Legendary New York club CBGB to be reborn as an airport restaurant
- Text by Adam White
- Photography by Stig Nygaard
To paraphrase Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged that any great piece of cult Americana must eventually be accompanied by a side order of fries. News reached the internet on December 21 that the vomit-strewn, rat-infested, punk-rock utopia that was the late and much lamented New York nightclub CBGB will in 2016 be reborn. As a theme restaurant inside of Newark Airport.
Dubbed the ‘CBGB Lounge & Bar’, the restaurant is the product of enterprising Manhattan chef Harold Moore. He was able to pick up the rights to CBGB trademarks in 2012, five years after the death of their previous owner, CBGB founder Hilly Kristal.
It’s still unclear how CBGB, the legendary home to early performances from the likes of Blondie, the Beastie Boys, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, the Cramps, the B-52s and the Ramones, will be linked to the restaurant outside of its branding. But an early glimpse of the menu shows little in the way of ingenuity. Among the food on offer is a $12 club sandwich, a $14 cheeseburger, as well as $9 ‘disco fries’ for the musically inclined.
CBGB's Reopening! At Newark Airport: ht @readmyback pic.twitter.com/m9Ay6VaI8j
— WFMU (@WFMU) December 21, 2015
However, there’s still room to add a modern variant on an original house dish, Hilly’s Chili. Often liberally seasoned with cigarette butts and rat faeces, it might help bring a little authenticity to the new venture.
The all-new, all-greasy CBGB brings to mind other similar cultural dilution. TJ’s, the late, iconic Welsh venue for early gigs by Oasis, Primal Scream and Green Day, was nearly replaced by a music-themed diner in 2011 until plans fell through at the last minute. But with CBGB Lounge & Bar under development for over a year, and menus printed, it doesn’t seem to be resigned to the same early demise.
CBGB 2016. Where the sweat won’t be flying off a heavily inebriated Iggy Pop, but instead the forehead of a pimple-faced teen slinging burgers to bored tourists waiting for their gate to open.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
How to shoot the world’s most gruelling race
Photographer R. Perry Flowers documented the 2023 edition of the Winter Death Race and talked through the experience in Huck 81.
Written by: Josh Jones
An epic portrait of 20th Century America
‘Al Satterwhite: A Retrospective’ brings together scenes from this storied chapter of American life, when long form reportage was the hallmark of legacy media.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Bobby Gillespie: “This country is poisoned by class”
Primal Scream’s legendary lead singer writes about the band’s latest album ‘Come Ahead’ and the themes of class, conflict and compassion that run throughout it.
Written by: Bobby Gillespie
Vibrant photos of New York’s Downtown performance scene
‘Balloons and Feathers’ is an eclectic collection of images documenting the scene for over two decades.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Picking through the rubble: Glimpses of hope in the US election results
Clambering through the wreckage of the Harris campaign, delving deeper into the election results and building on the networks that already exist, all hope is not gone writes Ben Smoke.
Written by: Ben Smoke
US Election night 2024 in Texas
Photographer Tom “TBow” Bowden travelled to Republican and Democratic watch parties around Houston, capturing their contrasting energies as results began to flow in.
Written by: Isaac Muk