Owned by Matthew Viragh and opened in early July, the Nitehawk Cinema is a dine-in movie house, currently the only public theater in the city that combines a restaurant dining experience with film viewing. With a full-time kitchen staff, cinema seats with attached tables, a café at street level, a bar in the upstairs lobby, and three screens, the new venue in Williamsburg is also available for corporate and nonprofit functions, including cocktail receptions, meetings, presentations, and other events.
Architectural firm Caliper Studio is responsible for the design of the space, which sits inside a converted warehouse and is furnished with elements like a vintage marquee, old barber stations refashioned into a bar, and a steel-paneled staircase. Nitehawk Cinema's full menu comes courtesy of chef Saul Bolton, who also runs restaurants Saul in Boerum Hill and the Vanderbilt in Prospect Heights; the Nitehawk's menu includes upscale concessions, small plates, entrées, salads, and desserts. Such dishes can be ordered by guests and served to them in their seats while they watch one of the site's showings of classic and new flicks.
Although Nitehawk Cinema is still in the process of cementing its private event rental program, the theaters are available for private screenings—the largest seats 90 and the smallest 28. The owners plan to offer the entire venue for buyout, with the capacity for about 300 people.
