Attaboy Cocktail Bar Just Unveiled Their Expanded Space

Walking up and knocking on the mostly unmarked metal door at 134 Eldridge Street in Manhattan once meant trying your luck at getting a seat in one of the city’s best (and smallest) cocktail bars: Attaboy.

The historic bar space is known as the birthplace of modern classics like the Penicillin, Paper Plane, and Greenpoint, making it one of the most lauded bars in New York City. But with room for just about 25 guests at a time, a host regularly turned away guests or fielded a long wait list, even on slower nights. So when space next to the bar opened up, co-owners Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy decided to take over and expand their bar, announcing this week that Attaboy will soon double in size.

“The bar is so tiny, and we know people are coming out of their way, whether it’s locals or tourists visiting from around the world,” says Ross. “We never want to disappoint people. We listened long enough that we felt it did really make sense to tweak the room and make even more Attaboy.”

Attaboy’s plan to give the people what they want

Attaboy will take over what was once called Good Guys, a second concept from the team that focused solely on spritzes and aperitivo snacks. McIlroy says they originally hoped the space would serve as a cozy waiting room for their primary bar next door, but the duo heard time and time again from guests that they just wanted to drink contemporary classics that were created at Attaboy, so they decided to give the people what they want.

That means the bar’s original 500-square-foot space will now be twice that size, and guests can expect the same signature Attaboy feel throughout the entire space. The additional bar area was actually designed to mirror the original Attaboy, a factor the team felt was important for keeping guests immersed in the bar’s signature feel. 

“When you expand a space, you run the risk of changing the energy of the room,” says Matty Clark, the bar’s general manager. “Because we have a mirrored space next door, it will feel the same. You’re still going into Attaboy no matter which side of the room you enter.”

What to expect

Instead of walking up to an unmarked door, you’ll now likely see a host waiting outside between the original entrance to Attaboy and the other door for 134 Eldridge Street, which once led to Good Guys. Whether you’re directed to the door on the right or left, you’ll be treated to the bar’s thoughtful hospitality once inside.

Another aspect of the bar that will be maintained is that guests will still never hold a menu in this new iteration of Attaboy, staying true to the bar’s original concept. 

Ross and McIlroy first met working behind the bar at Milk & Honey, Sasha Petraske’s pioneering cocktail bar, which took a similar sans-menu approach. Instead, it put bartenders in the driver’s seat to uncover each guest’s preferences and perfect each drink order. The duo used that same approach when they opened their own concept in 2012 and a second Attaboy location in Nashville in 2017.

An important milestone leads to a new cocktail era

Milk & Honey first opened in the space on New Year’s Eve of 1999, so the building is celebrating its 25th anniversary as home to some of the best cocktail bars in the world this year. The duo felt it was the right time to expand, given the milestone, and taking off into a new era of the bar means they can further innovate and push the limits of cocktail making with a little more space.

“We’re most excited that this will give us more opportunity to do some really cool, interesting things,” says Ross. “There’s a lot that we haven’t been able to do in the smaller, original space.”

Hosting pop-ups with other bars from around the world, offering some reservations, booking private events, and teaching more cocktail classes are all on the table, he says. The team wasn’t comfortable saying yes to these offerings before because it would limit the number of people able to get the full Attaboy experience. 

Now with 1,000 square feet of expertly made classic cocktails, two bar tops where bartenders make tailored cocktails, and the same dedication to hospitality, there’s more than enough Attaboy to go around in this new era for the bar.