For years, Hurley’s was the go-to Midtown NYC spot of cultural icons. Johnny Carson used to head there after filming The Tonight Show, the cast of Saturday Night Live as well as David Letterman and even Jack Kerouac used to flock there. Despite decades of patronage from celebrity royalty, Hurley’s shuttered its doors in 2000. Now, the space is being reborn as Pebble Bar.
Pebble Bar comes from a host of hospitality and entertainment stars including Jason Sudeikis, Mark Ronson, Justin Theroux, SNL’s Pete Davidson, and Nicholas Braun (Succession). Located at 67 W. 49th St., the space is completely born anew.
No longer a circa-1892 pub, Pebble Bar occupies all four floors of a four-story Rockefeller Center townhouse. The team at Gachot Studios adorned it in a moody Art Deco meets retro 1960s aesthetic. Marble oyster bar, brass table lamps, and floral pillows mesh with Eames lounge chairs, velvet couches, vinyl tables, and vintage RCA speakers by Ojas.
On the ground floor, the foyer is paneled in oak and tiled in a mosaic design. The second floor is built around a back-lit bar and features dark stone tables, brass drink rails, and a view over Sixth Avenue. The third floor features the aforementioned marble oyster bar and a dining room that seats 35. The top floor, known as Johnny’s, is reserved for private parties and is accessible via a hidden entrance in Rockefeller Center.
The menu features oysters with a fresh apple mignonette, a whole Maine lobster with horseradish cream and pear-habanero relish, and a traditional shrimp cocktail. Bar snacks include steak tartare with truffle aioli; popcorn dressed in za’atar seasoning; smoked and torched mackerel with scallion-ginger puéee; and burnt cheesecake with brandy caramel.
As for drinks, a modern wine program is accompanied by a cocktail menu that features classics alongside seasonal tipples named after old Rockefeller Center nomenclature. There’s the Martini 1-H (named for “Studio 1-H,” the nickname NBC crew members gave Hurley’s) and the Carousel (named after a nearby jazz club), made with mezcal, pineapple, cinnamon, chipotle, Campari and lime.
For more information, head over to Pebble Bar’s official website.