José Andrés Opens a Manhattan Cocktail Bar With Sweeping City Views

Humanitarian and prolific restaurateur José Andrés is opening Nubeluz, a rooftop bar on the 50th floor of the Ritz-Carlton New York in Nomad at 25 W. 28th Street, at Broadway, where his ground-floor NYC debut of Eastern Mediterranean hit Zaytinya opened over the summer. Reservations are available now for seatings starting Saturday, September 24.

The name is a portmanteau of the Spanish words for “cloud” (nube) and “light” (luz), says the press release. The swanky jeweled-tone bar with back-lit panels features 132 indoor seats including the bar, and two terraces, one that seats 12 and another with room for 20: all with 270-degree views of the city.

Miguel Lancha, the so-called Cocktail Innovator for ThinkFoodGroup and specifically the pioneering bar destination Barmini, assembled the drinks menu, with listings like the Foggy Hill, made with mezcal, vermouth, Cynar, Aperol, and an orange-thyme “aromatic cloud” among them. There will also be booze-free drinks like the Firefly with zero-proof Gnista Barreled Oak, saffron, Thai basil, Thai chile tincture, and tonic. Drinks are $16 to $24.

When it comes to food, look for a grazing menu with items like oysters, foie gras terrine; a bagel and lox cone with cream cheese, salmon roe, and black sesame; grilled cheese with honey, thyme, and mustard; as well as Jamón Ibérico, and smoked salmon with labneh, roe, and potato chips. Snacks are $6 to $32, with the exception of caviar, which is as much as $950 for a serving of Beluga.

Sam Bakhshandehpour, president of the José Andrés Group, says the company plans to open more restaurants in town, including a location of the Bazaar in the Ritz-Carlton New York later this year. “Bringing the magic of our bars and lounges to the heart of this iconic city skyline is a meaningful milestone as we grow in New York City,” he says in a press release.

His statement comes as ThinkFoodGroup dials back in Miami, where the group announced last month it’s closing the Bazaar at the SLS hotel in South Beach in 2023 after a decade-long residence. A second location of the Bazaar at the SLS hotel in Beverly Hills closed in 2020 due to contract termination when SLS owners Sunworld International filed a lawsuit, in which it alleged that ThinkFoodGroup failed to “address structural, cost-cutting measures” and propagated “detrimental and negative statements about Sun World” to staff. At the time, ThinkFoodGroup said the termination of its consulting contract was an effort to make the property more appealing to other buyers, the LA Times reports. The restaurant group has opened two of three new spots in Los Angeles and it’s growing in hometown Washington, D.C., where ThinkFoodGroup is taking over what had been the Trump-owned Old Post Office.

Nubeluz is open Sunday through Wednesday from 5 p.m. to midnight and Thursday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Reservations required.

Bjorn Wallander/Nubeluz

Liz Clayman/Nubeluz

Liz Clayman/Nubeluz

Bjorn Wallander/Nubeluz