Emerald Inn is back in business
After failing a health inspection on September 17, Emerald Inn, located at 250 West 72nd Street between Broadway and West End Avenue, reopened its doors on Friday, October 11 at 7 p.m., following a perfect score on its re-inspection. The return was met with enthusiasm as local patrons eagerly filled the iconic bar.
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“It feels good. We did a lot of work for three weeks, and it paid off,” said Charlie Campbell, owner of the Upper West Side institution.
“We had to get rid of everything, but tomorrow I’m heading to Restaurant Depot to do a big order, so everything will be back in stock,” Campbell added, explaining why no food was served on Friday night. As the evening went on, the beer steadily grew colder, a sign that the refrigerator holding the taps had just been turned back on.
Charlie Campbell behind the bar on Friday, October 11.
In September, six separate violations earned Emerald Inn a 51-point score. Some of those violations included “live roaches in [the] facility’s food or non-food area,” “evidence of rats or live rats in [the] establishment’s food or non-food area,” potentially contaminated food, and insufficient cleaning, according to the report. To reopen, Emerald Inn needed a perfect score of zero, meaning no violations at all. Friday night marked their fourth re-inspection, Campbell told ILTUWS.
“It was devastating for everyone,” Campbell said about being shut down for weeks. “We scrubbed ceilings and walls, and then we would get hit with a leaky faucet, a gap in the door, or finding dead bugs.”
He added that they changed exterminators during the process and acquired new kitchen equipment, including new fryers and bar mats. “It’s a new era,” Campbell noted, as he wants to negotiate a new lease with the landlord since he’s currently on a month-to-month arrangement. None of the staff in the front or back of the house left during Emerald Inn’s closure.
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ILTUWS reviewed Emerald Inn’s new inspection report from Friday, October 11. They achieved a perfect score of zero, indicating no violations. Their next inspection will determine the letter that will be displayed in the window, and an additional inspection will also take place over the next year during business hours.
“I grew up in Dallas, and this type of neighborhood establishment is where you might not be all the time, but when you are, you’re like family,” said Bryan D., who lives around the corner. Bryan had just gotten home from a business trip to Amsterdam, but that did not stop him and his wife from coming in to celebrate the reopening.
Another patron, Marc Liebman, known as the resident artist of Emerald Inn, was giving out his pop digital photography artwork to customers, including a special piece for Campbell, knowing he likes cats. “I’ve been coming for years,” said Liebman. “I found it by accident, but I never forgot about it.”
Campbell and artwork by Marc Liebman
Campbell said he’s working on relaunching the bar’s website, and their Google listing has been updated from ‘permanently closed’ to ‘open,’ with daily hours of noon to 4 a.m.
Emerald Inn, originally opened in 1943 by his great-grandfather on Columbus Avenue and West 69th Street, relocated to its current location in 2013.
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Thrilled that The Emerald Inn is back!
Stop by for a pint. Don’t forget to tip your excellent bartender.