First Look at Hellbender Nighttime Café
The Rolo's Extended Universe: Phase 3
First Look at Hellbender Nighttime Café
“Hellbender Nighttime Café is a New York City margarita bar where we offer fresh and delicious Margaritas, smart and thoughtful cocktails, freezer-cold options like Martinis and Negronis, and really fresh and delicious Mexican bar food.”
—Tony Milici, General Manager and Beverage Director, Hellbender Nighttime Café
When a team of mostly Gramercy Tavern alums first opened Rolo’s on the corner of Onderdonk Avenue and Cornelia Street in Ridgewood, Queens, in January 2021, what started primarily as a pandemic-era cafe evolved into a constantly buzzing, wood-fired-oven driven restaurant known for their polenta breads, housemade salumi, two-sheet lasagna verde bolognese, dry-aged steaks, and killer cheeseburger.
But they’re also known for their robust bar program, which bartender Tony Milici, the first front-of-house hourly hire on the opening team at Rolo’s, helped pioneer and oversee. Some of his signature cocktails include the Martini Italian (Malfy con Limone Gin, Bordiga Extra Dry and Blanc Vermouth di Torino, Aperol, Castelvetrano olive), Strawberry Campari (Fizz, Americano, & soda), The Carrot Drink (chili-infused mezcal, Forthave Red, carrot and lemon juice, burnt cinnamon, and salt), and the Black Rum Espresso Martini (Gosling’s, banana cordial, gula jawa, and Stumptown espresso).
Eventually, the popularity of the morning and daytime pastry and sandwich service warranted opening a stand-alone bakery, the first “sequel” in the Rolo’s Expanded Universe. After a series of sold-out pop-pus, the Rolo’s team opened Radio Bakery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with Rolo’s celebrated Pastry Chef and Partner Kelly Mencin running the show.
And as the success of Rolo’s bar program continued to thrive, the idea of opening a new bar gained traction when, after a successful 2022 pop-up at Rolo’s, chef Yara Herrera became part of the equation as a partner and Executive Chef. In time, Herrera, Milici, Rafiq Salim (a co-owner of Rolo’s and Hellbender), and Ben Howell (Rolo’s Director of Operations), set to work, securing a corner bar space just a quick four-minute walk from Rolo’s
As any restaurateur in New York City will tell you, opening a bar or restaurant in New York is mired with unexpected costs, delays, and a labyrinth of permits and red-tape, and the planned Halloween 2023 opening of Hellbender continued to get pushed out to early 2024.
Happily, Hellbender (located at 68-22 Forest Avenue, Queens) opened the doors to their corner bar last night and after two nights of early previews were welcomed by neighbors, regulars, and a host of service industry friends and colleagues who traveled to Ridgewood to raise a glass to celebrate with Milici, Herrera and the Hellbender team.
Last Friday, a week before Hellbender opened, I had the chance to visit the new bar to see the space and talk with Milici (and if you missed it, don’t sleep on his April 2023 Dive Bar Jukebox). Read on to learn more about the bar’s origin story, concept, point-of-view, and space, how it aligns and differs from with Rolo’s, as well as a deep dive into Hellbender’s cocktail program and getting to the bottom of just what the heck is a Hellbender?
Talking with Hellbender’s Tony Milici
