After a long wait, Bowery’s newest Mexican restaurant is finally getting ready to open to the public.
Ixta is a brand new Mexican restaurant from owner Mike Himani. Himani is a well-established New York hospitality veteran, and has been working in the industry for over 30 years. He has launched numerous concepts over the course of his career, but today he is probably best known for his Nisi Mediterranean restaurant on 47th street, which just recently moved up from the West Village, as well as Penn Station’s popular Chickpea restaurant.
Ixta is envisioned by Himani as an authentic Mexican restaurant that will serve traditional Mexican dishes and drinks. The restaurant will be opening up at 299 Bowery, replacing DBGB. DBGB was a popular kitchen and bar from owner Daniel Boulud that operated for over eight years at the space before closing in 2017. Thankfully, DBGB survived and is now operating successfully out in Washington DC, but the space at Bowery has remained vacant for the five years since DBGB departed.
Now though, Ixta will finally be revitalizing the space with a bold new vision. The location is relatively spacious, and will feature enough room to comfortably seat about 165 guests at one time. The space will also feature a 22 feet rectangular bar on the first floor, large enough to add an additional 10 stools.
To bring his full vision to life, Himani has acquired the necessary liquor license and earned approval from the community board. In addition to the license though, Himani also requested approval for occasional live music, as he hopes to bring in 3-4 piece mariachi bands on special occasions to liven up the atmosphere even more. Ixta is currently scheduled to operate from 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM Monday through Wednesday, 11:00 AM – 2:00 AM on Thursday and Friday, 11:30 AM – 2:00 AM on Saturday, and 11:30 AM – 12:00 AM on Sunday. Himani has already begun outfitting the space with new signage for Ixta, but he has yet to launch the restaurant’s social media presence. In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for future updates at the space, and we’ll be sure to update you when Ixta finally launches their online profile.
Mike Himani AKA Akbarali Himani is being sued for unpaid wages, hostile work environment and discrimination. Over 6 employees are taking IXTA, AEN hospitality, group, LLC, Ronald Siegel and Marcelo Martins.