“We always joke that we love to open up places in bad locations,” says Anella co-owner Blair Papagni. She and partner Josh Cohen, along with some of the guys from Matchless, will open Saint Vitus toward the end of the month at the very tippy top of Greenpoint — Manhattan Avenue between Box and Clay — which, if not bad, is arguably a still-developing neighborhood (Anella is helping raise the bar a few blocks down). Still, being a bit of a hike from any subway line buys a few things: space, 2,700 feet of it, enough for a rock-and-roll music venue in back, and drink prices that likely won’t top $10.
Matthew Maddy built Anella and No. 7, plus both locations of Weather Up, and he’s outfitting this drinkery in those same subway tiles, in gleaming black rather than white, with big doors, almost barnlike, separating the two rooms — a 35-seat bar will dominate the front, while banquettes provide seating in back. As for drinks, there are eight tap lines and a cocktail list designed by a mixologist from No. 7, Justin Scurti, “though not as upscale as that,” says Papagni. Food is planned, too, though that’s still in the works. Watch this space for photos as the opening date nears.
Saint Vitus, 1120 Manhattan Ave., nr. Clay St.
