QUEENS — A new bar and restaurant serving American cuisine is coming to Rego Park next spring, hoping to give residents a new option in an area lacking places to hang out, the owners said.
The eatery, called “DinerBar,” is slated to open at The Contour building, at 97-45 Queens Blvd., sometime in February or March, replacing Chinese restaurant Tung Shing House.
The owners, who also run popular Tower Diner, located only four blocks away, said they are planning to renovate the entire space, including replacing its so-called greenhouse, a portion of the restaurant with glass walls and ceiling.
“It’s going to be much different than Tower Diner,” said Spiro Gatanas, who co-owns the restaurant with his brother, John. "We are taking the diner to another level.”
Gatanas, who said that Tower Diner will remain open, noted that there is a need for a bar in the neighborhood.
“We’ve been in this area for 23 years and we know what the area is lacking," he said. "And it was lacking something like this.”
The eatery will offer a full bar and will serve American cuisine. The menu is still being finalized, but Gatanas said that it will include breakfast, lunch and dinner options, as well as brunch menu on weekends.
There will also be a number of vegetarian dishes as well as some "healthier options," including items prepared with antibiotic-free meat, he said.
The owners said that “DinerBar” will be a place to relax after work, but also to take your significant other for drinks or for a birthday dinner.
“We feel like Queens Boulevard doesn’t have a legitimate bar," Gatanas said, adding that the neighborhood has recently been changing with an infusion of new upscale buildings and young families moving in.
Real estate experts often point out that the changes in the neighborhood started with The Contour building, which in 2012 was converted by the LeFrak Organization from an office tower into a residential building with luxury apartments.
“And we feel that Rego Park needs a bar, a place where everyone can get together in the neighborhood and it's a little more than your normal diner," Gatanas said.
