The Smyth Tribeca, which, when it was an AKA hotel, had the lovely Little Park in its main restaurant space on West Broadway and Chambers until the pandemic killed it, has enlisted John McDonald, the entrepreneur behind Mercer Street Hospitality, to create a restaurant there this summer called Smyth Tavern. He will also be doing a small cocktail bar and lounge, yet to be named, on the other side of the hotel where the Evening Bar once was (before AKA stripped it clean of all atmosphere and then closed it to the public). That’s scheduled for fall.

McDonald said he is hoping to open this summer with a renovated space by the restaurant designers Meyer Davis, whom he worked with at Bowery Meat Company and Bar Tulix (images below for reference).

“The room will be wood heavy (panels, tambour), red leather booths, and we are hoping to work with a collection of Tribeca art galleries to rotate and feature their artists’ work,” McDonald said. “The menu is still in development but broad strokes: American Tavern fare, the kind of place you can frequent. I know that sounds overly simple but that’s the goal here.” Works for me.

He promised to send along some images and the menu once things are in place.

McDonald founded MercBar in Soho 1993 and then went on to create Lure Fishbar a few doors down on Mercer (and two other cities), Bar Tulix on Houston, Bowery Meat Company on East 1st Street, and Bistrot Leo, Butterfly and the private roof bar A60 on Thompson. He also founded and ran CITY magazine for 10 years.