Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
'Mob Wives' Star Big Ang Opens DUMBO Speakeasy Above Grimaldi's
By
Nell Casey
Published May 5, 2014
Modified May 5, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Nell Casey
Published May 5, 2014
Modified May 5, 2014
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
A taste of Staten Island arrives in DUMBO tonight when VH1 reality star Big Ang opens an offshoot of her Westerleigh bar Drunken Monkey in a space above Grimaldi's Pizzeria at One Front Street. Taking over the third floor space of the building, the bar boasts high ceilings with views of the back end of the Brooklyn Bridge and the BQE. Because there's not a street entrance to the building, bargoers will have to walk through the pizzeria and ascend a staircase in the back of the restaurant. A Staten Island speakeasy; just what the neighborhood was missing!
The Brooklyn Drunken Monkey won't be like anything else in the neighborhood, which skews more towards low-key wine bars than fist pumping clubs. The establishment scored a coveted cabaret license—a gift from a previous tenant—meaning the vibe could similar to the sister venue on SI of DJs, dancing and a whole lotta shots. In visiting the bar once a few years ago, Big Ang herself poured me a shot of "Jamo" while bros posted up and chugged Bud Light bottles.
But this isn't Big Ang putting out a Call To Bros: "I'm looking for the hipster crowd," the Mob Wives star told the Daily News. "It's a completely different crowd than Staten Island. It's going to be the yuppies and the hipsters, the DUMBO crowd. I love them all." In courting the new crowd, the bar at least knows it's got to speak their language: craft beer. To that end, they'll have Brooklyn Brewery and other local beers snaked up to the third floor via a special tap system. "The Europeans don't want to drink Heineken," explains bar manager and Mr. Big Ang Neil Murphy. "They like to order the Brooklyn s---." Preach.
(via Twitter)
Tagged
angela raiola
big ang
drunken monkey
dumbo
grimaldi's
mob wives
new restaurant and bar radar
reality television
staten island
Nell Casey
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .