A new spot in the West Village is elevating the local bar scene with its new food menu.
Yesterday’s, located at 157 Bleecker St., opened its doors officially this past spring with a blend of old-school nostalgia and contemporary vibes, giving the two-story space a welcoming and laid-back energy for guests. The place initially opened with a curated bar menu, but didn’t have a food menu.
Enter, Executive Chef Robert Sieber.
Chef Sieber was brought on board to help develop an elevated bar food menu to match the concept of the bar. Going in, Sieber wanted to lean into menu items that would appeal not just to himself, but the owners and guests alike.
“The space was open, but they didn’t have food, so that kind of helped me build this out and whatnot because I had a little bit of an image of what they’re doing so far, but obviously the main focus is elevated bar food,” said Seiber. “We’re calling it ‘the everything bar,’ so it’s kind of a menu that works for every time and every kind of type of event or situation.”
Everything on the Yesterday’s menu is made in-house, ensuring that the freshest and best ingredients are used. Sieber’s menu has some bar food classics, such as mozzarella sticks, wings, and spinach and artichoke dip, but they take it to the next level: the mozzarella sticks are served with spicy Vodka marinara and hot honey, the wings are available in buffalo, lemon pepper or Asian chili, and the spinach and artichoke dip is made with goat cheese.
“We just didn’t want it to be the normal, like it’s the thing you see every day. Maybe it’s the stuff you see every day with some new flavors,” said Sieber.
Other menu highlights include the Wagyu Burger, the Tuna Melt, the Crispy Chicken Buffalo Wrap, and the Fried Losada Olives, which are one of Sieber’s personal favorites. Another favorite of Sieber’s are the Not Chicago Mini Hot Dogs, which as the name suggests, are wagyu beef mini hot dogs served with everything bagel seasoning, dill relish, red onion, pepperoncini, tomato, and celery salt.
As a Midwestern native himself (and a lover of hot dogs, he has a hot dog tattoo), Sieber saw how a Chicago dog could work for a New York menu.
“I wanted a hot dog on the menu, but we were thinking of how we’re gonna do it. We figured the mini guys would be a good way to go, shareable, and then I love a Chicago dog, but — we’re not calling ourselves a sports bar, but we’re very sports focused — I was like, is this gonna be weird if we have a Chicago dog on a New York City sports bar menu?” said Sieber. “I can make it a little more us, a little more New York, so switching out the poppy seeds traditionally on the bun for everything bagel, the hot dogs are like a Wagyu all-beef hot dog, and then typically it’s white onion, we put some red onion. Typically it’s that neon relish on a hot dog that’s like bright, bright, bright green, why don’t we switch that’s kind of like a sweet relish?”
Sieber says that so far, the new Yesterday’s menu has been a hit with customers. Sieber says that the bar was extra busy during the Knicks championship series and at the start of the World Cup, but he’s excited to see how it performs during the less busy times.
“I’ve done similar concepts to this, I’ve done a very similar place last year to it, so I kind of know the game of it all. There’s days when at 8 o’clock on a Friday where it’s packed out and we’re probably not gonna sell as much food, and that’s completely fine,” said Sieber. “But it’s people are enjoying the space, and that’s what I’m excited about.”
As we head deeper into the summer season, Yesterday’s plans to lean into some World Cup specials, but ultimately Sieber wants to make the bar a place where people can come back repeatedly and have an excellent experience.
“It’s not just one of those places where you stop in when it’s a big game or something like that. It’s a little neighborhood spot, and that’s kind of how we price the menu, too,” said Sieber. “We want people coming back and not just once. So I wanna keep updating the menu and keep people excited about what’s to come.”
For more information, visit yesterdaysnyc.com.
