After a disappointing but temporary closure, one of Williamsburg’s most popular cocktail bars will be reopening in Manhattan with a few changes.
Donna was a popular cocktail club and restaurant based out of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The space was originally established in 2011 by owner Leif Young Huckman, a prolific designer and creative director who had spent years mastering his craft in the hospitality industry. He established Donna as a tropical oasis designed to transport guests to somewhere special and unforgettable, and offered up small bites and plates inspired by Latin America.
Huckman was also the founder of Hidden Pearl, a Japanese-inspired speakeasy based behind a ramen joint in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. While Hidden Pearl is still going strong today, Donna sadly closed in late 2020 as a result of difficulties incurred by the pandemic. While the team had reappeared at a few different spots for a few one-night popups, fans of the space have been anxiously awaiting news of their favorite bar’s revival.
Thankfully, that news has arrived! It now appears that Donna will be reopening in Manhattan with a radically different management and ownership structure. For their revival, Donna will be established as a worker-owned cooperative, hoping to create a successful model that will be flexible, resilient, and most-importantly worker-friendly. The new restaurant will be jointly managed by worker/owners Lauren Ruiz, Elissa May, KC Frank, and Luke Evans. Together, the group will establish a bold new structure that is intended to make the space more equitable and sustainable.
The team has just recently acquired the lease to a new space at 7 Cornelia Street, between West 4th and Bleecker Street. The location was formerly home to the Southeast Asian Restaurant Uncle Chop Chop, and offers about 1905 square feet of space between the ground floor and restaurant. The new location is also expected to feature a 260 square feet sidewalk cafe, and should be able to seat approximately 43 guests inside at once.
Soon, guests will once again be able to enjoy Donna’s signature tacos, burritos, and Latin-inspired small plates, as well as the plethora of cocktails that originally made Donna such a hit in Williamsburg. The team is currently in the process of meeting with the community board to acquire a new liquor license for the space, and they are proposing operating hours of 10:00 AM – 12:00 AM Sunday through Thursday, and 10:00 AM – 1:00 AM Friday through Saturday. For future updates, you can follow the team at Donna on Instagram.
