Gothamist has learned that the White Horse Tavern will reopen its doors Wednesday night, following several weeks of renovations under their new owner Eytan Sugarman.
Earlier today, a tipster informed Gothamist that the bar would be reopening, with a menu to come later on. A representative for Sugarman confirmed the news to Gothamist, saying that the 19th century bar—one of the oldest in New York City, and a storied literary haunt—will open tonight (it's unclear what time). Starting Monday, they'll be serving "a limited summer menu," with a fuller menu unveiling sometime in the fall.
Several months ago, news broke that the building that the White Horse is housed in, including the rent-stabilized apartments above it, had been sold to notorious slumlord Steve Croman, who recently got out of prison. Sugarman, a restaurateur, took over the longtime bar's reins.
Though the White Horse Tavern has a landmarked exterior, and efforts are underway to landmark the interior, changes could ostensibly still be made to the bar. Locals have been worried about what changes might possibly come to the White Horse under the new ownership, and staged an "Irish wake" at the bar back in March. At a community board meeting, Sugarman insisted that he had "every intention of keeping this amazing institution the way it is," while making repairs and instilling "a little bit of a better burger."
When asked about what changes people can expect at the bar, Sugarman's representative reiterated that it would look and feel very similar to the original.
