The team behind one of Tokyo's best bars is shaking up wasabi gin and tonics in the West Village

A new bar and all-day dining concept opens in the West Village, named Love Thy Neighbor. Chef Elias Popa preserved a single brick for three years after finding it during demolition at 55 Christopher Street, where the former 55 Bar jazz club had closed and the space later fell into disrepair. The brick came from the neighboring building, identified as The Stonewall Inn. Popa kept it while moving it between locations until the venue was ready. The interior follows a “no straight lines” design philosophy, creating a futuristic, spaceship-like atmosphere with curved booths and hidden alcoves. A gold quote by Marsha P. Johnson is displayed near the entrance, and cocktail programming is led by veteran bartenders Shigefumi Kabashima and Atsushi Suzuki.

"Chef Elias Popa has held onto a single brick for three years. He's moved it around a few times, keeping it first at his now-closed Lower East Side Romanian restaurant, Oti, and later in the confines of his car. But this isn't just any brick. Popa has spent the last several years transforming 55 Christopher Street, the basement-level bar space that once housed the legendary 55 Bar jazz club before it shuttered in 2022. After sitting vacant for years and suffering damage from a fire in the building, the venue had fallen into serious disrepair. When Popa first toured it, the floor was little more than exposed beams."

"During demolition, he came across a loose brick from the exposed wall of the neighboring building: none other than The Stonewall Inn. He kept it, waiting for the right moment. Now, the brick has found a permanent home, proudly illuminated inside a new gathering space dedicated to community, connection and exceptionally crafted cocktails. Tonight, the West Village welcomes Love Thy Neighbor."

"Taking inspiration from the queer-friendly neighborhood it calls home, the bar and all-day dining concept follows a simple design philosophy: "no straight lines." The result is a futuristic, almost spaceship-like interior, with soft tan curves framing booths and tucked-away alcoves in the back. Hidden toward the rear is an especially stunning bathroom that feels as though it's been carved from a geode. Making its intentions clear from the outset, a quote from Marsha P. Johnson is stamped in gold near the entrance: "No Pride For Some of Us Without Liberation For All Of Us.""

"As for what's happening behind the bar, that comes courtesy of cocktail veterans Shigefumi Kabashima and Atsushi Suzuki. Kabashima's résumé includes NR and the now-closed ROKC-though much of that menu lives on at NR-while Suzuki previously worked at Angel's Share and helped open Tokyo's The SG Club."

Read at Time Out New York