New York’s newest rendezvous, Ella Funt, is a revival of queer history. Architect and designer Annabel Karim Kassar unveiled the East Village restaurant to usher in the newest chapter for Club 82, a drag revue with Hollywood connections and a storied past.
“With Ella Funt, my wish was to honor the memory of the original Club 82 whilst creating something that felt new and contemporary. I looked to capture a total human experience, there is something for everyone who enters,” Annabel said.
From 1953 to 1973, Club 82 was the premiere spot in town for “female impersonators,” what would eventually be called drag. The waiters were kings; the performers queens. Drinks flowed through the cups of Lauren Bacall, Erroll Flynn, and Burt Lancaster while performers like Ella Funt, the new restaurant’s namesake, crooned on the stage, wrapped in a fur stole.
The club’s progressive ownership, however, would also lead to its demise. The operator was Anna Genovese, wife of mob boss Vito Genovese. Vito sent police to break up queer activities, which led to the loss of their liquor license. While Club 82 would exist in various formats until its permanent closure in 2019, it was never quite the same after its mid-century heyday.
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- Annabel Karim Kassar, via AKK Architects, fills Ella Funt with artwork. Photo by Seth Caplan
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- The “whispering bar” at Ella Funt. Photo by Seth Caplan
But Annabel, through her firm AKK Architects, hopes that Ella Funt restores Club 82’s reputation as a queer oasis, an especially important mission during this time where anti-transgender bills are being proposed across the country. Commissioned by restaurateur Lounes Mazouz, Annabel embraces a sensual ambience through low lighting, vintage tile, custom murals, and even a golden toilet.
The restaurant, which serves modern French cuisine, is modeled after a salle à manger, an open concept dining space. Diners can peer into the kitchen and watch head chef Nick Koustefanou whip up dinner theater before they imbibe at the Club 82 cabaret show downstairs. Voyeurism is not just reserved for the kitchen. In the gilded bathroom, a window overlooks the stairway into the nightclub.
“For me, a restaurant needs a strong sense of place and a certain drama, not anonymity,” Annabel said.
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- Ella Funt’s gilded bathroom. Photo by Seth Caplan
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- A glimpse of the mural by New York City artist Marcus Jahmal. Photo by Seth Caplan
Shier diners, however, can take solace in three private booths, or the “whispering” bar, where more intimate conversations can take place. The serpentine bar is accented with corrugated copper and black, speckled marble, which glows warmly under dimmed lights.
Other attractions include a wall-length mural by New York artist Marcus Jahmal, and floor-to-ceiling paintings in the accessible bathroom, which Annabel did herself. Bright green trim lines the walls, multicolor tiles pop out from the ceiling, and a bookcase dives the kitchen from the dining area in this maximalist space.
According to What Now New York, Club 82 will bring the cabaret back later this year, with queer historian Professor Joe Jefferies, and Adrian, a drag performer from the original Club 82, consulting. They hope to revive Kit Russel’s variety show from the 1960s.
In the meantime, Ella Funt awaits.
“With Ella Funt, my wish was to honor the memory of the original Club 82 whilst creating something that felt new and contemporary. I looked to capture a total human experience, there is something for everyone who enters,” Annabel said.
Copper tones warm up Ella Funt. Photo by Seth Caplan
