A new all-day cafe and restaurant called Bobblehead is set to take over the ground-floor space at 103-105 Avenue B, between E. 6th and E. 7th Streets, where it plans to pair curated vinyl with coffee by day and cocktails by night. The venue has no officially announced opening date, but its plans came into view through business filings, according to a report from whatnow.com.
Public application filings submitted to Manhattan Community Board 3 in September identify Natalie Manion and Kahiem Rivera as the co-principals behind Bobblehead NYC, LLC, according to filings reviewed by Manhattan Community Board 3. Rivera is an established New York hip-hop musician, and his July 2025 LP, “How to Write Effectively (During a Slow Apocalypse),” includes a track titled “Bobblehead,” per his official site.
A Historic Avenue B Storefront Gets New Life
The 103-105 Avenue B space carries a long culinary lineage. It was most recently home to the French bistro Pardon My French, which operated from March 2015 until it closed permanently on May 30, 2026, after co-owner Antonin Brune gave notice to staff, as reported by EV Grieve. Before that, the same storefront housed the French bistro Casimir for 16 years, per the same outlet, making Bobblehead only the third occupant of the space in decades.
Bobblehead NYC, LLC's filing references an existing full on-premises liquor license, Serial No. 1280774, that had previously been assigned to French Avenue B Inc., the former corporate entity behind Pardon My French.
Coffee, Cocktails and a Curated Record Collection
By whatnow.com's account, Bobblehead plans to serve coffee and lunch by day and shift into restaurant fare by night, with a cafe running daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The restaurant side is expected to run Monday through Friday from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. The menu described in the report includes a Basque breakfast sandwich on sourdough with heirloom tomatoes, red pepper pesto and a poached egg, along with yogurt and granola, sweet and savory pastries, a Treviso salad with burrata, beef carpaccio, tuna tartare tostadas, skewers, Peruvian chicken, and lemon-pepper fries with mint aioli.
On the drinks side, the same report lists the Ultima Picante with mezcal, Luxardo, Forthave green, lime and jalapeño; the Ibsen with gin, dill aquavit and dry vermouth; and the Cupid Deluxe with scotch, blood orange amaro and bitters. The space is planned to include a main dining room, two bars, curated vinyl throughout, and a garden-style outdoor space in back.
Noise Rules Shape How the Garden Will Run
Because the venue sits beneath residential apartments in a two-building property — 103 Avenue B is four stories and 105 Avenue B is six stories, both with apartments above — Community Board 3's filing shows Bobblehead agreed to specific sound conditions. The rear garden is slated to close by 10 p.m. daily under whatnow.com's reporting, and per the community board filing, the operators pledged to keep all exterior doors and windows shut past 10 p.m. to mitigate noise for neighbors upstairs.
Bobblehead also plans to rely primarily on reservations and controlled guest flow to minimize lines and crowding outside, according to whatnow.com's report. The reservation-based approach is intended to minimize lines and crowding outside. The venue's plans are subject to Community Board 3 review.
Part of a Bigger Vinyl-Bar Moment
Bobblehead's format pairs curated vinyl with food and cocktails. In February, music producer Michael Dorf opened Miru at Pier 57, pairing a rooftop vinyl listening lounge with a sake bar and sushi menu, as Hoodline previously reported.
