wanted to do an open house this weekend for the neighborhood to come in and see what we’re about,” Alvin says.

Alvin started cooking in NYC with Chefs Club Counter and various pop-ups, though he’s most known for his Los Angeles restaurant Eggslut, which has become a breakfast sensation. His move to NYC was inspired by the desire to open a restaurant “in the major leagues of food,” he says.

The preview of the Usual runs Friday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Then, the restaurant will reopen fully on July 1, with more food deals to come. Stay tuned for more on the opening.

Photo via Alvin Cailan