New Astoria craft-focused bar set to open in August

Astoria will soon be home to a new bar with a city punch to it.

Sunnyside resident Gerard Leary, owner of the Lower East Side’s One Mile House bar, has come together with two other Manhattan bar owners to open up Judy & Punch at 34-08 30th Ave., a site that used to be home to a video rental store.

When it came to choosing the location, Leary said that he and his partners wanted to become part of the thriving western Queens neighborhood and were surprised to see how much “Astoria loved Astoria and everyone wants to talk about Astoria.”

“It just seemed like the right fit,” said Leary, who is opening the bar together with Barry Spellman, who owns bars DTUT and Biddy’s Pub, and Mike Higgins, co-owner of Professor Thom’s in the East Village. “Astoria has always been a great area and that part of Astoria especially is on the rise.”

Trying not to give much information away, Leary said the approximately 13,000-square-foot bar, slated to open in August, will be craft-focused featuring 14 lines of draft beers as well as libations in bottles and cans, classic cocktails with the bar’s own twist, and small “light” bar bites.

Judy & Punch will also include a 25-foot-long bar, garage doors in the front, dining space and a backyard patio expected to fit about 12 people.

Construction underway at Judy & Punch

Leary also hopes to organize a lot of events at the bar, getting the neighborhood involved in these events and building the bar’s brand.

The name of the establishment, which Higgins came up with, comes from the traditional puppet show called “Punch and Judy.” This will also lead to a small carnival theme for the bar’s look and menu, said Leary.

“I can’t wait to see what we got in store for these guys,” Leary said. “I think we’re going to have a great product that everyone in Astoria will be proud of. We’re taking what we learned in Manhattan and bringing it to Astoria, without being too pretentious.”

For more information, check out Judy & Punch on Facebook here.

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