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Ethyl’s Relaunches as UES Neighborhood Hangout Following Renovation & Menu Update
Excerpt from uppereastsite.com
By Dashiell Allen - January 24, 2025
Ethyl’s, a popular Upper East Side bar that lives and breathes 1970s New York, down to the go-go dancers — and with roots tracing back to the historic Studio 54 nightclub — is back with a new look following a short hiatus, welcoming neighbors into the refreshed local hangout
The bar and restaurant reopened Thursday night at 1629 Second Avenue, between East 84th and 85th Streets, after a month-long renovation resulting in all-new furniture, including tables and chairs, tiles on the floor surrounding the bar, a shining new ‘Ethyl’s’ sign, and an expanded dinner menu. The entryway, previously on the left-hand corner, is now smack in the center of the storefront.
“I wanted to give it more of a welcoming, neighborhood bar feel,” co-owner Gerard Renny told Upper East Site. Once Ethyl’s ceiling needed repairs due to previous flood damage, Renny knew it was the perfect opportunity to give the entire place a face-lift.
When he and his business partner Charlie Sub first opened Ethyl’s in 2016, their goal was to create a “downtown bar, uptown,” Renny said, calling it “an homage to the 70s in New York.”
Back then, Renny worked as a bouncer at the famous, sometimes infamous Studio 54, where the city’s celebrities and socialites would wild away until the early hours of the morning. Sub’s father owned Coventry, the iconic punk venue where the legendary rock band Kiss got their start.
Memorabilia from that era decorates the walls of Ethyl’s, including an original Studio 54 jacket, an Andy Warhol original soup can drawn on Studio 54 stationary and a photo of the dance floor dedicated to Renny, that reads in faded letters, “to Gerard, at least we tried,”
In the spirit of the bygone days, Ethyl’s is “part museum, part nightlife venue, and part neighborhood bar,” Renny told Upper East Site of the bar and restaurant’s update. “We didn’t want to lose that because that is Ethyl’s, [but] we wanted to soften her hard edges and maybe let her grow up a little bit.
LOCATION:
UPPER EAST SIDE
1629 2nd Avenue (84th | 85th St.)
New York, NY 10028
OUR HOURS
Tuesday thru Saturday - 5:00 PM till last call…
Sunday - 4:00 PM till last call…
Closed Monday
Happy Hour:
Tuesday thru Saturday 5:00PM till 7:00 PM | Sunday 4:00 PM till 7:00 PM
PRIVATE EVENTS
"The Vibe at Ethyl’s is Pure Rock ‘n Roll Fun with menus and a staff that fully embody the concept and delivers on all fronts." ~Thirsty Magazine
The perfect spot to host your friends or colleagues for your next Event!
Come and Let us Rattle The Bones of Old New York Together!
Please complete the form below
For groups up to 4 guests, please use Resy for reservations.
Ethyl's is AN UPPER EAST SIDE Restaurant, BAR, AND PERFORMANCE SPACE THAT RATTLES THE BONES OF OLD NEW YORK.
FUNKY SEVENTIES INSPIRED HAUNT WITH GREAT FOOD & BOOZE, AND the coolest DJ CURATED SOUNDTRACKS.
Ethyl’s began as a love letter to the New York City of the 1970s. A time and place where native New Yorkers Charlie Sub and Gerard Renny came of age.
Charlie recalls stories of his father’s legendary rock club, The Coventry. This is the club that helped launch some of New York’s most iconic bands of the decade - Kiss, The New York Dolls, and The Ramones, just to name a few.
Gerard's nightlife journey began back in 1977 at the age of 18 when he was thrust into the decadence and celebrity of the infamous ‘Disco di tutti Disco’, Studio 54!
The Plan: Build a bar that could bring those classic memories back to life. This would require a crew of like-minded New Yorkers that could help recapture the flavor of old New York.
To help sharpen out those rough edges, enter chef, designer, and consultant Paul Gerard. Together the crew curated the soundtrack that could swing the scene back to the 1970's… and from there Ethyl's was born!
The Upper East Side may sound like an unlikely place to open a Sexy Late-Night Bar in a city scene that suspects anything cool can only happen downtown, or now in Brooklyn. The tired dictum that "I don't go above 14th Street" declared by so many, has always been around. But guess what? They came uptown.
