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Shuttered East Village Cocktail Bar Elsa to Take Over Last Exit Space

By Nikhita Venugopal | October 18, 2016 11:17am
 Elsa II is expected to open at the former Last Exit space later this year.
Elsa II is expected to open at the former Last Exit space later this year.
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DNAinfo/Nikhita Venugopal

COBBLE HILL — Cocktail spot Elsa is making a comeback in Cobble Hill more than two years after closing its doors in the East Village, the owners said. 

The new Elsa will be located at 136 Atlantic Ave. — formerly home to the 16-year-old Last Exit dive bar that closed in 2014 — and is expected to open before the end of the year.

"We're trying to make it feel very similar to the old Elsa," said Natalka Burian, who co-owns the bar with Jay Schneider and Scott Schneider. 

For a decade, Elsa was located on Third Street between Avenues B and C in the East Village before shuttering because the bar lost its lease.

But patrons of the old Elsa will recall its look and spirit in the layout of the new Brooklyn space, including a beer tap made out of a sewing machine — something of a centerpiece in the East Village bar.

Elsa was originally created as a refuge from the "buttoned-up" vibe of cocktail bars that were popping up across Manhattan, but where you could still get a quality drink. Its sister bar Ramona in Greenpoint opened in 2014 with a similar atmosphere and a much bigger space. 

Like Ramona, Elsa's cocktail menu will be driven by homemade syrups and infusions. Some cocktails have a distinct culinary angle, Jay Schneider said. That includes "The Golden Fang," a drink with an infusion of Sichuan peppercorn and grapefruit for a "China meets LA kind of thing," he said.

The new Elsa will feature a small, limited food menu and a private space on a raised platform for events.

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