Birds & Bees is just a hop and a skip north of Grand Central Market at 207 Broadway. As you search for this hip watering hole, you’ll drift through a parking lot to a nondescript iron gate, down a couple of flights of stairs, through a long narrow hallway of cedar blocks and bricks to find, to your left: a series of elegantly large windows that peer into a homey mid-century inspired space with mild homages to the atomic age, dressed in modernist furnishings. With a couple of sofas, a fireplace, tables and chairs and a long bar equipped with stools, it will make your post World War II swinging dreams come true. As you settle into this hidden cocktail den, you’ll notice Birds & Bees has an industrial feel with iron and concrete high ceilings and roomy open spaces.
More After The BreakBird & Bees is a den of cocktail delights first envisioned by Co-Owner Dev Desai in New York City, who shared his idea with his friend and now business partner Co-Owner Ankur Desai. In turn, they reached out to Marcos Tello of Template Consulting to further realize their dream. Marcos Tello is known for his acclaimed cocktail programs at Seven Grand Whiskey Bar, The Edison and 1886 Bar. Template Consulting brought on their finest talents in Manager Nikki Sunseri and Bar Manager Bethany Ham. Both Nikki and Bethany come with top honors and experience in the hospitality industry. Bethany is the mixologist who conceptualizes and creates the drinks. Birds & Bees turns the clock back with their drink choices, avoiding contemporary sensibilities, tuning in on the classics and offering seasonal vintage options to keep things fresh and swinging.
The cocktails that stimulated our taste buds were the Desi Arnaz, the Pat Boone and the Ella Fitzgerald. They were tasty and satisfyingly intoxicating. Many of the seasonal cocktails are named after Hollywood legends. Birds & Bees uses Penny Pound Ice that adds a lot of class and definitive style to their drinks. The wait staff are ready to serve your cocktail of choice in flattering and nostalgic period clothing. The Pat Boone was even more stunning with its large, sharply hand-cut crystal clear cube with a citrus garnishment. Every drink has a stunning presentation and is curiously designed with “eye appeal” in mind. The Ella Fitzgerald was a stunner of a martini with its vintage lace martini glass and beautifully presented back, hosting a garnish of pickled green bean, okra, gherkin and a tiny pearl onion. I joked it was more like a meal, but it was a perfectly delicious cocktail! Birds & Bees boasts a host of vintage cocktail options to be explored and possibly exploited for an evening of libations and conversations, swirling in a nucleus of mid-century relaxation and mischief.
Birds & Bees opens Jan. 28th and is open every Monday through Wednesday from 5:00 pm to 12:00 Midnight, and every Thursday through Saturday from5:00 pm to 2:00 am. For more information or reservations, please visit www.BirdsandBeesLA.com or call Birds & Bees directly at 213.537.0510.
