The Astor Restaurant Opens at the Public Theater

The Astor opens on Tuesday, September 15, at 425 Lafayette Street in Noho. It replaces the Public Theater's former restaurant, the Library, with a wood-paneled dining room and bar inspired by historic New York taverns and supper clubs.

A second venue, Bar Torino, a snack-focused cafe, is also opening in the building. This marks its second location after Hudson Yards. The openings are a collaboration between the Public Theater and the longtime team behind Joe's Pub, including managing partners Jersey Katz and Michelle Cunha.

A Partnership Forged in 1998

The collaboration dates to 1998 when Serge Becker, Josh Pickard, Paul Salmon, and Kevin Abbott launched Joe's Pub at the theater. The partnership later expanded to include Noho Hospitality partners Luke Ostrom and Andrew Carmellini. The restaurants are developed with the Public Theater, led by artistic director Oskar Eustis and executive director Patrick Willingham.

Kevin Abbott, managing partner of Joe's Pub and The Astor, notes a societal desire for connection. "There's this desperate need and desire in society right now to be together in a way that the arts bring you together," he told Eater. The aim is to make the restaurant an essential part of the theater-going experience, not only an amenity.

Expanding the Theater Experience

The renovation adds a 52-seat mezzanine overlooking the theater's lobby. The full seating breakdown is as follows:

On a busy night, with the Public's theaters and Joe's Pub all operating, more than a thousand people can move through the building. Abbott says the restaurant gives audiences a place to extend their evening, contrasting with the traditional pattern where people simply leave after the show.

Menu and Design Nostalgia

Chef Andrew Carmellini and chef de cuisine Angel Monge run the kitchen. The menu recalls a golden age of New York dining with familiar American dishes. It is structured into several sections with the following price ranges:

Dishes include chips and dip, "Devilish" eggs, clams casino, steak Diane, pigs in Wellington with bourbon mustard, and a French mushroom dip served with au jus.

Bar director Darryl Chan's cocktail list focuses on classic New York drinks. It features a "From the Ice Box" section of very cold martinis, Manhattans, and Bijous. One cocktail, the Charlie Chaplin, riffs on a pre-Prohibition drink created at the Waldorf Astoria. Josh Nadel oversees the wine list.

For the design, Serge Becker aimed to make The Astor feel as if it had been part of the theater for decades. The space features red banquettes, white tablecloths, wood paneling, lamps, photographs, posters, letters, playbills, and historical artifacts. Artist Andre Carrilho created a mural wrapping the island bar depicting writers influential to the Public, with portraits in the dining room of founder Joseph Papp and past artistic directors.

Abbott summarized Becker's vision. "What [Becker] wanted to do was create a space that felt like it belonged," he said, noting it should feel layered and represent the generations that have passed through the century-old building.