Greenpoint is welcoming a brand new queer bar to the neighborhood just in time for pride month.
ANIMAL, located at 307 Meeker Avenue, celebrated their opening last month with music by Michael Magnan. The bar has since welcomed artists including Alissa Briana, Gant Johnson, Danny Clobber, DJ Donofrio, S’aint Panic and DJ William Francis.
View this post on Instagram
Co-owners Jim Morrison Hevert and Ashton Correa told Time Out the bar has been 20 years in the making.
“We all grew up going to gay bars, many of which aren’t LGBTQ+ owned, which served the lowest quality drinks and lacked a queer aesthetic,” Correa said. “As we’ve gotten older, our standards are higher, and we want to offer our community something we didn’t have before.”
Hevert also co-owns nearby queer bar The Exley. Correa former worked as the director of People and Culture at the Ace Hotel.
ANIMAL describes itself as “a love letter to the energy of New York, to all our queer saints, to the rare wild nights out, and to all of our beautiful community (those we’ve met and those we’re about to)” on Instagram.
The bar transitions easily from day to night. A beautiful green and black outdoor space is bordered by trees and includes an outdoor bar. But don’t let that fool you: the dance floor has been popping. The disco ball lights up the space, which is trimmed by red lights.
View this post on Instagram
On the menu, you’ll find a wide variety of drinks, including the classics: Negroni, Cosmo, Old Fashioned. The Animal Spritz is a special combination of St. Agrestis Paradiso, sparkling wine and soda. Another speciality, the Animal Mezcal Marg, is made up of Mal Bien espadín, house orange liqueur and lime.
Owners invite any and all queers to the space, promising the bar will be multi-faceted. They tell Time Out the space will be a specialty cocktail den, a day-drinking brunch spot and the perfect place for fetish and dance parties.
ANIMAL’s opening follows Mary’s Bar, a queer Irish pub and sister bar to Ginger’s that opened in Greenpoint last year.
