Recovered from fire, Pony Bar UES reopens tonight

A little over two months after an arson shut the bar down and caused significant damage, The Pony Bar UES (1444 First Ave. at 75th St., Upper East Side) will officially reopen tonight at 5pm. While many things about the bar will remain mainly the same, there will be a few new touches to the bar that were added when the opportunity came to remodel.

The bar was refinished and reshaped to square off at the end nearest the door, making for a proper “king’s chair” where the bar was previously rounded. The front exterior now includes windows that open onto the street, giving the bar a more open feel when the weather is nice. And a new tap tower was added; it’s not for beer, but rather draft cocktails. Owner Dan McLaughlin expects to be pouring three house cocktails from the tower, like Juleps, Negronis, and Manhattans, made in brand new homebrew kegs.



The thing that Pony Bar is most known for – 20 rotating taps of craft beer – will not change, but there are new menu screens that are “softer on the eyes,” according to McLaughlin. Here’s what they look like, which will give you an idea of what they’ll be pouring:



You can drink these beers when the bar resumes normal operation tonight.

