EAST VILLAGE — The owners of a new Avenue A bar are bringing classic rock, craft beer and Italian sandwiches to the former Odessa Café and Bar.
The Black Rose, which the owners hope to open at 117 Avenue A by the end of the month, will have more of an “old-school” concept, said co-owner Joseph Daniele.
The owners plan to outfit the space with vintage and repurposed items, like the wooden church doors that have been fashioned into shutters for the restaurant’s window, Daniele said. They kept the property’s red tin ceilings, he added, and stripped the walls to highlight the building’s red brickwork.
“Everything you see here is the original buildout from the place. We didn’t replace anything — all we did was demo and restore everything,” said Daniele, who previously owned the Fashion 40 Lounge on 40th Street and Seventh Avenue.
The Black Rose will occupy the space left vacant by the cafe and bar half of Odessa, a Ukranian eatery that opened in 1965 and later expanded into the restaurant space next door. Its owners closed the Odessa Cafe and Bar in 2013 after a 50 percent rent increase, although the restaurant has remained open next door at 119 Avenue A.
Daniele and his business partners — his brother Robert Payne and a third owner from Philadelphia who wanted to remain anonymous — acquired the space last October, he said.
The Black Rose will offer a limited food menu, which will consist of tapas, Italian sandwiches made with “really good imported meats and cheeses” and possibly dessert, Daniele said.
The bar will mostly serve craft beer, added general manager Ashley Poe, and much of its liquor will come from New York-based small-batch companies.
The owners also plan to host events in the 1,500-square-foot space as well as weekend barbecues in the bar’s backyard after Memorial Day, they said. The bar may also feature acoustic shows, Daniele said.
“We’re just going to be a neighborhood rock and roll bar where everybody’s welcome and everybody has fun,” Poe said.
The Black Rose is expected to be open from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 4 a.m. on weekends, Daniele and Poe said.
