Puffy’s is opening today for pickup of its specialty sandwiches and, of course, beer and cocktails to go. While it’s not exactly back to normal, it is certainly a welcome sight. The bar closed at 8p on March 16 — the day before St. Patty’s — along with the rest of the city’s watering holes. Hours are weekdays from 11a to 6p, for now.

“We just can’t wait around anymore as far as keeping the business alive,” said general manager Charlie Garriga. “In the first month we didn’t really want to come to work, and it was really quiet in the neighborhood. But now that we know a lot more of what we are dealing with and people know how to act, we thought we could give it a try.”

The former lunch crowd used to be largely Citigroup, New York Law School and construction workers, so in these next weeks they will see who comes around and get a feel for things. When the weather gets warmer, they might add in weekends.

The sandwich operation has always been made-to-order and simple: no Grubhub, no Seamless, just call in advance and pay on the phone, old style. You can also order in person — the door will be open and a table will be stationed outside. If you need a big order, email in advance: puffystavern@yahoo.com. The menu is here.

“We are way more into people coming and have a drink in the bar, but for now we just want to have our people work and do sandwiches and drinks to go. We are just keeping it simple.”

 

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Wonderful painting by @ebradshaw2 Check out her art on her Instagram. Yes there used to be a pay phone in the front. Stay safe everyone. We will see you soon. ????#puffystavern #tribeca #nyc #bestbar #bestbartenders #ellenbradshaw #nycart

A post shared by PUFFYS TAVERN NYC (@puffystavernnyc) on May 6, 2020 at 9:17am PDT