and 23rd Avenue, Sweet Spot fills a void for the up-and-coming neighborhood, presenting a lustrous sports lounge experience. With over 7,000 square feet in floor space, Sweet Spot features a festive main bar room, a separate dining area and can still accommodate two large private events; it’s the perfect setting for private parties, dinner-for-two or just a night out to watch the big game. 43 HD-TV’s ranging from 80” in the main dining room to 27” screens in the restrooms means you won’t miss a second of the action and the two DJ booths promise that the party will never stop. Designer Chris Kofitsas (Provocateur, ABC Kitchen, Asselina, Gansevoort Hotel) has created an engaging environment for the lounge arena with his extensive use of reclaimed lumber, glossy tin ceilings and mirror glass tiles. A bridge then connects the main room to the rear dining area, which, with its 25-foot skylight and custom backlit fireplace, is charming and inviting and unlike anything seen in a modern sports bar. The luscious menu is can’t miss, ranging from upscale pub grub (Truffle Mac n’ Cheese) to ethnic delicacies (Wine Battered Fried Zucchini) to haute cuisine worthy of a night out (18oz Prime Boneless Rib Eye). There are also 18 beers on tap, 14 bottles, a list of top-shelf specialty cocktails and full bottle service. Sweet Spot is the brainchild of George Dimou and Harry Panagiotopoulos, the local entrepreneurs who, in 2001, helped usher in the Astoria dining boom with Igloo café. Now, after years of visualizing their model of a sleek, sophisticated, yet relaxed, sports lounge arena, they’ve created the neighborhood’s next staple. As an Astoria native, Harry felt the flourishing neighborhood was missing something catering to its sports fans. “Being in Igloo café every Sunday, and watching hundreds of people getting onto the subways with their football jerseys on always bothered me,” Panagiotopoulos says. “I wanted to bring my neighbors a local spot for their sporting, dining and party needs, a venue where they could still feel like they were receiving the Manhattan experience they craved and deserved.”
