River Crest Moves Into A Long-Vacant Space On Ditmars

The space under Acropolis and just east of Taverna Kyclades has been vacant for a long time (about 7 years, to be exact), walled off by dark green boards that usually accompany construction sites. But after being “under construction” for so long, most people stopped wondering about it.

But now, it looks like the rumor of a new bar is actually coming true. Signage, created by painter and artist Simon Robinson, went up recently, declaring the space River Crest and boasting “curated beers, craft cocktails, [and] cookery.”

 

The project has been a long time coming, and is the creation of Martin Whelan and Gerard Leary, who own One Mile House on the Lower East Side. Their vision is to serve high-end, hard-to-find craft beers, perhaps as a way to differentiate themselves from the many other craft beer and cocktail spots in the neighborhood.

The spot takes its name from a piece of Astoria history, too. River Crest was a sanitarium that operated farther west off Ditmars, and is now St. John’s Prep.

Naturally, people are curious about their proximity to Acropolis, the embattled co-op that has faced numerous allegations of corruption and neglect, and has also been the longtime home of Taverna Kyclades as well as the former Sandwich Bar. In fact, it seems like River Crest itself may have faced some delays in opening, but it’s unknown if these delays were related to the Acropolis controversies.

And Whelan and Leary are excited about it. Last year, when River Crest was still in its earliest stages, they said that they admired Astorians’ enthusiasm for trying out new places. “It actually feels like the community wants you there,” Leary said.

 

River Crest
33-15 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria
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One Comment

Muchachi! February 23rd, 2019

Yay! Saaaanitari-yum.

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