The teams behind the trendy cocktail bar Eavesdrop and slice shop Upside Pizza are partnering to open a nostalgic ‘90s-themed Italian restaurant and bar called Ask for Janice in Greenpoint this fall.
The new concept will be utilizing the 25-seat space in the back of Greenpoint’s Upside Pizza. The team tapped designer Danny Taylor with House Under Magic, who also designed Eavesdrop, to decorate the new place. It is slated to have a “mysteriously dark and scandalous” nostalgic atmosphere harkening back to the ’90s hip-hop era. Eavesdrop’s Dan Wisssinger is also hiring local DJs to produce tailor-made mixtapes, which will be played on a vintage Nakamichi 600 cassette deck behind the bar. The Italian restaurant will serve “everything but pizza,” as well as cocktails, beers and wine. Some of the unique cocktail concepts include a soppressata martini.
Eavesdrop is a Brooklyn-based cocktail bar that specializes in small plates and music. The concept was founded by Max Dowaliby and Wissinger who has a background in music working for Pandora and SiriusXM, which helps him with booking and programming at Eavesdrop. He is also a DJ and the bassist in Biter The Band.
Upside Pizza is a traditional slice shop founded by Noam Grossman, Oren Halali and Eli Halali. The chain boasts four locations in Greenpoint, Midtown East, Nolita and the Garment District.
