Master drink maker Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr. Lyan, is bringing his London cocktail bar, Seed Library, to Hotel Park Ave (444 Park Avenue South, formerly the Mondrian Hotel) this fall — his first spot in New York City and second in the U.S. He’s partnering with Renwick Hospitality, the group behind Lindens, Foxtail, Lulla, ART Rooftop, the Alderman, and Altair. The hotel is also opening a new restaurant from the group, called Park Rose, which will open on Thursday, October 23, a spokesperson confirms.
Mr. Lyan is best known for a string of bars that altered London’s cocktail landscape: White Lyan (which opened in 2013 in Shoreditch), Dandelyan (opened in 2014, at what was then the Mondrian hotel on the South Bank, later rebranded to Lyaness), Seed Library in East London, Super Lyan in Amsterdam, and Silver Lyan in Washington D.C. Each is famous for its pairing techniques, focus on sustainability, and flavor experimentations.
Mr. Lyan debuted stateside in early 2020 with the opening of Silver Lyan in the depths of D.C.’s Riggs hotel. The newly crowned World’s 50 Best bar focuses on storytelling through daring drink menus conceived with a laboratory-like lens. Silver Lyan’s location in an 1800s-era bank vault space surrounded in glass-enclosed silver trophies, along with a speakeasy curiously tucked inside a gym, is part of how Chetiyawardana’s bars often reflect their architecture and settings with an added touch of whimsy.
In New York, expect reimagined classics at Seed Library, a riff on his East London bar that’s more organic and looser compared to his other bars. According to past coverage of the London version, it leans lo-fi in both its aesthetics and its drink philosophy. Drinks change frequently. The London bar encourages walk-ins and plays with heritage ingredients in unusual ways.
At Hotel Park Ave, Seed Library will arrive after the debut of Park Rose, with chef and owner of Renwick, Carsten Johannsen, heading the kitchen.