New East Village Venue Is Coffee Shop, Restaurant And Cocktail Bar Wrapped Into One

By Yvo Sin.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Shaking things up in the East Village is Prima, the newly-opened coffee and cocktail-focused eatery.

The casual, all-day eatery opened Nov. 2. Serving pastries and coffee at 8 a.m. until noon, the location serves lunch before it switches over to cocktail service at 5 p.m.

"It's a new concept," co-ower Hamid Rashizada told CBSNewYork. "Each aspect of Prima's service periods are unique from the others, as both offerings and dining room shifts and changes to offer guests a different experience depending on when they come."

The cocktail menu was carefully curated by Greg Seider, who had a hand in revamping Le Bernardin's cocktail menu.

Tarragon, lemon, elderflower, thyme and custom tea blends will make their appearance - signature touches by Seider, who also owns nearby Summit Bar with Rashidzada.

"Seider and I missed being in a restaurant," Rashidzada told CBSNewYork. "We wanted to have a place where we could give the same creative focus to a food menu that we do to drinks at Summit. So we called all of our friends."

The dinner menu will have a seafood slant to it; local fish where possible, all sustainably caught customizable dishes with choose-your-own-sauce.

"Our dinner menu of cocktails and seafood has been welcomed by the neighborhood and we have had a great response to our healthier approach towards evening dining," Rashidzada said.

The focus on fresh, local ingredients will mean that some dishes will only be available seasonally.

Prima is located at 58 East 1st Street in the East Village.
Prima NYC

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Yvo Sin is the founder and head writer of The Feisty Foodie.