The building at 86 Bedford Street is the most iconic address in the West Village, home to Chumley’s, the 1920s haunt tied to the origin of the term “86” (as in a Prohibition-era directive to get rid of customers; the police are coming). After the original shuttered in 2007, it transitioned to a polished 2016 revival. When that closed, chef Liz Johnson briefly opened her controversial Frog Club. Now the powerhouse team behind Corner Store — Eugene Remm, Tilman Fertitta, and Catch Hospitality Group — have reset the space with the Eighty Six, a new steakhouse that just debuted at No. 12 on the World’s 101 Best Steak Restaurants list — the highest-ranked in North America. Does it matter? Only if you can get inside.
The entrance, easy to miss, opens into a speakeasy-style darkness, from which I was escorted to a round booth near the fireplace across from a Warhol piece. A fleet of employees dressed in suit jackets with “86” lapel pins stood ready to assist, as if they were part of an FBI detail. Design firm Rockwell Group stripped back Frog Club’s amphibian excess in favor of velvet banquettes, vintage lighting, and details that evoke a luxury train car. Downstairs, chef Michael Vignola runs a kitchen where the meat is cut and dry-aged on-site, beneath the original bar, where I hope to sit next time.
Get the bread and butter martini — vodka, sourdough, butter, fleur de sel — which sounds like a stunt but lands closer to savory than gimmicky. There’s also a fluffy margarita and a Champagne Pornstar (tequila and Chablis). Even with the staff dressed like security detail, no one is taking themselves too seriously here.
This is a tough table to land: Your best bet is to line up for a walk-in before it opens at 4 p.m. or try your luck online.
Dining and Cooking