The brews started streaming again on June 25 at The Rye Pub, the slightly new name for the century-old drinking establishment at 3 Elm Place that had been shuttered since being sold over the winter.
What had long simply been called The Pub was run down and attracting few customers when it closed in January, but the tiny (713 square feet) watering hole was packed with more than 50 people on its first Saturday night back in operation.
The crowd enjoyed their drinks in a refreshed room that combined new tables, chairs, and wall decorations with old touches that have been in place for decades, such as a ceiling that once graced a train car.
“The built-up curiosity about our plans was incredible,” said Tim Cacase, a partner in 3 Elm Place, LLC, a collection of half-a-dozen Westchester residents who purchased the bar for $850,000. “For months, diners at Rafele and Gordito (two Purchase Street restaurants Cacase co-owns) were constantly asking me, ‘When are you going to open? When are you going to open?’”
The owners would eventually like to feature a limited menu at The Rye Pub, but the saloon opened without any food service (or Guinness on tap for that matter).
Before and after of The Rye Pub. Photos/David Hessekiel
Cacase said he expects those improvements and more to come together over the summer as he and his partners work their way through a long to-do list.
When they’re done, they hope to create a place that blends well with The Pub’s “dive bar” history, but is more upscale and will attract customers from lunchtime until late at night, he said.
The site traces its roots as a saloon all the way back to the 1920s. Originally called Buggies and then The Little Club, The Pub was created by long-time proprietor James Finneran in 1982.
