Gjelina Team Heads to New York With Upcoming Restaurant in the Thick of Manhattan

Looks like Gjelina is hitting the road, with explosive news today out of New York City that Travis Lett and company are setting up shop in the Big Apple.

Lett and longtime partner Fran Camaj were given away thanks to a simple SEC filing, which means they’re in the raising money phase of their next project. The restaurant at 45 Bond Street is going into Manhattan’s NoHo neighborhood, which, similar to today’s market on Abbot Kinney, carries a pretty price tag, so to help offset those costs Camaj and Lett are also apparently partnering up with Ken Friedman of Spotted Pig fame to make the New York dream come true.

What this new restaurant in New York will look like officially remains to be seen, but the deal has been confirmed by parties involved. The plan is for the 1,750 square foot space to be ready by the end of the summer, and build-out is already well underway. The restaurant will operate across two floors, with the second likely being a private dining space, while the downstairs could be anything from a Gjelina-style sit-down space to something more hybrid, with a Gjelina Take Away/Gjusta component. For now it’s anyone’s guess.

Eater reached out to Lett and the Gjelina team but so far hasn’t heard back. Not surprising, as the normally tight-lipped Lett has been busy enough of late, with plans to still open his upcoming second Abbot Kinney restaurant later this year. As for Friedman, he’s still aiming to keep the former Cat & Fiddle alive in Hollywood, though that’s been seriously slow going.