The Eighth, Chelsea’s newest concept, is a cocktail-driven restaurant rooted in atmosphere, ritual, and emotional resonance. Conceived as a space outside ordinary time, it offers an alternative to the speed, spectacle, and trend-chasing that dominate much of New York’s nightlife. The experience is meant to be intentionally slow and layered—designed to be felt rather than immediately understood. With design at the core of its conceptualization, The Eighth is the brainchild of Opus Hospitality, the newly established hospitality group led by award-winning New York interior designers Julien Legeard and Valmira Gashi of Legeard Studio, in collaboration with seasoned hospitality veteran Richie Romero.
Inspired by Chelsea’s evolving and often overwritten history, The Eighth’s mission is not to attempt to recreate a specific era, but the opposite. Instead, it draws from the absence of history — the moments, stories, and emotions that have slipped through the cracks. The result is a space that feels familiar yet elusive, intimate yet transportive. Patrons are invited to linger, return, and build their own relationship with the venue over time.
At its core, The Eighth is about pause. It’s a place where cocktails are treated as rituals, conversation unfolds naturally, and presence is valued over performance. The goal is longevity — creating an inviting space that becomes a quiet constant in the neighborhood rather than a fleeting destination.
The Name and Its Meaning — The name The Eighth comes from the idea of an imagined eighth day — something beyond the known calendar and outside the rigid structure of time. It represents a surplus moment: a pause not governed by productivity, obligation, or urgency.
The name is intentionally abstract. It’s not tied to a single historical reference, event, or literal meaning. Instead, it leaves room for interpretation—much like the experience of the bar itself. The Eighth suggests permission: to slow down, to indulge, to exist momentarily outside the expectations of daily life. It also subtly references cyclical time and infinity, reinforcing the idea that this is not a place defined by beginnings or endings, but by return. Notes Julien Legeard, “Nothing here is meant to feel new or old. It’s meant to feel lived-in, layered, and slightly out of time.”
The Eighth logo mark is centered around an hourglass — a known symbol of time, ritual, and intentional loss of awareness. Rather than depicting time as something rigid or finite, the hourglass is reimagined to feel fluid and ambiguous. It hints at liquid pouring while simultaneously suggesting sand falling, blurring the boundary between measured time and indulgent suspension. This duality is intentional. The logo reflects the experience of The Eighth itself: as you settle into the space and engage in its rituals, time becomes less legible. Moments stretch, blur, and quietly slip away. The visual ambiguity—liquid or sand, flowing or falling—mirrors the way presence replaces urgency within the bar. The hourglass also subtly references the number through symmetry and repetition, reinforcing themes of infinity and cyclical return. Designed with elegant, it is meant to feel timeless rather than trendy
At the core of The Eighth is its design, a concept born from interior designers with a passion and focus for hospitality, Legeard Studio. Julian Legeard and Valmira Gashi, the design partners behind the venue, and founders of Opus Hospitality, refer to “....the design of The Eighth is immersive, sensual, and deliberately atmospheric. The space is built around themes of mystery, haze, and attraction — achieved through warm, controlled lighting, subtle use of haze, and a deep, nocturnal palette anchored in rich purples and shadowed neutrals.”
Legeard Studio is known for its renowned work in the New York hospitality scene, responsible for dozens of highly coveted and beautifully created venues that New York patrons inhabit on a nightly basis, with Opus Hospitality being their newly formed hospitality group to take their hospitality design experience to the next level, expanding their presence in the space, now as operators. The Eighth is a collaborative effort with hospitality notable Richie Romero, who will serve as strategic Marketing and Brand Advisory Partner.
Romero adds, “The Eighth should feel like a secret you stumble into—timeless, lived-in, and a little unreal. Julien and Valmira didn’t just design a space; they created a world that makes time blur.”
Design materials used are tactile and indulgent: velvet and leather banquettes, soft chairs, and comfortable bar stools designed for lingering. The bar top itself is a backlit stone surface, conceived as a ceremonial altar—illuminating cocktails and elevating the act of drinking into something intentional and reverent.
