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Saloon Taking Over Rodeo Bar Will Open Before Holidays, Manager Says

By Noah Hurowitz | October 24, 2016 2:21pm | Updated on October 25, 2016 5:21pm
 Contractors are renovating the former Rodeo Bar & Grill, which is set to open soon and is tentatively named
Contractors are renovating the former Rodeo Bar & Grill, which is set to open soon and is tentatively named "Gem Saloon."
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DNAinfo/Noah Hurowitz

KIPS BAY — The bar set to take the place of shuttered Rodeo Bar & Grill will be open before Christmas if all goes as planned, according to the bar’s general manager.

It's the first timeline the new bar owners have given for what will be taking over the space — formerly home to Rodeo Bar, a Texas-themed honky-tonk that stood at 375 Third Ave. for three decades before it closed its doors in July 2014.

The new bar, tentatively called Gem Saloon, is owned by the team behind Phebe’s, Linen Hall, and Penny Farthing, in the East Village.

Owners have not responded to repeated requests for more details about their plans, but the new bar's general manager Joanne Bustos offered a peek of the interior, which is still under construction, on Friday.

The layout remained roughly the same as Rodeo's with a central bar, and a mezzanine seating area above, but the space appears to be undergoing a total overhaul, with all new interior woodwork and a new facade.

Bustos, who was busily consulting with contractors on Friday, said many of the details — including the bar’s name — are not officially decided yet, but said the bar would be “not far off” from other establishments the owners run including Penny Farthing, which provides hearty pub fare and feature TVs often tuned to sports games.

“You’re going to have to wait to find out, but it won’t be too different from that concept,” she said.

Rodeo Bar, which served barbecue, and had karaoke and live music, closed in 2014 due to financial struggles and what the owner described at the time as rent increases and “a changing landscape” that made it impossible to stay open.

The new owners got approval for a liquor license at the location from the State Liquor Authority in May, according to an agency spokesman.