{"id":301768,"date":"2026-07-21T14:00:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301768\/"},"modified":"2026-07-21T14:00:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T14:00:21","slug":"zig-zag-oyster-bar-opens-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/301768\/","title":{"rendered":"Zig Zag Oyster Bar Opens in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n A seafood tower from Zig Zag Oyster Bar.
\n Photo: Max Flatow\n <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a strong belief that there should be an oyster bar in every neighborhood, if not on every corner, of New York City,\u201d says Nialls Fallon, who is opening Zig Zag Oyster Bar<\/a> with his partners, Nick Perkins, Leah Campbell, and Taylor Ward, in the former Bar Meridian space. \u201cTo us,\u201d Fallon adds, \u201cgoing out and grabbing oysters is similar to going out to our neighborhood bar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campbell says they decided to take over the corner location \u2014 long the first-date spot in the neighborhood \u2014 when it became clear Bar Meridian\u2019s owners were ready to move on. \u201cThese are people we are super-close with,\u201d she says. \u201cI think the team wanted to pass on the space to people they knew.\u201d<\/p>\n

They brought in Russell Perkins, who had helped design their other restaurants (Cervo\u2019s<\/a>, Eel Bar<\/a>, Hart\u2019s<\/a>, the Fly<\/a>). He kept the horseshoe-shaped bar as an anchor in the dining room, recladding it in stainless steel and adding scalloped panels along the front. The warm glow of yellow neon tubes mimics the ambient light of a candelabra; Perkins also pulled inspiration from the early 20th century, installing glossy Formica tables and shellacked wood paneling.<\/p>\n

\u201cCervo\u2019s and Eel Bar obviously lean more Spanish and Portuguese. Hart\u2019s is a little bit more of that Mediterranean, Italian coastal vibe,\u201d Campbell says.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of oyster bars here are either really New England\u2013y or very New Orleans,\u201d adds Fallon. \u201cWe wanted to build an oyster bar that really felt rooted in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n A salad of fennel and lentils; peel-and-eat shrimp. Max Flatow.\n <\/p>\n

\n A salad of fennel and lentils; peel-and-eat shrimp. Max Flatow.\n <\/p>\n

Similar to new spots like Lei<\/a> or Stars<\/a> in Manhattan, Zig Zag \u2014 which will hold back many of its 55 indoor and 40 outdoor seats for walk-ins \u2014 is intended to serve as a stop on the way to somewhere else as much as it is a final destination. \u201cWe want you to be able to come in, have oysters and drinks, and go off into the night,\u201d Perkins says. \u201cOr we want you to come at the end of your night and finish off with a snack and drinks. Or we want you to come with friends and get full and not feel like you have to grab a slice of pizza on the way home.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raw-bar staples (a deluxe tower, peel-and-eat shrimp) are complemented by Italian-leaning dishes, such as lentil salad with fennel, a hake-based whitefish salad, and Sungold tomatoes on toast, or cold roast chicken with pickles and hot sauce. \u201cThese are not all intended to be small plates,\u201d says Perkins. \u201cWe\u2019re really focused on giving guests value, so you\u2019re not going to pay $20 and then have some tiny little plate of food.\u201d<\/p>\n

The list of cocktails (all under $20) is like a \u201cjust play the hits\u201d celebration of gin and vodka drinks. There\u2019s also a small wine list focused mainly on sparkling and white varietals and \u2014 despite dinner-only hours \u2014 a Bloody Mary, which keeps with the ethos of offering something familiar in a slightly unexpected way. \u201cWhat\u2019s more chic,\u201d asks Campbell, \u201cthan an evening Bloody Mary?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n The Bloody Mary.
\n Photo: Max Flatow\n <\/p>\n

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