“I wanted a vinyl bar with a killer sound system,” says Lama Dog founder Pete Burnham of his new establishment, The Mullet, which opens tomorrow. “But most of the ones I’ve been to, in Japan and other places, are quiet and dim, more about listening. That’s not me. I want happier, brighter. And I want it to be really nice, but also fun—after all, I had already decided on the name.”
You know, the hairstyle that’s “business in the front, party in the back”—a reference to The Mullet’s location behind the Funk Zone outpost of Lama Dog. Architect Kevin Moore, interior designer Jessica Risko Smith, and Evans Construction turned what had been gallery space into a stylish but laid-back room that can handle around three dozen patrons at cocktail tables and the bar, with space for more outside. The Mullet is meant to complement Lama Dog, so you can take drinks between the two; while Lama Dog’s focus is on beer, The Mullet is more about cocktails and whiskey (although the menu has beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options, too). The bar’s signature drinks have been named after classic mullets—late ’70s Bill Murray, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Billy Ray and Miley Cyrus, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust, and more.
As at Lama Dog, you can bring over food from The Nook and its pizzeria. Owner Georges Bitar will be adding a bunch of small plates to the menu specifically for The Mullet, along with a Mullet burger, which I’ve been assured has nothing draped down the back.
The music is up to the DJ, when one is spinning, or the bartenders, and yes, you may make requests. “We’re looking at having bring-your-own-vinyl nights sometime in the future, and we might have small bands and jazz,” says Burnham. “There’s a lot of feeling it out.”
In an effort to keep things casual but civilized, The Mullet will not have servers nor allow children. The current plan is to be open every evening except Tuesdays, and also during the day on weekends. And the space can be rented for private events.
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This place looks SO COOL!