One of New York's Most Acclaimed Restaurant Groups Nabs Longtime Soho Bistro
The fast-growing restaurant group, renamed for the late Jamal James Kent, has signed a lease in what had been SoHo's Bistro Les Amis for 28 years. The Substack newsletter Feed Me first reported the news on Jun 10. A source confirms to Eater that the project at 180 Spring Street, at Thompson Street, comes from Kent Hospitality's bar director, Harrison Ginsberg. It will steer toward a casual, neighborhood spot with a focus on drinks, a pivot from the corner bistro's French legacy. The group hasn't yet revealed a name.
Bistro Les Amis, run by Roy Ibrahim, which closed at the end of May after nearly three decades in business, was a SoHo mainstay. It was known for its French onion soup, unfussy elegance, and late-night service. It opened in 1998, before the neighborhood was saturated with flagships and influencer-friendly cafes, and maintained a local following even as the surrounding retail landscape shifted. Over a decade after it opened, Time Out pointed to the 'worn cherry bar' as a perch for Spring Street locals in a place that was 'not exactly groundbreaking, but we'd happily linger on Les Amis' turf, however familiar.'
Since Kent's death last year, the restaurants from Kent Hospitality group have shifted to reflect emerging leaders, with Michelin-starred Crown Shy overseen by Jassimran Singh, two-star Saga overseen by Charlie Mitchell, and World's 50 Best bar with a spectacular view, Overstory from Ginsberg.
The group has continued to grow with Time and Tide in the Flatiron, with Top Chef winner Danny Garcia running the kitchen. The team's largest undertaking yet has been overseeing the operations for several hospitality projects inside the Financial District's glossy new department store, Printemps, including Maison Passerelle and Salon Vert — both overseen by James Beard winner Gregory Gourdet. They're also behind the newly opened Birdee, the Brooklyn bakery in the Domino development from Renata Ameni.
Earlier this year, the Times reported that Billy Durney, of Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern acclaim, has taken on investment from Kent Hospitality, and will open a restaurant with the group at 9 West 57th Street. It was formerly Cucina 8 ½ until it closed in January.
Over in Soho, the as-yet-named project will lean on Ginsberg's professional cred, which gained momentum at Fidi's Irish-leaning cocktail destination, the Dead Rabbit. Before that, he helped open Crown Shy in 2019 and signed on to oversee cocktails for the restaurant group. He's now steering the Spring Street build-out, giving new life to one of SoHo's most enduring spaces. See More: Coming Attractions
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