Beat Street Restaurant Coming to 150 Bay St.

New hip-hop and 80's inspired restaurant Beat Street (an homage to the 1984 movie) is coming to 150 Bay Street, opening June 22nd. The 100 seat space will open inside Transmission and is run by the same owner, Howard Brunner, along with KC Macias and Chef Darryl Harmon.

The space will be a restaurant, bar, lounge and performance space with a strong musical influence and hip-hop vibe with everything from live music to a special DJ's table where patrons can observe the DJ of the night at work. Much of the design work was done by NYC artist Ivan Orama known for his portfolio of street art, handmade furniture and murals. For Beat Street, he created a black and white graffiti-inspired mural that will serve as the main backdrop to the dining room. 

Beat Street features three distinct areas - a bar serving up local craft beers, wine, and cocktails, a lounge area with a grand piano and high-back wing chairs where small bites will be served, and the main dining room as well as outdoor seating wrapped all around the building. 

Chef Harmon, who has worked at Philadelphia's Water Works and Jersey City's own Mana Bistro, has put together a menu that he considers as showcasing "elevated street food". With inspiration from his Native American background as well as his childhood, the menu ranges from $10-$60 and serves up items like Bison Tostadas served on Fry Bread, Philly Cheesesteak sliders with onion jam and sriracha ketchup and a Rocka Falafel Waffle, a waffle made of falafel with mint frozen yogurt, raita, and harissa infused syrup. 

Some of the food does seem to lend itself to the more gimmicky side of things - there's a Sloppy Joe "Lunch Box" that comes with a liquid nitrogen root beer float and a Sous Vide Lobster Mac & Cheez-It where the lobster is served in a skillet while the cheez-it dusted mac and cheese utilizes the empty Cheez-It bag as a serving vessel and the entire thing comes to the table on an ice cream cart. It's also a very meat-heavy menu with vegetables making a limited appearance and only two vegetarian-friendly options on the current menu. 

The launch will be celebrated with two events benefiting local non-profits. On Wednesday, 6/14, there will be a “Sneak Peak Open House” benefit for Big Brothers Big Sisters with a stand-up cocktail party featuring live music acts, passed hors d’oeuvres and an open bar. The restaurant will then officially open to the public on Thursday, June 22^nd with a “Pay What You Want” fundraiser and all proceeds will benefit The Sharing Place Food Pantry at St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

Beat Street will be open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 5pm-11pm. 

Images via FB