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Read the press release here.

Speakeasy Designed to Look Like Hardware Store Coming to Astoria

By Jeanmarie Evelly | July 28, 2016 5:23pm | Updated on July 29, 2016 4:19pm
 The Last Word will look like a hardware store from the outside but will be a speakeasy on the inside.
The Last Word in Astoria
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DITMARS — A new speakeasy under construction in Astoria will look like a hardware store from the outside — an "unassuming" exterior that will disguise the 1920s-inspired cocktail lounge inside, according to the owners.

The Last Word is slated to open in August at 31-30 Ditmars Blvd., in the former Caffe Bene coffee shop space, and will offer both classic and signature cocktails as well as bar snacks, according to a press release.

The Last Word

While the interior of the space will sport a 16-foot-long marble and oak bar, a vintage tin ceiling and plush sofas, the storefront and and foyer are being modeled to look like Square Hardware, a store that had been in business for decades just blocks away.

The store shuttered last year, and its space is currently being turned into a restaurant by the owners of the Uncle Jack's Steakhouse chain, which is also planning to create a speakeasy-style bar in the basement.

After passing through the entrance of The Last Word, customers will go behind a set of red velvet curtains into the actual bar, which is designed to look like an "elegant" 1920s speakeasy, a press release said.

Drink offerings at the future watering hole will include the Mumbai Daiquiri, a concoction made with white rum, curry syrup, lime and rose water. Bar snacks like housemade jerky and burrata truffle balls will also be available.

The bar is owned by Tommy Demaras, an Astoria native who also owns Hunters Point eatery Maiella, and Padraig O'Brien, who has previously worked at places like The Raines Law Room and the Park Hyatt New York.

The Last Word is expected to open Aug. 16.