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How a former Williamsburg cigar lounge morphed into an opulent neighborhood mainstay

by Brendan Fitzgibbons

After this once hideout for cigar aficionados was rebranded as a posh cocktail-centric joint in the wake of the now-12-year-old citywide smoking ban, Velvet Lounge Brooklyn owner Philippe Issa found a novel way to turn smoke into heat.

The owner opened the Brooklyn lounge in 2006 with a keen eye toward furthering his vision of an upscale cigar bar, but that changed with the city stipulation that only cigar parlors opened before 2003 were allowed to let costumers smoke inside. That, and in order for Issa to continue to operate as a cigar lounge, he would have to stop serving food and alcohol. So, Issa made the choice to focus on highlighting the lounge’s craft cocktails, small plates, and flatbread menu, as well as its inviting neighborhood space. The bar still offers a slew of choice smokes from the Dominican Republic, however, and customers are free to smoke them in the modest patio outside. Issa stressed that since the anti-smoking laws were passed, his business has been reinvigorated through its emphasis on an upscale bar experience.

“It’s a cozy, comfortable space where people can come and leave all the stresses of the day behind,” he said. “People visit the lounge to hear some great music, enjoy our cocktails, and maybe a cigar outside. We want it to be a place where you can relax and be yourself and really unwind.”

Issa chose the name after tearing down sheetrock during the construction of his first bar in the East Village, and dis covered an old tin from the 1930s labeled Velvet Tobacco. The discovery prompted the bar owner to name his Manhattan establishment Velvet Cigar Lounge, a moniker carried over to the Williamsburg location.

Cocktails include the Elderflower Cooler (a congenial mix of gin, St. Germain, club soda, mint, and lemon) and the Bourbon Tea, a blend of ice tea, bourbon, and a hint of maple. The libations also serve as a complementarity companion to a small plate menu, highlighted by the unexpectedly lovely Peppadew stuffed with Danish Blue Cheese and an assortment of spinach, meat, or feta meat pies.

Thanks in part to a comprehensive list of live events such as burlesque shows, spoken word, a monthly comedy night, networking meet-ups, and live music every Tuesday (including seasoned jazz and blues artists), the lounge has found a diverse following.

VJ SPREAD

Interior is outlined in exposed brick, accentuated by heavy maroon couches and drapes, splashes of velvet furniture, lengthy brown leather sofas, and touches of intimate flicker lighting. The bar features many quintessential elements of a classic cigar parlor (including an iconic Native American statue), but also plays on its name, with varying shades of deep velvet red in the stools and end tables. Clientele is a spectrum—from members of the local art and music scenes to the international briefcase-toting class.

“We’re not strictly a neighborhood bar,” Issa said. “It’s really for everyone, and our reasonable prices are some of reasons why we get actors, musicians, and businessmen and women. It seems appropriate that we reflect a neighborhood that is really getting more diverse every single day.”

Velvet Lounge Brooklyn
174 Broadway / 718.302.4427 / velvetbrooklyn.com