Bar Vendetta Does Wine and Pasta with a Vengeance
Jen Agg has created a “post-’70s, dad-basement vibe” in The Black Hoof’s old space
Bar Vendetta is all about wine, pasta, and… wallpaper. Wallcoverings, once a niche design element, have now become a central focus of interior creativity, with contemporary companies pushing the boundaries in bold and innovative ways. But Bar Vendetta’s wallpaper is something entirely different—charming and understated, it adds a nostalgic touch to the space.
The wallpaper swatches backing the bar shelves and filling in the wainscotting of Jen Agg’s latest spot feel DIY, in line with Leemo Han’s Seoul Shakers down the street, which is another self-designed space. Agg’s own design for Bar Vendetta – in the same location as her now-shuttered Black Hoof – is meant to have “sort of a post-’70s, dad-basement vibe,” she says, sharing that most of the finishing touches were found while scouring the internet and her favourite vintage stores.
A massive overhanging wooden structure highlight the counter area at Bar Vendetta.
Thanks in part to a consult with Agg’s Grey Gardens collaborator, Wayback Architects, the bar is less time capsule than stylish homage. Built by Boylan & Barlow Contracting, the curving light wood canopy over the bar (which Agg calls “the monolith”) anchors the space firmly in 2019. Eclectic pendant lighting and an orange, brown and off-white basket-weave pattern on the floor complement the wallpaper swatches, creating a space that’s at once homey and fresh. Which brings us back to the wine and pasta.
Chef James Stanton’s menu features made-in-house noodles and nachos after midnight, while Jake Skakun’s wine list pulls from a cellar stocked with many privately imported bottles. As for why it’s called Bar Vendetta, Agg – the author of I Hear She’s a Real Bitch – says that while people may see it as a reference to her being not particularly conflict-averse, she just really likes how it sounds. BARVENDETTA.COM
Products on display at Bar Vendetta.
