At the Benjamin’s Sleek New Upstairs Bar, Find Fesenjoon- and Tom Kha-Inspired Cocktails—
Less than a year after Melrose hotspot, the Benjamin, opened in June 2024, the restaurant is growing. The Benjamin has taken over the upstairs space of its Melrose venue, which used to house disco-infused cocktail bar the Moon Room, and transformed it into Bar Benjamin. The new bar comes from a continued partnership between the Benjamin founders Ben Shenassafar, Kate Burr, and Jared Meisler, the latter of whom opened the Moon Room in March 2024. The new bar will debut on May 13 with a menu of inventive cocktails from Jason Lee (n/soto, Baroo) and Chad Austin (the Mulholland, Bootlegger Tiki) alongside bar bites.
Shenassafarjokesthathe’sbeentryingtoopenBarBenjaminsinceheopenedtheBenjamin.“IputitinJared’searwithinamonthofusopening,”hesays.Throughoutsummer2024,thetrioflirtedwiththeideaoftheexpansion,beforegettingseriousaboutitinSeptember.Shenassafarseesthebarasanextensionoftherestaurant,withamid-centurydesignthatflowsintotheupstairsspaceandanemphasisonhospitalityandservice.“TheBenjaminisfillingavo
