Ainslie Bowery takes private dinners, company parties, client evenings, brand events and after parties for groups from 10 to more than 300 guests, either in one of its five spaces or as a full buyout. The restaurant is at 199 Bowery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York, and covers about 20,000 square feet over several levels, with wood-fired Italian cooking at its center.
Seminars and company events
The venue is built for the social side of company life rather than for a day of presentations. The events team offers the Garden Room, the Wine Bar Room and the Study for corporate events and corporate functions, and the Club downstairs for brand events. A team dinner of 40 fits the Study, a holiday party of 150 fits the Wine Bar Room standing, and a product launch or a year-end party with a DJ can take the Club for up to 300 guests in a cocktail format. For a whole-company night, the venue can be booked as a full buyout. The site does not list screens or presentation equipment for private events, so any speech or video should be planned with the team.
Rooms and capacities
The Garden Room is on the first floor, with two living floral chandeliers, a mural by Shepard Fairey and double hangar doors that open onto a sidewalk patio. It seats 75 or holds 100 standing, with daylight, wood tables and plants. The Wine Bar Room is the largest dining space, with chandeliers, dark wood tables and a 20-seat wine bar looking onto the open kitchen and the pizza oven. It seats 125 or holds 175 standing. The Study is a private dining room for 40 seated, paneled in wood, with a wall of windows over the main floor. The Hall is the bar, with a 50-foot counter, 32 beer taps, foosball and shuffleboard; it takes large group bar reservations of up to 10 people for two hours. The Club is a 4,000-square-foot underground lounge in a Parisian style, with red velvet seating, art and a dedicated light and sound system, for 100 to 300 guests standing.
Catering
All food and drink come from the restaurant kitchen, led by executive chef John DeLucie. The menu is built around wood-fired pizzas, house-made pasta and a long drinks list. The team offers two event package formats, one for dinner and cocktails and one for brunch, and family-style service for groups of 10 or more. Weekend brunch runs on Saturdays and Sundays, which suits a daytime gathering.
History and setting
Ainslie Bowery belongs to a small group that also runs Ainslie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, along with Cotta and Follia. The look mixes warm wood, greenery and chandeliers upstairs with a darker nightlife room below. The restaurant is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays and stays open until 4 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, which leaves room for late events.
Getting there
The address is 199 Bowery, on the Lower East Side, within walking distance of Nolita, SoHo and the East Village. Several subway lines stop within a few blocks.
