Antico Chef Chad Colby Brings the Flavors of Puglia to New West Third Street Restaurant

Chef Chad Colby along with partner Alex Racioppi will open a new restaurant in Beverly Grove in the former Kassi Club. The partners say they’re on track to open Bari by mid-May, after they complete minor renovations to the space, where Colby developed a menu inspired by Puglia, right off the Adriatic Coast.

This wasn’t something that took months or years of planning, according to Racioppi. It came together quickly because the owners of Kassi Club — which opened in mid-2019 — moved the venture to Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Kassi owners renovated right before COVID-19 hit, leaving behind a barely touched space that reminded both of Puglia, a region already influenced greatly by Greece. Colby and Racioppi are adding light touches like new banquettes, expanded bar area, and floors, but that’s it. No permits needed, no heavy construction, just Colby focusing on the menu, which is completely independent from his Larchmont-adjacent restaurant, Antico.

Colby says Bari’s menu is small plates inspired by Puglia’s history. Authorities outlawed going to bars if you worked in the Puglian wine industry, and the region’s workaround was to treat the butcher shops like bars. “There are fun places on the interior of Puglia where the butcher shop is the center of the town. [Bari] starts out with an antipasti, charcuterie, and vegetables and traditional breads, a couple of pastas, and go into skewers.” Colby’s menu will consist of 30 dishes that include small plates, delicious meats on spiedini/skewers, a soft-serve version of Antico’s ice cream, along with wines by former Mozza vet Sarah Clarke, and a bar program by Majordomo’s Jager Stewart.

When open, Bari will operate from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, to midnight on Thursdays, and until 1 a.m. on weekends. Expect brunch in June.

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