Little did he know it then, but summers spent in the Northwoods of Wisconsin gave a young Varun Kataria early and enduring doses of design inspiration. The surprising source? The Turk\u2019s Inn, a legendary supper club filled with a trove of decorative treasures just north of Hayward on U.S. Highway 63, where he and best friend Tyler Erickson would often stop on the way to Erickson\u2019s family cabin.<\/p>\n
When The Turk\u2019s Inn closed in 2013 after 75 years in business, Kataria\u2014who was born and raised in Minneapolis and whose mother, Anju, owns the shop Khazana on Lyndale Avenue\u2014was quick to purchase many of the restaurant\u2019s effects at auction with Erickson, still his best friend and now his business partner. From there, the pair transported everything to the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, re-creating The Turk\u2019s Inn as a nightlife destination. (Read more about it and Kataria\u2019s other clubs on page 23.)<\/p>\n
Today, his love of design in New York, where he has lived just shy of 10 years, fuels many of his creative pursuits. Here are his top picks\u2014some familiar, others far off the beaten path.<\/p>\n
Icons<\/p>\n
Popular as they are, these perennial favorites lead off Kataria\u2019s list, beginning with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. \u201cIt\u2019s a really special spot,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen you start at the top and move down the gently sloped ramp, you almost feel like a marble tumbling down, looking at art as you roll by. The slight slant plays with your sense of perspective and grounding.\u201d Nearby and worth multiple visits throughout a lifetime, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is what Kataria describes as \u201ca temple to beauty and grand beyond imagining\u2014a repository of human creativity and beauty across cultures and time spans.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet another New York touchpoint, Grand Central Terminal, also makes the cut. \u201cAnybody would recognize the grand hall with the constellation patterns on the ceiling,\u201d Kataria says. But his favorite part might just be the oyster bar a flight of stairs down. \u201cIt feels frozen in time\u2014arches, tile work, even the graphic design of the menus and plates and the way people dress,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Kataria finds inspiration in the city\u2019s streetscapes, too, starting just outside Grand Central. \u201cI have a convertible here, and from time to time I find myself driving up or down Madison and Park Avenues, top down,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cIt\u2019s such an iconic experience\u2014Gotham all around you.\u201d At a more intimate scale, he points to Doyers Street, a \u201cquirky little L-shaped alleyway\u201d in Chinatown. \u201cIt looks like a movie backdrop,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you had to film a gangster movie in Chinatown, this is the street you\u2019d shoot it on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Restaurants and Bars<\/p>\n
Kataria starts with a restaurant in Queens called Zum Stammtisch, which he describes as New York\u2019s equivalent of the Black Forest Inn on Nicollet in Minneapolis\u2014 a sort of Bavarian time and space capsule. \u201cYou walk in and you\u2019re like, \u2018We\u2019re not in New York anymore.\u2019 It\u2019s very decorated, and everybody dresses the part.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the subject of transporting you someplace else, Xiang Hotpot in Brooklyn transports you to \u201csome sort of quaint rural Chinese hot pot spot,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cThe setting, the plating\u2014everything is fantastical. It\u2019s one of those places that reminds you New York is a city unlike any other.\u201d Another Chinese food favorite, but in the East Village, Mountain House \u201cfeels like you\u2019re in a little mountainside somewhere in the boonies of China,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cIt takes you completely out of the urban jungle of New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
So does Keens Steakhouse. \u201cIt could have come out of Revolutionary-era America\u2014it\u2019s got the feel of an old tavern, and there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of smoking pipes hanging from the ceiling,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cThey\u2019re famous for their mutton chop, and I don\u2019t know anywhere else in the city you can get a mutton chop.\u201d<\/p>\n
