WASHINGTON HEIGHTS — Will the seventh year be a lucky one for Locksmith Burger Bar?
Since opening in 2009, owner Oscar Napa, 39, said the burger spot at 4463 Broadway has been completely focused on two things: bringing everyone in the community together and serving good food.
Tha approach has been a recipe for success, as Locksmith was one of the first bars to open on the once-empty strip between 190th and 192nd streets “when the foot-traffic was very slow,” he said.
But the restaurant needs to always be "reinventing" itself to maintain its customer base, which is why Napa launched a new menu last month with new food and drink options.
“I think Locksmith has hit the nail on the head, when it comes to catering to those [new to the neighborhood] and to the people that have been here for years and years,” the Washington Heights native explained.
The new menu will retain some favorites while putting new spins on its classics. These include a Shroom Burger with wild mushroom, caramelized onions, Swiss cheese and truffle aioli, and a fried eggplant sandwich with roasted red pepper, tomato, fresh mozzarella and pesto.
In addition to a rotating menu of burgers, the food will be complemented by new “non-pretentious" craft cocktails that the eatery will unveil on March 24. Like most of the items on Locksmith's menu, the drinks have unique, Uptown names like the “Old ‘Fairview’ Fashion” and “192nd Street Mule.”
The change comes a year after a tough transition that included a kitchen renovation, Napa said.
“It’s been hard to keep up with the times,” he noted, adding that eateries can sometimes get lost in the “sea of new restaurants” in Washington Heights and Inwood.
“I love where the neighborhood is going, and I want to continue being a part of the change,” Napa said. “I believe in the Heights. I believe in us.”
