The mind behind one of New York’s best Japanese speakeasies is getting ready to debut a brand new concept in the West Village.
Angel’s Share is a popular New York speakeasy that has been in operation since 1993. The bar was originally founded by Tadao “Tony” Yoshida, above his noodle shop Village Yokocho at 8 Stuyvesant Street. The bar was especially popular among locals, and was known for fusing Japanese Izakaya-style service with a romantic setting boasting hand-painted Italian renaissance style murals featuring cherubs and angels. The space was known for serving elevated cocktails with strict service rules, like “no standing” and no parties bigger than four people.
Sadly, the nearly 30-year old concept closed unexpectedly in March. Now though, the business has been taken over by Tadao’s daughter, Erina Yoshida, who is inaugurating a new era for Angel’s Share. Most recently, Erina relaunched Angel’s Share as a popup inside the Hotel Eventi on June 1st, intending to run the program until September. Preserving all of the original bar staff and many of the original tables and works of art, Erina has been able to keep everything that fans loved about Angel’s Share while transitioning to a new space.
Additionally, Erina is currently in the process of acquiring a new liquor license for a brand new restaurant concept that has yet to be officially named. The new concept, which is described as “speakeasy-style cocktail bar using traditional Japanese bartending techniques,” is currently planned to to open at 45 Grove Street. Located by the corner of Bleecker Street and Grove Street, the location is currently home to a laundromat that operates in the building’s basement.
The location is relatively spacious for the neighborhood, and features a total licensed square footage of 2,300. There is enough room to seat about 46 guests inside, with additional space for a 13 seat bar. The space is also licensed to prepare food, and will feature a small kitchen in the back. It is unclear at this point what relationship the new bar will have with Angel’s Share, but as Erina and her team continue to develop the concept more information will be sure to come. For future updates on Angel’s Share and all of Erina’s new concepts, you can follow Angel’s Share on Instagram.
