An Exclusive First Look At New York City’s Silver Lining By Tao Group Hospitality

Reservations for one of New York City’s most anticipated lounges and nighttime venues, Silver Lining by Tao Group Hospitality, are available starting today.

Opening on December 6, the intimate piano lounge tucked away on the ground floor of Moxy Lower East Side—which has a private entrance on Broome Street—recalls the creative spirit of Andy Warhol’s Silver Factory, the legendary foil-wrapped Manhattan loft renowned for its glamorous bashes and equally flashy art scene, with a dazzling design, whimsical drink and food menu, and convivial vibes.

Below, Tao Group Hospitality Corporate Beverage Manager Erin Davey and Silver Lining Creative Directors and co-founders of The Flower Shop Dylan Hales and Ronnie Flynn give readers an exclusive first look at Silver Lining.

Katie Chang: There’s no shortage of lounges in New York City. How will Silver Lining be different? What sets it apart?

Hales: We are expecting this to be the most colorful and vibrant opening downtown has witnessed in many years. The amalgamation of Tao Group Hospitality and our influence in the downtown neighborhood will set this venue apart from what we have seen in the past. Once you turn off the Bowery and walk into Silver Lining, you will be transported into a beautifully designed lounge bar with perfect martinis, elevated small plates, live music, and friendly faces.

Talk me through the design. How does Silver Lining look and feel?

Flynn: It’s dimly lit and velvety, yet inviting and vibrant. In one corner sits a small stage with a piano and a perch for musicians and vocalists to provide live entertainment. Vaulted ceilings that pay homage to downtown loft architecture create an interplay of shadow and light. Between the vaults an elaborate custom light fixture by New York artist Erin Lorek consists of hand-blown glass lenses on a serpentine iron frame. A bespoke wallcovering designed from hand-drawn illustrations tells the neighborhood’s story through characters and places associated with the Bowery. The bar is a focal point, glowing with a playful arrangement of circular mirrors, each backlit with its own “silver lining.”

How will the musicians be selected?

Hales: We are pulling musicians from all over New York City and Brooklyn as part of our residency program. Expect to see diverse local talent all the way to nationally and internationally touring artists. This place will be full of surprises, if you’re in the right place at the right time.

Tell us what’s special about the cocktail menu. Could you call out one must-try drink?

Davey: This was such a fun menu to build. We wanted to take a wide range of classics and add some playful twists, similar to Silver Linings modernizing a piano bar. They range from concept cocktails telling the story of an early 1900s ‘Trial of the Century,’ to melding childhood favorites with adult libations, to drinkable snapshots of movies, music, and places.

One favorite is Midnight Breakfast. If you thought the espresso martini couldn’t get any better this is our rebuttal. The cocktail becomes its best self with the chocolatey, malty cocoa puff cereal and a lift of caraway from the aquavit. A dollop of bourbon adds a backbone of vanilla and caramel. It’s sheer perfection in a drink.

Last but not least, let’s chat about the food. What can guests look forward to?

Davey: Silver Lining will have an amazing food menu focusing on elevated small plates. Menu highlights include Pain grillé au fromage (milk bread, truffle cheese, Iberico ham), King Salmon Pillows with avocado, serrano chili, and black sesame, and Caviar Service with an ounce of Golden Osetra and traditional garnishes.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.