Thai Spot, 'Purple Tongue' Among New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A Thai eatery, a new spot in Manhattan Plaza and a second location of a popular neighborhood bar are among the newest restaurants coming to Hell's Kitchen in the coming months.

The four upcoming eateries will be presented Tuesday to a Community Board 4 committee as their owners seek the board's approval to obtain alcohol licenses. They are among the dozens of new restaurants that Patch has covered in recent months as the city recovers from the depths of the pandemic.

Here are the new businesses we learned about this week:

American Retro Bar & Grill (785 9th Ave., between West 52nd and 53rd streets):

• This establishment will apparently be a second outpost of the existing American Retro bar on 11th Avenue.
• It will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 a.m., seating 60 people indoors plus another 18 in an outdoor dining shed. The storefront was previously home to The Distillery.
• Menu items will be standard bar fare closely resembling the offerings at the existing American Retro, according to documents shared with the board.

Lum Lum (404 West 49th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues):

• This Thai restaurant will be moving into the 49th Street storefront that previously housed Pam Real Thai Food 49.
• The extensive menu includes shareable small plates, noodle dishes and large plates like beef krapow, hot pan oysters, steamed fish with Thai herbs and coconut mussel curry.
• Owners Mowarin Hensa Wang and Nop Shusang already operate two other Thai eateries: ProThai on the Upper East Side and Lantern in Brooklyn Heights.
• Lum Lum will be open daily from noon to 10 p.m., seating 46 people indoors plus 16 in an Open Restaurants setup.

The Penthouse (617 West 46th St., sixth floor, between 11th and 12th avenues):

• This new event venue is located, as the name suggests, on the top floor of the building at 617 West 46th St. that houses Sherwin-Williams Paints on its ground floor.
• Its listed hours are 9 a.m.-2 a.m. daily, with a capacity of 74 people. Photos submitted as part of the application show a wide, ballroom-like space with curtained windows and a bar.

The Purple Tongue (410 West 43rd St., between Ninth and 10th avenues):

• Located on the ground floor of Manhattan Plaza, replacing the former wine bar Adella, which closed in July 2020 due to the pandemic.
• The Purple Tongue will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with menu items including American standards like frittatas, poached eggs, quiche, eggplant parmigiana, steak, grilled salmon and fresh fish, according to documents submitted to the community board.
• Owners describe it as a "quiet eatery in [the] Theatre District," whose name seems to reference the purple tongues of giraffes.
• It will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m., seating 50 people indoors plus another 24 outdoor seats.

It was not clear when any of the new businesses planned to open.

More Hell's Kitchen restaurant coverage:

• New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants: Cheesesteaks, Spanish Cuisine
  
• Indian, Tapas, Burger Joint: New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants
• New Hell's Kitchen Restaurants: Korean Food, Event Space
• Taco Shop, Queer Bar Among Hell's Kitchen's New Restaurants