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Entrance to Jac's on Bond bar

After Hours

Jac’s on Bond

Bond Street’s newest hipster mecca is the kind of hotspot Cousin Greg would approve of. (No surprise, since Succession actor Nicholas Braun is an investor.)

Jac’s on Bond’s mission is to be the neighborhood bar where creative thinkers can drop in for conversation, cocktails, a bite or two—and perhaps a game of pool. For the time being, its white hot status necessitates the uncool act of planning ahead, as reservations are scarce. (A party of two were told while walking in without one, “Come back in 45 minutes, but I’m not promising anything.”)

From Authentic Hospitality, the team behind Rockefeller Center’s celebrity hang Pebble Bar and Ray’s, and with investors that include Nicholas Braun—better known as Cousin Greg from SuccessionJac’s is currently a magnet for beanie-wearing hipsters and stylish girls on the hunt for the Next Big Thing. If you think it’s too dark and too loud, you’re too old.

If you think it’s too dark and too loud, you’re too old.

Located in an 1831 townhouse, Jac’s is named for the late Jack Champlin, “the Mayor of Bond Street,” and a regular at The Smile, the site’s previous incarnation. A fashion illustrator (and later in life, the neighborhood’s favorite stoner/dog walker), Champlin lived on the second floor for over 50 years, in an apartment that was the scene for one of Andy Warhol’s first experimental films, Rollerskate/Dance Movie, filmed in 1963.

Jac's guests are welcomed at the front bar by Trevor Easton mixing unique libations such as the popular Killing ‘Em Softly, with Patron tequila, Amontillado sherry, strawberry, lemon and basil eau de vie. Photo courtesy of Jac's on Bond
Bartender Trevor Easton's original libations include the popular Killing ’Em Softly—with Patron tequila, Amontillado sherry, strawberry, lemon and basil eau de vie. Photo by Max Flatow
NoHo resident Janette Beckman's photographs line the walls of the sleek back pool room. Photo courtesy of Jac's on Bond
NoHo resident Janette Beckman's photographs line the walls of the sleek back pool room. Photo by William Jess Laird
Investor Nicholas Braun at the Jac’s on Bond Opening Party with restaurateur Jon Neidich and Ben Jacobson. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com
Investor—and Succession actor—Nicholas Braun, center, at the Jac’s on Bond opening party with restaurateur Jon Neidich, left, and Ben Jacobson. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com

Jac’s marble-topped dark wood bar, simple elegant furnishings, and cream colored walls with photographs by local resident Janette Beckman gives the space a chill, calm vibe. The narrow layout puts the more boisterous bar area in the front, with a quieter back pool room furnished with tables and booths. I asked the waiter if the party of six unusually happy twenty-somethings crowded into a nearby booth was celebrating something. “No, it’s business,” he replied, which made me think they sound like a fun company to work for. I wonder if they’re hiring.

The bar's beige felt pool table. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com
The bar's pool table—with beige felt—draws a crowd. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com
A house favorite, the Jamon Serrano Bikini, a pressed ham and cheese sandwich with black olives and a chile-prune condiment. Photo by Max Flatow
The low ceilings and cozy lighting create a downtown neighborhood spirit—a tribute to the personality of its namesake, Jack Champlin. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com check size longer caption
Low ceilings and dim lighting create the downtown dive-bar spirit. Photo by Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com

The menu features specialty cocktails, designed by head bartender Trevor Langer. These include the Beets Me, a very beet-forward (perhaps too forward?) vodka concoction with yogurt, dill and pistachios, and the currently popular Killing ’Em Softly, with Patron tequila, Amontillado sherry, strawberry, lemon and basil eau de vie. The food, small bites and snacks, fare better, and the traditional cocktails, better still.  As they are designed by Jeremiah Stone and Fabian van Hauske, the partners behind Wildair and the Michelin starred Contra, perhaps this shouldn’t be a surprise.  Standouts are the cold crab dip with excellent house-made potato chips, and the Jamon Serrano Bikini, a pressed ham and cheese sandwich with black olives and a chile-prune condiment. Just be careful not to smudge the beige felt on the pool table when you’re done.

Hero photo by William Jess Laird

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