Angela Dimayuga Is Opening a Gay Bar in the East Village

Tonight, a new gay bar hits East Village from one of the restaurant industry’s hippest figures. Angela Dimayuga — who became the creative director of food and culture for all Standard hotels last year after departing Mission Chinese — is opening No Bar in the former Narcbar space next to the Standard East Village.

The space features cow-print booths, neon, and art by artist Dachi Cole. Cocktails, overseen by head bartender Simone Goldberg, run from $10 to $15 and include the “matcha haze,” made with gin, mezcal, matcha, lemon, and egg white, and the “spill the tea,” made with bourbon, mezcal, caffe amaro, rooibos, vanilla, and mole bitters. Beer, cider, and wine are also available.

Food comes from the chef de cuisine Max Blachman-Gentile and includes pretty straightforward bar fare like nachos, french fries, onion dip, and chicken strips with horseradish honey mustard and bacon fat ranch. There’s a burger for $17 and a spicy Italian sausage sandwich topped with broccoli rabe and fontina.

West Village is still the hub for most of NYC’s gay bars, and new openings are rare. But Dimayuga already plays an active role in NYC queer nightlife, hosting a monthly party called Gush that’s specifically for lesbians and non-binary femmes. She’s somewhat of a queerfluencer, and Out Magazine dubbed her a “cool-girl chef.”

Similarly at No Bar, there will be dance parties, late-night DJ sets, and drag shows. According to Out Magazine, there will also be regular showings of RuPaul’s Drag Race, rotating art installations, and club nights like the regular, popular Brooklyn queer parties Papi Juice. Notably, No Bar won’t charge covers.

During her six years at the original Mission Chinese, Dimayuga made a name for herself, landing on multiple best new chef and rising star lists, including being nominated for the Rising Star Chef James Beard award in 2016. She left the restaurant in October 2017, crediting Danny Bowien’s exclusion of her from the Mission Chinese Bushwick expansion as her reason for leaving.

No Bar is open Sunday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.

NO BAR menu.pdf

• Cool-Girl Chef Angela Dimayuga Opens a Gay Bar at The Standard [Out]