On an entirely different plane, the \u201cminimalistic yet opulent\u201d interior of The Grill\u2014the restaurant in the space that long housed The Four Seasons Restaurant in Mies van der Rohe\u2019s Seagram Building\u2014wows Kataria every time. \u201cThey have these metallic curtains that shimmer and an incredible centerpiece chandelier with a similar metallic, threadlike structure,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s not an everyday experience, but a grand one.\u201d He also loves Bemelmans Bar, the piano bar at The Carlyle Hotel wrapped with storied murals by Ludwig Bemelmans. \u201cOld waiters wearing red blazers serve you $30 martinis with little snack trays,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a perfectly styled place and a great prelude to whatever the rest of your night will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Russ and Daughters\u2014what\u2019s called an appetizing store, Kataria notes\u2014combines a fish-forward deli with beautifully displayed groceries. \u201cWhen you walk in, the way they display their wares\u2014whether it\u2019s smoked fish or candy and prunes\u2014it\u2019s so artfully displayed that it almost feels like it\u2019s set up by an interior designer,\u201d Kataria says. He points to another smart design twist at Dimes, \u201cbasically a hippie health food restaurant, but done in the most sophisticated way.\u201d The simple white interior provides a backdrop to tables in unique shapes\u2014not rectangles\u2014and in different colors of laminate. \u201cThe simple and humble materials highlight the creativity and health of the food itself,\u201d Kataria says.<\/p>\n
Music and Nightlife<\/p>\n
It\u2019s impossible to overlook Radio City Music Hall, Kataria says. \u201cTo me, it\u2019s the grand, iconic New York performance space theater. The\u00a0 backdrop seems to be the inspiration for the Looney Tunes graphic circle in the back\u2014I\u2019m just guessing on that\u2014but that\u2019s what it feels like. It\u2019s recognizable across different cultural touchpoints.\u201d<\/p>\n
More on the gilded end of the spectrum is Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. \u201cIt\u2019s just so incredibly detailed and ornate,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to fathom they achieved that amount of density of decoration in such a vast space.\u201d Also in Brooklyn, but at an entirely different scale, Pete\u2019s Candy Store is one of Kataria\u2019s favorite places to catch a show. \u201cThey nailed the essence of tiny cabaret\u2014miniature but iconic,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
A little off the beaten path but familiar to Kataria is Knockdown Center in Brooklyn, a cavernous industrial building turned flexible performing arts spaces and nightclub. \u201cThe aesthetic of industrial club [music] is really exemplified by Knockdown Center,\u201d he says. A club within the club, called Basement, \u201cis even harder and more serious and heavy in the music and heavy in its d\u00e9cor,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cIt\u2019s reminiscent of the industrial techno clubs of Berlin\u2014it\u2019s New York\u2019s version of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a quirky \u201cwacky circus vibe,\u201d Kataria can\u2019t help but mention Rubulad. \u201cIt\u2019s a space that has been holding down the fringe art, circus, DIY, outsider art aesthetic and programming for a really long time now,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s the kind of place you stumble into and feel you found a pocket of magic and mischief.\u201d<\/p>\n
A dive bar in Brooklyn called 101 Wilson, just down the street from where Kataria used to live, may seem odd for a design list \u201cbecause it\u2019s one of the crappiest-looking places on the planet,\u201d he laughs. \u201cBut they took the aesthetic of a graffitied-out bathroom and made a whole establishment out of it. There isn\u2019t one square centimeter of this place that isn\u2019t covered in pen markings and graffiti.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right on the border of Brooklyn and Queens, a small wine bar\/techno club called Mansions resembles Grandma\u2019s basement with wood-paneled walls and carpet\u2014even on the dance floor, Kataria says. \u201cThey bring in some of the most forward-thinking DJs I\u2019ve heard in the city. The juxtaposition of electronic music with Grandma\u2019s basement is irresistible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tatiana, a Russian nightclub in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, complete with vodka and caviar, feels straight out of the \u201980s, Kataria says, and that\u2019s why he\u2019s drawn to it. \u201cThe black marble and even the concept of the music and the show feels frozen in time\u2014not old enough to be vintage but definitely not new anymore,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Innovative Art Spaces<\/p>\n
