A version of this post originally appeared on October 3, 2025, in Eater and Punch’s newsletter Pre Shift, a biweekly newsletter for the industry pro that sources first-person accounts from the bar and restaurant world.
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What if you could bring your favorite, now-closed bar or restaurant back from the dead?
Thanks to our collaboration with Square, we were able to make that dream a reality. For One Last Shift, our brand new event series, we brought back two beloved New York spots: Fatty Crab, a West Village Malaysian restaurant that inspired a wave Southeast Asian cuisine in the city, and Nitecap, a Lower East Side disco-fever dream of a bar that’s beloved by the industry.
The idea for One Last Shift was simple: to have another chance to bring back the dishes, drinks, and teams that have influenced the way we dine and drink today. We also want to know who to party with next, so we asked attendees to tell us which bars and restaurants they’d bring back for one night. Read on for their answers.
The bar that launched LA’s cocktail revolution. “Definitely The Varnish, the legendary speakeasy in downtown LA. Sasha Petraske oversaw the bar. I think I might have been the first customer. It was like a living history, a place that was from the 1920s. Places like that should just never go away.” —Matthew Kang, correspondent, Eater
Nothing beats a neighborhood restaurant. “I would revive Prime Meats, which was in Carroll Gardens. It had the best salads, the best burgers, some of the best cocktails, and just like the greatest neighborhood restaurant ever. I miss the room and the experience.” —Natasha David, author, bartender and creative director
A pioneer of agave spirits in the city. “I want to see Mayahuel back in full action, please and thank you. It was one of the most inspiring agave bars to open, not only because it was one of the first agave focused bars in New York City, but we also had the most amazing, creative, supportive staff. I wouldn’t be the bartender who I am without the ladies that I worked with at that bar.” —Leanne Favre, owner, Dolores
A “dive restaurant” that welcomed everyone. “When opening my first and second restaurants [5 Ninth and Fatty Crab], I spent quite a bit of time in the hood. Inevitably, most nights ended at the iconic Florent. I loved being able to get bistro fare or breakfast at 4 in the morning, with an insanely eclectic mix of patrons, from lawyers to industry folks to all sorts of locals. What made the place was the vibe, overall experience, and the staff. And the food was very good! For lack of a better term, I’d call it a dive restaurant.” —Rick Camac, managing partner, RDC Hospitality Consultants LLC
The disco-fueled bar we miss dearly. “I would revive Nitecap. They had the perfect trifecta that every bar should have: good drinks, good atmosphere, amazing bar team. I miss it dearly. I have the best memories from there, and they had the best disco ball, too. RIP.” —Chloe Frechette, former executive editor, Punch
Don’t forget the desserts. “I would revive WD50 for Alex Stupak’s dessert menu, specifically. It was absolutely out of this world. WD50 was very conceptual. It was super weird food, so the dessert menu was also very weird, but not that challenging because it was like chocolate and all kinds of fruit and it was just wonderful. You could do a five-course dessert tasting menu. It was incredible. Now he’s gone on to do all kinds of things. But I feel like that is the moment I miss in restaurants.” —Amanda Kludt, former publisher, Eater
A trailblazer in bicoastal cuisine. “Chanterelle. It was one of the places that marked the beginning of ‘foodieism’ and it just felt so special, but also casual, and it felt familial. There was lots of room in the space, real estate was cheap, and so it felt like there was all this creativity and cross-pollination with California-style cooking in New York in a way that felt fresh and new.” —Melissa McCart, dining editorial manager, Northeast, Eater
A bar that could make you fall in love with bars. “I would bring back NoMad. More than anything, I miss the atmosphere. It’s just a beautiful bar and it feels like you’re taking a step back in time—a grand, opulent place that you can walk into and is always so beautiful. It was one of the most formative places, and it made me fall in love with bars.” —Jelani Johnson, head bartender, Le Coucou
Interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
