Quoc Pham, the founder of Brooklyn-based sound system collective Dub-Stuy, is planning a Manhattan bar. Pham is hoping to open a hi-fi listening bar called Downtone at 301 Grand Street on the Lower East Side, according to community board filings.
The space is expected to feature a 200-square-foot coffee kiosk and retail section; a 1,200-square-foot listening bar; and a 1,400-square-foot events space on the second floor. There will be a total of 27 tables with 85 seats and two bars.
Downtone will aim to provide the neighborhood with a specialty coffee shop and community gathering space during the day. By night, it will serve as a space dedicated to deep-listening culture and will host events such as album releases and artist talks.
The all-day cafe will offer food items such as coffee, tea, sandwiches, grain bowls, breakfast burritos, overnight oats and pastries. The bar menu will offer bar snacks such as salt and vinegar cucumbers and scallion pancake chips; shareable plates such as shiitake skewers and crispy chicken bites; sandwiches; and entrees such as chicken rice bowls.
The proposed hours of operation for Downtone are 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. Monday through Wednesday, with hours extended to 2 a.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Pham launched Dub-Stuy in 2012, pulling multiple styles of music into a single sound system collective. Since then, the organization has developed more than 12 years of events operations experience.
As of now, an opening timeline for Downtone is unclear.
