For three decades, Winnie’s, an old-school dive and raucous karaoke bar, lured Chinatown residents and fashionable visitors for boozy singalongs in the shadow of the Tombs (otherwise known as the Manhattan Detention Complex). When it shut in 2015, it became another casualty of a gilded city. But an unlikely resurrection occurred on Valentine’s Day this year, when Winnie’s was reborn on East Broadway.
On a cold Friday night in March, Teddy Mui, the manager and 40-year-old son of Winnie Mui, the owner, seemed as if he had returned from a lengthy stay on a desert island.
“They’re not even calling it Chinatown — it’s Two Bridges,” he said of neighborhood newcomers. “At the old Winnie’s, our first crowd was Chinese gangsters.” As he reminisced, lyrics from a Journey song lit up the karaoke screen: “Strangers waiting / Up and down the boulevard.”
THE PLACE
Winnie’s is lodged above one of Chinatown’s busiest stretches, threaded up a staircase within a knot of cellphone repair shops and jewelry emporiums. The rectangular room has ambiguously underdesigned décor. The dark wood bar is decorated with a ZZ plant and a framed photo of Ms. Mui with Bill Clinton; a small stage and red booths conjure the spirit of its first location.
“It has an underground vibe — the irony is that it’s upstairs,” said Stephanie, a 30-something woman who declined to give her last name because she works “for the city.” Earlier, she had mangled a rendition of “Blank Space,” by Taylor Swift. “I’m not proud of it,” she said.
Gary Tai, Jay Wong and Winnie Mui, the bar’s longtime owner. CreditJackie Molloy for The New York Times
THE CROWD
By midnight, the bar was fleshed out with older Chinatown residents and younger karaoke enthusiasts. There were Converse Chucks and drapey, silken blouses.
Someone cracked open a fragrant carton of takeout dumplings. Two women performed “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, and Ms. Mui floated in, resplendent in a plum blazer. “There are old friends and new friends,” she said. “I’m very happy. Are you going to sing?”
PLAYLIST
The erstwhile laserdiscs aren’t exactly gone; they’ve been repurposed in several chandeliers that resemble opaque, inverted lemon juicers. Digitized karaoke selections veer poppy and nostalgic: Bowie, Madonna, Paul McCartney. “We can have it up a little louder,” Mr. Mui said, of the new location.
GETTING IN
21 and over, no cover.
DRINKS
Miller High Life is $5, and small bottles of sake are $6. Winnie’s Dragon Punch, a fruity and liquor-masking blend, is $10. There are plans to serve food. For now, a bucket of pork rinds awaits behind the bar.
Winnie’s Bar, 58 East Broadway, 2nd floor (between Catherine and Market Streets); (646) 838-8880. Open daily, noon until 4 a.m.
