ITHACA, N.Y. — The Embassy, a new bar and restaurant taking over the space long held by Aladdin’s Natural Eatery in Collegetown, will open its doors this weekend.
The new establishment is another in ITH Hospitality and Kevin Sullivan’s growing fleet of local restaurants, billed as an eatery for “brunch enthusiasts and night owls.”
The restaurant, located at 100 Dryden Road, will be open from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 9 a.m.-1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The location will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. The restaurant will officially open for the first time on Jan. 19.
In an announcement, Sullivan said brunch will be emphasized in the morning, with Copper Horse Coffee and fresh bagels and pastries available alongside the food and cocktails menu. When evening arrives, Sullivan said The Embassy will cater to “those seeking the sophistication of crafted cocktails and evening fare.”
While college students are an obvious target demographic for a Collegetown business, Sullivan said he also wants to attract professionals to the restaurant, as well as hold a steady stream of private events once the business has gotten its footing.
Sullivan had been interested in the space for several years, he told The Ithaca Voice. In 2020, he tried to move one of his Luna Inspired Street Food locations, on Stewart Avenue, to the former Aladdin’s spot after the longtime neighborhood staple closed in 2019. But Sullivan said Luna struggled to gain a foothold there, and the Luna restaurant concept has since been consolidated into one single location on Aurora Street’s Restaurant Row.
“Collegetown has provided some significant challenges driving dine-in business and beverage sales for a long time and even more so post-pandemic,” Sullivan said. “We decided this fall that the space was too large and would never work for the Luna concept in that location as we had hoped. As with many failures, great things can come from the learning that happens as a result.”
With the location’s Luna experiment in the rear-view mirror, Sullivan said they hope a different restaurant concept will have more success. The Embassy, he said, could “fill a niche we believe will make the location a destination for students, campus professionals, tourists and locals alike.”
Sullivan occupies a large footprint in the Ithaca dining scene, and his continues to grow with The Embassy. He now operates eight businesses locally, including some of the city’s most well-known brands: Jack’s Collegetown Grill, Loco Cantina, Purity Ice Cream and Revelry Yards among other brick-and-mortar locations, in addition to catering and event businesses.
“Post-pandemic the restaurant business has only gotten more difficult for operators,” Sullivan said. “We [wouldn’t] be here and still in business without the many incredible long-term employees who work tirelessly cooking and serving great food. Our growth the past five years has been an effort to balance our seasonality, overcome systemic challenges and provide not only living wage jobs but also career opportunities.”
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