Starting Tuesday, January 6, through the end of the month, Jeremy King will stage a limited pop-up at People’s, the Greenwich Village, invite-only bar and restaurant. King, one of London’s most influential restaurateurs — behind the now-closed iconic Le Caprice; stalwart the Ivy (the West End theater district institution he revived in the 1990s); the Wolseley (Viennese-style all-day cafe); Covet Garden cafe the Delaunay; and Arlington in St. James — is bringing a selection of his most famous dishes to New York for the first time. Dubbed “The King Menu,” it includes Bang Bang Chicken, Scandinavian Frozen Berries, and the Coastal Martini — dishes that once attracted the likes of Andy Warhol, Michael Jackson, Princess Diana, and Madonna.
“Interestingly, both dishes are quite unassuming and had curious beginnings,” King says via press release. “The Bang Bang came from a basic Chinese takeaway in Earl’s Court in the 1980s, and the berries were inspired by a Paul Smith shop manager in the early 1990s and developed at Le Caprice.”
People’s (113 West 13th Street, at Sixth Avenue) is incidentally co-founded by King’s daughter, Margot Hauer-King, along with filmmaker Emmet McDermott; the pop-up marks its one-year anniversary. “Margot and I share a philosophy: bars and restaurants are catalysts for creativity and conviviality. Success comes only when both staff and guests feel fulfilled,” King says.
Alongside The King Menu, diners will also have access to the cult-favorite People’s Burger. Of the restaurant’s everyday menu, the duo has “focused on late-night classics with a slightly elevated touch,” says Hauer-King.
King has been the subject of press for decades for the wild success of his restaurants, for his business breakup, then again for his rise. The pop-up is open to more than just its invite-only crowd, according to a spokesperson, and can be accessed via the website.
People’s has emerged as part of a small but closely watched crop of invitation-only restaurants and clubs that, as the New York Times reported, are reshaping how power, access, and social life operate in New York dining. “At People’s, the owners were trying to find a way to keep their establishment exclusive without having to charge for membership or closely manage public-facing reservations,” the Times reported. The space is under 100 seats.