An exciting new bar and grill is currently getting ready to take over an iconic piece of East Village real estate.
Offside is a brand new restaurant and bar from owner Thomas Fischetti. Prior to taking over the space, Thomas and his friends previously managed Offside Tavern, a beloved Islanders-themed bar on 14th street that brought hockey fans from across the city into one popular watering hole. Sadly, Islanders fans were devastated when the tavern closed during the pandemic, but in 2021 they saw the light at the end of the tunnel when Offside was invited to join UBS arena to become one of the official bars of the New York Islanders.
Now, Thomas will be opening a new Offside bar at 94 Avenue A. The space was once home to Sidewalk Café, an iconic music and performance venue that operated at the space for over 36 years. In fact, your humble author was even known to haunt their popular open-mics from time to time, but thankfully the records of those performances have been long since buried. The East Village was distressed to learn that Sidewalk would close for good in 2019, but a new concept quickly moved in afterwards that sought to put those concerns to rest. Sadly, August Laura opened during an incredibly inauspicious time, and the project was short-lived as the pandemic soon rendered their operation untenable.
Thankfully, Fischetti will once again bring life into the space with his new concept. Serving up classic American comfort cuisine in a friendly bar environment, Offside is expected to operate from 4:00 PM – 4:00 AM on weekdays, and from 11:00 AM – 4:00 AM on weekends. Offside will also have an additional sidewalk café that will close to the public at 10:00 PM every night.
As it was with Sidewalk, Offside is expected to serve a specialty brunch on weekends and will offer selections like Chicken and Waffles, Stuffed French Toast, and Classic Eggs Benedict. Of course, Offside will also serve sharable appetizers and salads, and more traditional American selections like sandwiches and burgers. It is not clear whether or not Offside will continue its Islanders theming, as Fischetti could not be reached for comment, but given the popularity of Offside Tavern among Islanders fans, it’s a safe bet to make. At the moment, Fischetti and his team are in the process of acquiring a liquor license for the space, so they are still too early into development to reveal their schedule for opening.
