What to Try at Bar 25

If you’re looking for a spot close to the Atlantic Avenue action yet secluded enough for an intimate date night, then Bar 25 is the place for you. This new restaurant from Anthony Giovanniello (who also owns and operates Nick’s New Haven Style Pizzeria & Bar in Boca Raton) opened in July and features elevated American brasserie favorites that are heavy on flavor. Bar 25 is in the space formerly occupied by Mellow Mushroom, but the interiors have been completely transformed to complement the stylish eats and cool craft cocktails that dot the menu. Stop by for lunch, dinner, or weekend brunch to unwind in the sleek main dining room, at the bar, or on the shaded patio. Below, we spotlight some standouts from the lunch and dinner menu.

1. Start with a specialty cocktail. There are a number of unique combinations to choose from, with a liquor option to please any palette. The From the Garden, for example, layers fresh lime, ginger liqueur, and Hornitos Reposado Tequila, garnished with yellow and red peppers. Gin drinkers will appreciate the Pepino in the Afternoon, with Sipsmith Gin, ginger liqueur, pressed cucumber, fresh lemon, and Cinzano Prosecco.
2. Continue with a flatbread. Bar 25 saved the pizza ovens left over from former tenant Mellow Mushroom, but the culinary team has embraced flatbreads instead. Executive chef Walter Pytel offers a curated selection, from The Philly with shaved ribeye and caramelized onions, to the White Clam with Rhode Island clams and bacon, to the Heaven on a Flat with granny smith apples, arugula, crumbled blue cheese, and fig jam.
3. Share a few dishes. The Bar 25 menu is designed for sharing, with healthy options as well as guilty pleasures. Tick off that healthy box with the beet and spinach salad with candied walnuts and goat cheese in a citrus vinaigrette. The spicy ahi tuna bites—with crispy rice cakes, fried leeks, jalapeño, and spicy mayo—are sure to wake your palette, while the mushroom and onion pierogis will scratch any comfort food itch. And don’t sleep on the Bar 25 crab fries, dusted with Old Bay and served with a decadent house-made Cooper white American cheese sauce.
4. Save room for dessert. When it comes to that post-meal treat, American flavors dominate. The Hershey Kiss S’mores Flat or the Strawberry Pop Tart Sandwich will surely transport you to your child, but the Chocolate Chip Brownie is the ultimate indulgence: a baked chocolate chip brownie with house-made Oreo ice cream and chocolate ganache.