Aliya (500 Metropolitan Ave.) is a new cocktail bar and eatery on the fourth floor of Williamsburg’s Hotel Indigo.
The North Brooklyn newcomer has sexy, speakeasy vibes, and is accessible via an elevator entered from a hidden check-in area off of the hotel’s main lobby. In the warmer months, Aliya will open a pool terrace that overlooks the skyline.
Aliya’s creative cocktails are crafted with Caribbean and Asian influences, similar to the accompanying food menu.
A fun option on the cocktail menu is the Don’t Be Coy with Toki Suntory Japanese whiskey, butterfly pea flower tea, fresh lemon juice, and lavender syrup in a koi-shaped glass.
Another drink on Aliya’s cocktail list is called Enter the Dragon and contains Haku Japanese vodka, dragon fruit puree, elderflower liqueur, fresh lemon juice, and simple syrup. The Blacker the Berry has Roku Japanese gin, simple syrup, creme de mure, and fresh lime juice, and the Bonita Applebum contains Hennessy VS cognac, organic apple juice, pure maple syrup, and fresh lime juice.
The food menu features both appetizers and unexpected, heartier dishes atypical to cocktail lounges. Lighter bites include plantain fries, elote corn ribs, and shrimp mandu with Jamaican curry and lemongrass.
Examples of larger dishes include a lamb shank pot pie, salt and pepper oyster mushrooms with a coconut-curry pumpkin squash puree, and Aliya’s signature oxtail fried rice.
Aliya is the brainchild of Brook & Lyn Eating, a new hospitality company from the celebrated Chef Scotley Innis and restaurateur Aliya Huey.
“Chef Innis and his approach to food transcends the rising popularity of Caribbean-inspired fine dining in NYC, and we are thrilled and honored to welcome him to Brooklyn and Hotel Indigo Williamsburg,” said Nicolas Daeppen, General Manager of Hotel Indigo Williamsburg.
“His tenure at some of the top kitchens in the US, infused with his Jamaican roots and experiences around the world, is a unique combination that we welcome and look forward to showcasing throughout our hotel.”
Chef Innis returns home to New York with Aliya after making a name for himself in Atlanta. He studied at Le Cordon Bleu and was executive chef at 5Church Atlanta, blending his Jamaican heritage with a modern twist and earning recognition as ‘Atlanta’s Best Rising Chef’ by Jezebel magazine. Chef Innis also appeared on the TV show Hell’s Kitchen in 2018.
In 2021, Chef Innis became the co-owner and executive chef at Continent Restaurant and Cigar Lounge in Atlanta, which served Afro-Caribbean and Asian-inspired dishes, similar to Aliya. Continent quickly gained recognition as the one of Eater Atlanta’s most anticipated restaurants for 2021, and the James Beard Foundation selected it as the host of Taste America: Atlanta, the organization’s national initiative that supports chefs and restaurants in the U.S.
Chef Innis will follow Aliya with a destination restaurant on the first floor and a new lobby bar concept at Hotel Indigo later this year.
Aliya is open daily from 5 p.m. to midnight.