Nightlife heavyweights, Eytan Sugarman and Zero Bond’s Will Makris, to open cocktail lounge in space vacated by beloved gay bar

Nightlife heavyweights Will Makris and Eytan Sugarman are going into business on a stylish new cocktail lounge in the spot that was home to beloved gay enclave, the Hangar Bar, Page Six has learned.

It’s the first time Makris, one of the owners of Zero Bond, and Sugarman — who owns the famed White Horse Tavern and is a veteran of Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality and Anthony Scaramucci’s Hunt & Fish — have worked together. “They’ve been friends for 25 years,” an insider said.

Sources say the pair are prepping to open a hip spot named Dandelion in the Christopher Street venue. It’ll have a food menu, we’re told.

“They’re transforming it into an upscale watering hole for those who’d rather sip a martini than stand in line for a slice at L’Industrie Pizza down the street,” said an insider. “It’s going to be a chic neighborhood spot with the same polish as their other projects — but with a West Village edge.”

They have big shoes to fill.

115 Christopher Street was home to the Hangar from 1993 until early this year, when it abruptly closed its doors.

The Queer Happened Here Substack posted a tribute to the bar, saying, “The Hangar was… especially known to be patronized by a diverse range of mostly gay men, and in particular [served] as a welcoming space and vital sanctuary for the older, gay Black male population.”

In 2014, Gothamist called it, “the most ethnically mixed crowd… at a gay bar” and New York Magazine wrote, “The guys are… modest in attire; bared Chelsea muscle is restricted to the go-go boys on stage in the back where you’ll also find a pool table. The latter may generate more excitement than the former as the Wednesday night tournaments award a $100 first prize.”

Makris is the partner of 1Oak alum Scott Sartiano in famed private club Zero Bond and also owned Lola Taverna and runs Cocina Alba, the hit restaurant with outposts in New York and Los Angeles.

Sugarman, meanwhile, bought the White Horse Tavern, famed for its Bohemian history, in 2019. His Hudson Street Hospitality also owns Ambra and Made In New York Pizza.