Fidi Has a New After-Work Bar Focused on Agave and Rum

Sibling to the Bedford in Williamsburg, an identically named follow-up has opened over the weekend at 55 Stone Street, at William Street, in the Financial District. This location of the Bedford differs from the Brooklyn location that debuted in 2010 in that it’s inspired by retro ocean liners and is more food-focused than its predecessor. The changes are the result of a new ownership team, combining Atomic Hospitality Group (Roebling Sporting Club, Macchina Pizza, and Mexi) with Paul Lamas, of Harry’s, an institution since 1972, and the Dead Rabbit.

The cocktails at Fidi’s Bedford prioritize Mexican spirits — which are having a moment — with bartender and beverage manager José María Dondé assembling a selection of rums, clairin, and cachaça, as well agave, tequila, mezcal, sotol from Northern Mexico, bacanora from Sonora, and raicilla from Jalisco. He’s making drinks like a mole corn painkiller ($19), with mole fat-washed Paranubes rum, Posh Altar, Mexican atole, and totmoxtle. The mole is made by an employee’s mother, with rum from Mexico, and atole made in-house from corn from the southern state of Chiapas. Dondé brings experience from Williamsburg’s Maison Premiere, Claro in Gowanus, and Cosme in Manhattan. He enjoys the storytelling behind Mexican spirits — “I want to make sure when I pour something, I can tell you, ‘this person makes this,’” he says. Other cocktails on his list include La Isla Bonita (with San Cosme mezcal) and green (Chartreuse) or red (Campari) margaritas ($19).

Evan Sung/the Bedford

Evan Sung/the Bedford

Calling itself an epicurean bar, this location of the Bedford brings in Lamas and Harry’s Restaurant Group — also behind Fidi’s Adrienne’s Pizza Bar, Ulysses, and Harry’s Side Bar, as well as co-owner of the Dead Rabbit. Lamas is the former manager at Bayard’s, which closed in 2014: Bayard’s was where partners Ramon Morado, Andres Balbuena, and Daddo Bogich worked for 15 years, learning the business that would eventually lead to Atomic Hospitality.

“We were looking to upgrade this space,” says Lamas, noting that post-COVID, the Harry’s group wanted to rebrand and do something different from what had been Underdog. The new partners took over the Stone Street location in December of last year, and, as a historic building, had to jump through more hoops than usual for renovations. The narrow bar room seats 75 with eventual outdoor seating for 30. Inside, the wood-planked ceiling and the lines of the bar feel like the walls of an ocean liner. The theme is reinforced by tall-ship artwork, rattan seating, and tropical ceiling fans, along with details like an antique brass divers’ helmet and a vintage brass engine room signal device from a World War II Liberty ship.

The menu leans toward seafood in dishes like beer-battered blue crab beignets ($19), a half-dozen oysters ($18), crab and tomato water bucatini ($24), and sea bass à la plancha ($32). The burger blend of brisket, chuck, short rib, and filet is topped with caramelized onions, romaine, smoked tomato jam, and garlic aioli on brioche, served with Old Bay fries ($19).

Past the cocktails, the Bedford’s wine selection lists bottles from France, Italy, Georgia, Spain, and Napa Valley ranging from $60 to $295 with over 10 pours by the glass. Beers from the U.S., Germany, Belgium, and Mexico run $8 to $24.

The Bedford Stone Street is open Sunday to Wednesday from 4 p.m. to midnight and Thursday to Saturday, 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Lizzie Munro/the Bedford