Mesa Bar to Bring a Taste of the American Southwest to Historic Front Street

Mesa Bar to Bring a Taste of the American Southwest to Historic Front Street

New cocktail and wine bar from longtime New York bartender and Turks & Frogs veteran Levent Cakir joins the growing dining scene in the South Street Seaport Historic District

NEW YORK, NY (September 14, 2026) - The Durst Organization today announced that Mesa Bar, a new Southwestern-inspired cocktail and wine bar, has signed a lease at 220 Front Street. Expected to open this year, Mesa will pair a creative cocktail program and curated wine list with cold beer and a concise menu of bar snacks in a warm, personal setting shaped by founder and Upper West Side native Levent Cakir's lifelong fascination with the American West.

Mesa is designed to evoke the warmth of a New Mexico ranch house, reimagined for the energy of the Seaport. The experience will move easily between casual and considered: a place for an afternoon glass of wine, happy hour cocktails, or a late-night beer with vinyl playing. Programming, from Spaghetti Western screenings to intimate wine tastings, will give regulars new reasons to come back.

"I've always loved bars that feel personal, where you can come in for one drink and suddenly realize you've been there for three hours," said Levent Cakir. "That's what we want Mesa to be. The Southwest gives the place its character, but at heart it's a neighborhood bar: great cocktails, wine, music, and people you want to spend time with. Front Street felt like the right place to build that."

"Mesa Bar brings a fresh offering to Front Street and adds to the diverse mix of dining, retail, and hospitality experiences that make the block a special part of Lower Manhattan," said Jody Durst, President of The Durst Organization.

Mesa draws on two sides of Cakir's world: his longstanding fascination with the landscapes and culture of the American West, and the intimate, neighborhood-first hospitality he developed over years at West Village institution Turks & Frogs. Inside, those influences come together through warm woods, textured walls, collected objects and Western art, set against the exposed brick and iron columns of Historic Front Street. Parts of the palette even trace back to a Western landscape mural Cakir remembers from the playground of P.S. 87, where he grew up on the Upper West Side.

Behind the bar, cocktails will draw on Southwestern influences, while a carefully selected wine list will reflect Mesa's relaxed approach. The food menu will center on shareable bar snacks, including salsa flights, elote, and empanadas.

Mesa Bar is expected to open this year at 220 Front Street. Additional details on the opening date, hours, menu, and programming will be announced in the coming months.

The Durst Organization has carefully curated a mix of neighborhood-serving retailers and destination dining concepts on Historic Front Street including Kee's Chocolates, Seaport Pilates NYC, Peck Slip Social, Il Brigante, SUteiShi, and Seaport Paw, serving more than 70,000 residents and 233,000 office workers in Lower Manhattan.

The Durst Organization was represented in-house by Karen Rose and by Zach Nathan, Brandon Berger, and Hunter Lazan of KSR. Mesa Bar was represented by Aynsley Thaler and David Green of KSR.

For more information, visit Mesabar.nyc