The Library at the Public - Joe's Pub

The Library at The Public is an Astor-era lounge tucked away in the mezzanine level of The Public Theater's new downtown home at Astor Place serving classic and inspired cocktails, wine, and Chef Andrew Carmellini's eclectic American menu sourcing local ingredients and New York influence.

It is an axiom that restaurants attached to entertainment venues are an afterthought; like roadside motels, they appeal to necessity, not desire. But there is nothing glib about the food at The Library at the Public, a crepuscular attic of a restaurant chiseled from the upper recesses of the lobby at the Public Theater. The brief menu is a collaboration between Michael Oliver and his longtime...

Step into the lobby of The Public Theater on Lafayette Street, turn left, go up the stairs and cross a hallway. Welcome to The Library, named as such because it once really was a library owned by the Astor family. Today, it’s a showcase for chef Andrew Carmellini (who created the menu) and for classic, well-made cocktails. Order a martini or an Old Fashioned and peruse the menu, divided up into...

Chefs Andrew Carmellini and Michael Oliver bring eclectic American cuisine to the mezzanine at the Public Theater, with dinner available nightly, a selection of cocktails, and a special curtain call menu for after performances.

Romanesque Revival former Astor Library now hosting swank resto-lounge on the mezzanine. Earth-toned leather and pale wood space somewhat like a library, except one with a killer booze program. Reds, whites, champagnes, a half-dozen drafts, and clever cocktails like the absinthe-laced Bye Bye Albatross. Andrew Carmellini on the bites, with starters like calamari and chipotle, seasonal mains...

The Library at The Public is an Astor-era lounge tucked away in the mezzanine level of The Public Theater's new downtown home at Astor Place serving classic and inspired cocktails, wine, and Chef Andrew Carmellini's eclectic American menu sourcing local ingredients and New York influence.