How Cocktail Bar Kabin Is Bringing Nordic Cabin Culture to New York City
The simplicity and nature-centric ethos of Nordic culture has made an indelible impact far beyond Scandinavia. From fashion brands like Acne, to food staples including fermented rye bread, to design brands like Ikea, you’ve most likely already bought into the lifestyles inspired by all things Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Nordic culture is close to restaurateur Alex Tangen’s heart. Born and raised in London to Norwegian parents, she’s bringing her Nordic roots to New York City with Kabin, a cocktail bar that seeks to recreate the coziness and community of Norwegian hytte culture, where food and drinks are flowing and the vibes are high.
For the uninitiated, hytte directly translates to “cabin.” More specifically, it typically refers to a small vacation cabin; many Norwegians flock to one of these abodes that they either own or rent over holidays, for a relaxing escape. Whether they’re along the coast or in the mountains, these cabins allow Norwegians to immerse themselves in nature, which is an essential part of the Nordic lifestyle. And hytte is not to be confused with the Danish concept of hygge, which is defined as an overall cozy vibe.
That hytte cabin culture is what inspired Kabin—both its general atmosphere, and its name. Think of it as a little piece of Norway, right in New York City.
“The drinking scene in Norway is difficult, because people don’t go out for cocktails a lot,” Tangen tells Observer of what led her to set up shop in New York City. “The other city I was considering was London, but I was pretty ready to get out. The cocktail scene in New York is faster-paced and buzzy, so I feel like this is the right first place for Kabin.” She started with her operations team first, hiring New Deal Hospitality, whose CEO, Bevan Bunch, has a few best restaurant distinctions under her belt.
Then came figuring out the food, beverage and location—the former and latter of which were done in one fell swoop, much to Tangen’s surprise. She tapped Michelin-starred chef Johnny Spero to help build Kabin’s menu while he juggled his two spaces in Washington, D.C. By chance, a friend of Spero’s alerted him to the fact that the team behind Pine & Polk, the provisions shop-meets-speakeasy, were closing up shop. Tangen quickly scooped up the space, and was easily able to move into the Hudson Square digs on Spring Street. “It was perfect for me and perfect for the situation because everything was already in place,” Tangen reveals. “I didn’t do any gut renovations, and the kitchen was well built-out. I took over all their inventory, so it’s just been a recalculation of what we need and making changes. I’ve fallen more and more in love with this space.”
When it came to revamping the interiors, Tangen turned to Swedish interior architect and hospitality designer Jeanette Didon, who had previously designed Scandinavian restaurant Aska in Brooklyn. “When I went to Aska, I thought, ‘If I ever manage to open a cocktail bar, I want this to be my designer,’” says Tangen. “So I cold emailed her, and it’s amazing now to be working together. When we were designing, we wanted to bring the best of the Nordics to New York. It’s very much designed to be communal, so yes, you can go on dates, but you can also push tables together.”
Tangen wanted a “beautiful, not gimmicky” design, without heavy-handed, in-your-face Nordic influences. The palette is all natural and moody hues, punctuated by blacks, grays, beiges and browns. The intensity of Norwegian sauna-inspired seating is softened with lighting underneath, and the street-facing floor-to-ceiling windows bring in the outside energy, rain or shine. Swedish light fixtures and oversized photos, plus a larger-than-life burnt branch from Belgium, round out the eye-catching design elements.
Naturally, the bar is the focal point. Accentuated by carefully-placed antlers on the bar shelves with cocktails served in Norwegian glasses, Tangen hopes it will be the heart of Kabin—the perfect spot to learn about the host of Nordic spirits from knowledgeable bartenders. Industry experts Pamela Wiznitzer and Eloy Pacheco serve as beverage directors, not only brainstorming on top-notch cocktails, but also ensuring Kabin is staffed with the right people for the job.
“It’s been great to have them on board because they know a lot about the industry in terms of what they’re doing, cooking and what cocktails are shaking, but they can also vet people out,” Tangen says. “They can pick up on good things they see on a resume and bad things. I’ve spoken to everyone and I made it really clear that it’s going to be important that I have a relationship with all of the staff too.”
The cocktails pull their names from Norwegian words and have the Nordic ingredients to back them up. For example, the bar’s signature martini, the Kolio, which is split-based between Aquavit and tequila, is named after Tangen’s family cabin in Norway. The Lillesand features lingonberry, and the Oslo is infused with cardamom. Kabin also offers zero-proof beverages, with four non-alcoholic cocktails, including a booze-free martini that’s made with non-alcoholic gin, non-alcoholic bitters, caraway, olive and verjus.
Chef Spero’s modern tapas menu plays on classic bar favorites with Nordic twists. Highlights include oysters with elderflower, a tuna tostada with nasturtium, Swedish meatballs, beef tartare on Rugbrod rye and pickled mackerel. The menu’s priciest offering is a caviar dish served with a Norwegian waffle that you can “rip and dip,” according to Tangen.
Tangen has high hopes for Kabin, from half buyouts for the back of the bar to events like New York Fashion Week. “This area will be good for that, and there’s also so many things we can do with other Scandinavian brands,” she says. “You have Acne, Ganni, Holzweiler—there’s stuff we can do with them for fashion week, but even before that.” Other potential ideas include translating the Kabin experience into a hotel or lodge in upstate New York, and even going full circle and bringing the brand to Norway.
From her own experience, Tangen encourages young, first-time brand owners like herself to be unafraid about asking for help. “Say to them, ‘I don’t know anything about this, can you teach me?” she advises. “They don’t have to hold your hand and walk you through it, but asking for help and being honest about not knowing it works. That’s how I’ve arrived here. You get so much further by asking for help and advice.”
While Hudson Square was once considered something of a no-man’s land in the far west of Soho, the neighborhood has since developed into a popular downtown enclave. With Google down the street, Disney moving up the block and two new restaurants opening in walking distance, Kabin is in an ideal position to become the neighborhood’s new go-to watering hole—whether that’s for food, drinks, both or just a healthy helping of Nordic community.
Kabin, located at 300 Spring Street, is now open from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.