Update: Ownership has informed What Now New York that they have withdrawn their application from Community Board 3, and are no longer pursuing this project. They conveyed that they are considering another project in a different part of the city.
Created by a collaboration between a social event company and a private equity firm, a sophisticated cocktail bar tentatively called 98 Rivington was being planned for the corner of Rivington and Ludlow streets in the Lower East Side, according to a permit filing with Community Board 3. Describing the concept as a cocktail bar, the filing listed a culinary program anchored by elevated small plates, such as smoked blue crab dip and charred broccolini flatbread, alongside sweets like a cardamom-and-rose panna cotta. What Now New York had reached out for more information as of publication.
Located in the former Cactus Wren, the venture was a collaboration between the social event company Practically Dazed and the asset management and private equity firm East Village Ventures. The ownership group has advisors with significant nightlife and hospitality pedigree, with ties to Manhattan icons like Webster Hall and Death & Co.
