Dan Cipriani (Bushwick's Sea Wolf and Rockaway's Playland Grill) hopes to have Bushwick's hottest nightlife destination, with a sprawling warehouse located off the Jefferson L train stop. The complex includes two concepts: Gemelli and The Ledge.
Gemelli and The Ledge have separate entrances (one on the avenue, the other on the street), different interior designs and menus. If not for a staff member asking whether you were in the mood for green or pink—the rooftop equivalent of the red pill or blue pill—you might never know its sister bar lurks beyond a somewhat secret door. Is it a coincidence that these fratenal twins opened at the start of Gemini season? Perhaps.
Gemelli's bar is larger with more emphasis on sit-down, full table service. There's a grand bar on the first level, with a rooftop with indoors decked in jade green, and an outdoor section filled with turquoise umbrellas (both designed by Lorraine Kirke, mother of actress Jemima Kirke). Gemelli offers an all-day Italian menu with a focus on pasta.
By contrast, The Ledge looks like part of Barbie's home: the pink space is more intimate, with a smaller outdoor space, a retractable roof and more casual Italian-inspired bites—simple sandwiches with burrata with roasted red peppers and pesto, soppressata and prosciutto. It's open later and will certainly be the more late-night party spot.