Crane Club Team Opens Cocktail-Focused Bar CC in West Chelsea
Bar CC is a new cocktail lounge in West Chelsea from the team behind Crane Club and Tao Group Hospitality. Harrison Ginsberg, formerly of Overstory, has joined as a partner to oversee a beverage menu that favors brighter, approachable cocktails. The space replaces the group’s former pizzeria Mel’s, which closed in early 2025.
Bar CC takes over the former Mel’s pizzeria, which closed in early 2025. It is a sibling to Crane Club, opened in 2024 by Jeff Katz, chef Melissa Rodriguez, and Tao Group Hospitality. Harrison Ginsberg joined as a partner after roles at Crown Shy, Saga, and Overstory, all tied to Katz at 70 Pine Street.
His beverage approach favors bright, familiar formats. The Fruit or Vegetable? combines tequila, mezcal, raicilla, and a cherry tomato infused with passionfruit cordial. The CC Martini blends vodka, black peppercorn, and olive brine, meant to accompany chips and caviar. Rodriguez’s food list has six snacks, among them a mini hamburger, watermelon bite, and wood-roasted trumpet mushroom.
Bar CC may strengthen West Chelsea’s nightlife identity, affecting hospitality staff, nearby residents, and cocktail-focused diners. Its bar-first, snack-limited format could influence how upscale restaurants create spinoff lounges, perhaps drawing guests seeking lower-commitment social experiences. If it resonates, similar chef-and-bartender partnerships may follow, while noise, crowding, and competition could also shape the neighborhood’s business mix.