Pioneer Works in Red Hook, Brooklyn, is one of Kataria\u2019s favorite examples of an industrial building recast for art. One of its founders, Dustin Yellin, creates sculptural work that Kataria says \u201ccreates the visual effect of 3D objects by collaging images between panes of glass,\u201d and his personal studio sits right next door. Across the river in SoHo, another art space\u2014The New York Earth Room\u2014has fascinated Kataria since he was in his teens. \u201cIt\u2019s a display space for one art piece, which is a giant mound of earth,\u201d he says. \u201cYou\u2019re in a clean, white gallery, and you have the mustiness, scent, and moisture of dirt. It makes no sense, and I think that\u2019s why it exists. It\u2019s one of the oddities of New York\u2014an example of New York\u2019s historical weirdness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shops<\/p>\n
Kataria never tires of this trio, starting with Coming Soon, a home-goods boutique on the Lower East Side, which sells \u201cwhimsical, colorful, and artistic versions of common objects\u201d such as shower curtains, place mats, and vases. In Chelsea, Mantiques Modern focuses on antique furniture and fixtures. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to buy a chandelier, with an incredible selection and tight aesthetic,\u201d Kataria says. And for clothes, he loves to check out the latest at Dover Street Market in Murray Hill, the New York flagship of a small global chain of high-concept department stores with high-fashion labels. \u201cEvery inch of that place feels designed and artistic,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd while what they sell is quite expensive, you can still find great deals, and it\u2019s an art and design experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
R&R<\/p>\n
For Kataria, Wall Street Bath and Spa 88 is as much about fascinating aesthetics as anything. \u201cTo be in Wall Street and step into a basement and be taken to a very gaudy marble-adorned spa is a really wild experience,\u201d he says. \u201cThere are jars of vodka, beets, and pickles\u2014an odd mixing of spa services and basically a Russian bar lounge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Varun Kataria\u2019s Portfolio\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Turk\u2019s Inn<\/p>\n
After visiting The Turk\u2019s Inn shortly after it opened in 2019, The New York Times said, \u201cIt\u2019s hard to resist the exuberant silliness of the atmosphere.\u201d And that was exactly what Varun Kataria wanted with the re-creation of the Hayward, Wisconsin, supper club in Brooklyn. \u201cWe actually took the original bar itself and then pretty much the entire interior so that when you walk into the space in Bushwick, you\u2019re effectively walking into The Turk\u2019s Inn. We were as meticulous as humanly possible\u2014even the carpet pattern matches the original. So it\u2019s that level of deep re-creation.\u201d The rooftop bar includes the original neon sign that hung for decades at the supper club\u2019s original site on Highway 63.<\/p>\n
The Sultan Room<\/p>\n
Next to The Turk\u2019s Inn, this music venue with a style Kataria describes as \u201cLas Vegas by way of Beirut\u201d is finished with interior elements from the old Nye\u2019s supper club in Minneapolis, including a tufted door and upholstered booths. \u201cThe hallmark of The Sultan Room is this really beautiful stage backdrop\u2014a geometric light wall made out of old technology with strips of light diffused through acrylic panels,\u201d Kataria says.<\/p>\n
Xanadu Roller Arts<\/p>\n
In 2024, just down the street from The Turk\u2019s Inn and The Sultan Room, Kataria and best friend and business partner Tyler Erickson opened Xanadu Roller Arts\u2014a roller rink that also serves as a music and performing arts venue. \u201cYou leave Bushwick and enter this uncanny fantasy space,\u201d Kataria says. \u201cIt feels like the roller rinks of your childhood with nostalgic touches, yet also like no rink you\u2019ve ever seen before.\u201d The hand-painted motif on the 60-by-120-foot rink floor is by Minneapolis artist Eric Carlson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Little did he know it then, but summers spent in the Northwoods of Wisconsin gave a young Varun…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":188164,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[75415,75416,9,24,55,54,12,56,75418,75417],"class_list":{"0":"post-188163","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-design-destinations","9":"tag-national-travel","10":"tag-new-york","11":"tag-new-york-city","12":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","13":"tag-new-york-city-news","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-shawn-gilliam","17":"tag-travel-visitors"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188163\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/188164"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}