We stopped by the Essex Street Market yesterday to check in with local beer guru Ted Kenny, who just opened a takeout shop.
Top Hops To Go is now open for business on the south end of the market, in the back, near Boubuki and Ni Japanese Deli. The stall is an offshoot of Kenny’s Top Hops, the popular bar and craft beer shop that’s been open since 2012 at 94 Orchard St.
You won’t be able to down a pint in the market. Instead, the new shop is designed as a takeaway outpost, offering growlers and a selection of 50 specialty beers in bottles and cans at any given time. There are four lines; draft beers will rotate every so often. Customers can also pick up snacks from local purveyors such as Roni Sue’s Chocolates, Rick’s Picks and Pop Karma.
Christina Cahill, Tops Hops’ marketing director, told us earlier in the week that the Lower East Side Partnership helped facilitate their expansion into the Essex Street Market. The Partnership, the NYC Economic Development Corp. (which operates the market) and the Vendor Association have been working hard to boost foot traffic. After several vendors closed in the past couple of years, there have been new signs of life in the historic market lately. Besides Top Hops, other new arrivals include Osaka Grub and Arancini Bros.
Top Hops to Go is open daily from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
