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In New York, nostalgia has become a currency of sorts: locals love to bemoan the past (sure, while embracing the present) when it comes to modes of transportation and the lost art of hanging out at a video rental store.
Dara Rock, the owner of Nobody's Perfect, a new bar in Hell's Kitchen, has taken the trend and turned it into yet another business: his drinking hole is an ode to pop culture's past, with over 500 pieces of imagery covering the walls across both floors, plus one hundred vintage toys, gadgets and “oddball treasures on display,” as he tells Time Out New York.
“We've even got a mural made up of 200 VHS movie covers,” he says.
Meant to be a playful, laid-back destination, the vibe definitely calls to mind the kinds of bars that used to pepper NYC in the late '90s and early 2000s: old episodes of Seinfeld, Sex and the City and other legendary TV shows play in the background—the perfect backdrop to the flavored shots (anyone care for a Cinnamon Toast Crunch or a peanut butter whiskey, perhaps?) on offer. Also on the bar menu is an adult (liquorized) version of a Capri Sun served in a plastic pouch and an espresso martini presented in one of those classic NYC coffee cups. Clearly, Rock has gone all in when it comes to nostalgia.
At the moment, only the bar is operational, but Rock mentions plans to eventually open a kitchen—hopefully in just a few months.
“The goal is to reinvest and get a small, fun menu up and running down the line,” he reveals.
But there’s more than whimsical drinks and iconic pop culture ephemera plastered all over: the second floor has been turned into a party-slash-game room featuring two dart boards, foosball tables, and over fifty board and card games. We told you: the ’90s all over again.
Rock clearly knows what he's doing—this is actually his third bar in NYC. He also owns Somebody’s Darling and Biddy’s Pub on the Upper East Side, each one an ode to all things nostalgic as well.
As for the name of her latest project, he explains it’s a “cheeky little reminder that imperfections are what make us interesting.” Except, paradoxically, if it’s an authentic deep dive into the past that you’re looking for, Nobody’s Perfect is sort of… perfect?