Julie Reiner Brings Back Milady’s Dive Bar in SoHo

Photos: Daniel Krieger                                                                                            

In a case of what’s old is new again, Milady’s a SoHo dive bar that’s been around for 70 years, has been revived and refreshed. Julie Reiner (aka the “Mixtress”) and the team behind Brooklyn’s Clover Club have taken over the space introducing playful cocktails and dive inspired bites.

Reiner and partners, Christine Williams and Susan Fedroff, have meticulously resurrected Milady’s, with a light-hearted, nostalgic vibe. Reiner says the goal was to bring back the original magic.

"The whole reason we were excited about the space was because of the history, and we want to honor that in a reinvented way,” says Reiner. “At Milady’s, we’ll always be high quality, but here we’re going to shift focus away from the classics and showcase things that are fun and playful.”                                               

Some of those playful things are throwback cocktails, like new takes on the Appletini, Blue Hawaiian and even Jell-O shots. The drinks some recipes that Reiner created herself in the ‘90’s.  Reiner says it’s be a tough couple of years for people and this will be a place to go out and have a good time.

The menu is divided into two categories – dive and high dive – with classics like potato skins, jalapeno corn dog poppers, and smash burgers on the "dive" side. On the “high dive” side look for things like Duck Frites, Grilled Oysters, and Crab Mac & Cheese made with locally sourced ingredients.

The décor at Milady's also pays homage to the bar’s past. While none of the original fixtures survived, the back room which once house a pool table has been given a billiards theme with lights made with pool ball racks.  A large portrait also features Milady’s signature neon sign in a nod to the “everyone’s invited” attitude. Reiner says, “If we can capture even a bit of that, I think we’ll be a success."

Milady’s is located at 160 Prince Street.

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