Staplehouse Quietly Opens an Upstairs Cocktail Bar

What once was a private dining room is now a cocktail bar at Staplehouse, one of Eater National’s newly crowned 38 Essential Restaurants. The upstairs space opened earlier this month with an under-the-radar launch, and it is still very much evolving as the weeks go on.

The brand-new upstairs bar is called Paper Crane Lounge, and it is open Wednesday through Saturday during normal business hours at Staplehouse. There’s no reservations required; it’s first come, first serve and Staplehouse envisions diners stopping in for a drink before or after dinner — or heading to Paper Crane Lounge just to hang out.

The private dining room has been repurposed with lounge chairs and a gold vintage loveseat. Even some of Staplehouse’s tables have been turned into lounge tables.

Right now, just drinks are on the menu (for the moment). It’s a separate drinks menu than downstairs — especially where cocktails are concerned. Five or six cocktails are the menu, and they’ll rotate in and out. A sparkling Negroni is one hit so far in the cocktail bar’s soft launch.

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