NYC’s Newest Restaurant Likened To A Favorite Childhood Book ‘On LSD’
What do frogs, kissing the chef, and secrecy have in common? Seemingly nothing, we know, but the answer: they’re all aspects of Frog Club, the newest restaurant to open its doors in the West Village.
The cheeky new space claims to be “The New Yorkiest Room in New York,” though considering photographs aren’t allowed inside (you have to cover your front and back phone cameras with stickers before entering) you must first make it through the doors before finding out whether or not their claim is true.
Frog Club is from the mind of Chef Liz Johnson of downtown French bistro Mimi and L.A.-based restaurant Horses. Johnson recently made national headlines for her very public and messy ongoing divorce from Will Aghajanian, which included allegations of violence, animal abuse, and more.
According to Eater, the restaurant serves retro American food with a twist–and a number of the dishes are green, such as the Spinach Soufflé New York New York and a green Bloody Mary.
According to a video posted to YouTube, Johnson’s interest in preparing green food began at a young age when she was introduced to Heinz green ketchup, and her spinach soufflé is just one product of that interest.
According to Guest of a Guest, other dishes include Green Tomato Strings, Lobster Pierogis, Frog Legs, Tutti Fruity Spaghetti Sundae, Frog Princess Cake, and more.
But there are also some non-edible items on the menu, like an option to “kiss the chef” for $1,000, which The New York Times says a male diner purchased on opening night.
According to The Times, the interior of 68-seat Frog Club features a fireplace, frog-themed murals wearing Prohibition-era cocktail attire painted by artist Normandie Syken, and hundreds of plates suspended by chains throughout the dining room.
To give you more of an idea of the restaurant’s vibes, Eater writes that newsletter Found NY “compared Frog Club to the children’s book Frog and Toad ‘on a heroic dose of LSD.’”
The restaurant also comes with a “list of ways to get 86’d,” which include taking photos inside (even bathroom selfies), thinking about touching the memorabilia, and kissing the chef without her consent, among other things.
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Frog Club is located at 86 Bedford Street behind a nondescript green door that formerly opened to NYC’s historic pub Chumley’s.
Reservations can be made two weeks in advance and must be made via email, not Resy, to make it past bouncer Tony and his floral boutonniere.
One thing to note: according to those who have been lucky enough to already snag a reservation, some say Frog Club is more about the vibes than the food.
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