Cool kids corner

Bar Oliver, Chinatown

BARS • First Round

If you had Chinatown’s Chatham Square as fall 2024’s hipster restaurant and bar scene epicenter, please collect your winnings at the window. First came Bridges. Now, across the square on the oddly triangular corner of St. James Place and Oliver Street, we welcome Bar Oliver. 

Arriving just after its 530p opening on a recent weeknight, I easily found a seat at the long, stainless steel-topped bar that runs down one side of the space. High-tops and tables line the other side, before giving way to a couple of red leather booths in the back. The vibe of the room is excellent. And the looming question of whether this is more bar or restaurant was answered when we placed our food and drink order, as the bartender handed us a numbered placard, then asked for a credit card. Bar! 

“You can’t go wrong with vermouth on tap,” my friend remarked after being informed of its availability. He took that route successfully, while I opted for a Txakoli from the wines by the glass list, a Spanish white as crisp and mineral as they come. (Bar Oliver’s booze is limited to wine and beer; they’re also serving coffee starting at 8a for the neighborhood’s early risers.) 

It may not be a restaurant, but Bar Oliver does serve good food — specifically, Basque-inspired tapas. Although there are ways to fashion a full dinner (with, primarily, a dry-aged ribeye served with fries), we went with a bunch of pintxo and tapas. Highlights included anchovy on a slice of bread with soft egg and green pepper relish, a do-it-yourself pan con tomate, and a generous plate of jamon iberico.

As the evening started getting going, the bar filled up — by 7p, a large group of friends was jostling against my bar seat, mumbling apologies. Turning to look out the big front windows, I could make out Bridges, no doubt thrumming across the square. The buzz is building. –Lockhart Steele

→ Bar Oliver (Chinatown) • 1 Oliver St • Tues-Sun, 8a-close, Mon 8a-3p • Reserve (walk-ins welcome).