The cool ones did. The artists, the designers, the musicians, and the writers all did! Anyone that wanted to see or be seen on “The Scene” that was, and is, this island of Manhattan. They all did!
They went to Elaine's, Max's Kansas City, Maxwell’s Plum, The Hippopotamus, The Peppermint Lounge, The Copa, El Morocco, The Gaslight Club, The Playboy Club, Xenon, Jilly’s, Cafe Central, and of course, they all tried to get into Studio 54.
Ethyl’s was built for those New Yorkers who know this city and want to be surrounded by the spirits of their heroes and the memories of a scene that should never be forgotten!!!
AS SEEN IN: “STUDIO 54” THE DOCUMENTARY :
all gallery photos by gabi porter
“Ethyl’s is a ‘70s-themed spot on the Upper East Side that looks like it should be located within walking distance of the Las Vegas Strip..” [Read full article here]
“A disco bar that offers gogo dancing at night and one of the best burgers in the city.” [Read full article here]
“Studio 54 could be a real zoo. Though many were turned away at the door of the late, great NYC icon — which opened 45 years ago April 26, 1977 — plenty of animals managed to get in.” [Read full article here]
“If there was ever a cultural moment that forever Socially Sparked® our lives it was when the infamous NYC nightclub Studio 54 opened its doors. To commemorate the iconic club’s 45th anniversary today, we take a look back and flash forward to present day and a 5-year-old nightclub on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that glorifies that time in NYC – and is bringing back the decadence of those days in 2022 fashion.” [Read full article here]
"BEST DANCE BAR- The ’70s-themed bar features go-go dancers and period-music dance parties almost every night of the week. " [Read full article here]
"You’ve told your friends countless times that the Upper East Side isn’t the snoozy place they make it out to be, and yet they still treat 59th Street like the fence in The Sandlot. Bring them to Ethyl’s. " [Read full article here]
"Studio 54 Alumni Reunion at Ethyl’s" [Read full article here]
"THE BEST BURGER IN 29 MANHATTAN NEIGHBORHOODS" [Read full article here]
"Fly Your Freak Flag at Ethyl’s Alcohol and Food With Chef Paul Gerard" [Read full article here]
"Ethyl's is proof that the 70's were a wild time in NYC.." [Read full article here]
"The vibe at Ethyl’s is pure rock ‘n roll fun with menus and staff that fully embody the concept and delivery on all fronts." [Read full article here]
"Party like The King in honor of the 40th Anniversary of Elvis Presley’s untimely passing. " [Read full article here]
"THE SLEAZY MUSTACHE AT ETHYL’S ALCOHOL & FOOD" [Read full article here]
"$5 HAPPY HOUR AT ETHYL’S ALCOHOL & FOOD" [Read full article here]
"I have been persuaded over to the *dark*, *secret* side of New York City, and it’s time that you were too. Welcome to Ethyl’s." [Read full article here]
"Ethyl's is a Wild Ride back to the 1970's!" [Read full article here]
"Elvis Presley-inspired food in NYC: Where to eat like The King" [Read full article here]
"A wallet-friendly happy hour has launched at '70s-themed Ethyls Alcohol and Food on the Upper East Side." [Read full article here]
"100 WAYS TO ENJOY WATERMELON THIS SUMMER" [Read full article here]
"Ethyl’s Alcohol & Food Brings 70’s Funk & Burgers to Upper East Side" [Read full article here]
"Ethyl’s Alcohol & Food Provides a Tasty Late Night Menu to Devour" [Read full article here]
"BITE OF THE MOMENT: Ethyl’s Alcohol and Food" [Read full article here]
"ETHYLS ALCOHOL AND FOOD on the UES for a Cool 70s Vibe" [Read full article here]
"🚨ALERT🚨 I've found the Best #FriedChicken Sandwich in town!!" [See @moodyfoodyadventures post here]
"East East Village Vibes Have Slid up Second Avenue to Ethyl’s, between 84th and 85th" [Read full article here]
"Our Picks for CINCO DE MAYO in New York City" [Read full article here]