Further adds Valmira Gashi, “The VIP enclave and DJ booth are wrapped in faux snakeskin leather, introducing texture, symbolism, and a quiet sense of edge. The space is designed to shift effortlessly: lighting can transform the lounge into a dance environment at a moment’s notice, with the DJ booth activating lighting that reflects off a disco ball to fracture light across the room. An infinity light mirror is perched above the back bar which extends the ceiling visually upward, reinforcing the idea that the space continues beyond what’s immediately visible—there is always more.”
Two symbolic animals recur throughout the design language. The snake, which represents transformation, renewal, temptation, and cyclical time — its coiled form echoing the number eight and the idea of infinity. It reflects reinvention, shedding, and the constant evolution of place and identity. The moth represents attraction and surrender — the instinctive pull toward light and warmth. Just as a moth is drawn to flame, guests are to be drawn toward the glowing bar at the heart of the space.
These symbols culminate in the two ungendered restrooms—the Snake and the Moth—each designed as an immersive extension of the narrative. Artwork throughout the space explores these themes both figuratively and texturally, favoring mood, repetition, and abstraction over literal storytelling. Gashi explains, “The symbols aren’t decorative—they’re directional. They guide how you move, where you’re drawn, and how you feel within the space.”
Food and Drink — The cocktail menu at The Eighth is structured not just around ingredients, but around time and transformation, created by skilled mixologist Evelyn Atheris (Thyme, Zou Zou). Central to the experience are three nightly cocktail and bite ceremonies that take place every evening at 8:00 PM, 10:00 PM, and 12:00 AM. These moments are conceived as altar performances at the bar — quietly theatrical rituals led by the bartenders that mark the progression of the night. Cocktails draw from classic structures refined through contemporary technique, emphasizing balance, clarity, and pacing over spectacle. Adds Gashi, “The bar itself is designed as an altar. It’s the emotional and visual center of the room, where ritual happens, the cocktail experience being the premiere ritual.”
Each ceremony invites a distinct emotional and sensory shift. 8:00 PM is to awaken—an opening ritual that signals arrival, transition, and presence. 10:00 PM is to indulge—a richer, more immersive moment when the room is fully alive and indulgence takes hold. 12:00 AM represents the unknown—the surrender point of the evening, framed as wherever the night takes us. Together, these three moments define the arc of the night, from intention to release. Each ceremony also offers a curated cocktail taster presented to all guests, followed by a paired bite designed to extend the moment. Together, these rituals guide guests through a temporal journey — from intention to indulgence to surrender, mirroring the way time loosens as the night unfolds.
The cuisine menu, created by Chef Kat Williams, is intentionally designed to complement the bar experience. Rather than dominating the evening, food functions as an accompaniment—small plates and bites designed to extend the experience and encourage lingering, that are thoughtful, comforting, and shareable. Kat Williams is a Kingston-born chef whose work is rooted in Jamaican culture, community, and creativity. He brings an artistic sensibility to the food and experiences he creates, with signature menu item stand outs including Short Rib, Wagyu Sliders, Shrimp Toast, Beet Tartare with Avocado Mousse, Jerk Wings with Honey, and Scallop Crudo.
The broader food and drink program remains intentionally focused and complementary to the rituals. Small plates and bites support lingering and conversation, while cocktails emphasize balance, clarity, and restraint. Nothing is rushed; nothing is excessive. Together, the ceremonies and the menu reinforce The Eighth’s core philosophy: drinking and dining not as distraction, but as intentional acts.
The Takeaway — The Eighth is a cocktail-driven restaurant rooted in ritual, atmosphere, and emotional resonance. Designed as a space outside time, it invites guests to slow down, return often, and experience drinking and dining as intentional acts, measured in moments rather than minutes.
“This place isn’t chasing what’s next. It’s meant to feel slightly out of time — like you found it, not like it opened—and that’s a credit to Julien and Valmira’s vision for the room.” remarks Romero.
The Eighth is located at 132 7th Ave, in Chelsea. Following a soft opening and NYFW event series, doors will open for reservations starting February 28th, 2026, and nightly thereafter at 5:00 PM, via Resy.
Image courtesy of The Eighth
