Following a year-long delay due to the pandemic, Twins Lounge has officially opened at 732 Manhattan Ave. Former home of the Chinese restaurant M Greenpoint, the bilevel space is inherent to Twins’ concept: Two bars, one venue.
“We want it to feel like you can bar hop without leaving the bar,” says Twins Lounge owner Katelyn Sarazen. She co-owns the bar with her husband Matt Speglia (though the two both have red hair, Katelyn emphasized they are not twins). The couples are decades-plus restaurant industry veterans, who met working together at a restaurant in Manhattan. The duo also owns and operates Carmelo’s in Bushwick, and wanted to add their spin on local hospitality to Greenpoint.
Downstairs, Twins has a midcentury modern, trendy Poconos cottage vibe, with plush tufted banquets that were designed before social distancing was even a thing, and yet, they work perfectly for small groups to sit separately. In the back of the dim lower room, two pool tables offer a fun way to blow off steam, though for now, masks must be worn while playing pool, and drinks can only be consumed at the tables. A photo booth also helps visitors create new memories, much better than the Zoom screenshots that have memorialized our social lives over the past year.
Upstairs, the room brightens into a surf lodge, complete with an outdoor back patio. The furniture is light and cozy, and guests can order off the same menu but experience an entirely different atmosphere.
“The menu is fun, elevated, and not too fussy,” Katelyn says. The drinks match the neighborhood bar vibe — things you’d want to order to transition from work to evening, or to sip all night while you catch up with friends or make new ones. $12 cocktails include a maple sour, spicy margarita, a cold brew martini and more. Non alcoholic cocktails, frozens, and wine and beer are also served, including Greenpoint’s own Three’s Logical Conclusion. Bottles of wine are currently half of on Tuesday nights, and once Twins Lounge gets its footing, they may add a happy hour or other specials, like Industry Night.
In order to comply with Cuomo’s food regulation, Twins Lounge serves pierogies from Polka Dot, their next door neighbor. “We adapted,” Katelyn said of the year Twins waited to safely opened. They never planned to serve food, or partner with a restaurant, but the restrictions actually helped create a new, delicious relationship.
Twins Lounge is open daily from 5p.m. until 11 p.m. The bar is currently cash only.