Armin Amiri to Turn Shuttered Socialista Cafe into Exclusive All-Night Diner

Just when the era of exclusivity seemed to have peaked in this town, Socialista mastermind Armin Amiri has decided to open an all-night diner—with a guest list from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.

“It’s gonna be upscale diner food, like Florent, but a couple notches up food-wise,” said Mr. Amiri, who is a former Bungalow 8 doorman and a working actor.

The yet-to-be-named diner will open in the ground-floor space that formerly housed Café Socialista, which Mr. Amiri closed in June.

The Café wasn’t working, Mr. Amiri says, because the food was “almost a Jean-Georges style,” he said. “At 3 o’clock in the morning, you want something more diner style, but still upscale.”

The food will be more comfortable. Getting in won’t be. “It’s going to be a 24-hour diner, but from 11 to 4, it’s gonna be guest list only,” said Mr. Amiri.

Pressed as to why, he told the Transom that this is what the people want. “Not so much a hard-core guest list. More of a heads up. More of a reservation diner,” he said. More of a Waverly Inn dictatorship, but with the Amiri self-proclaimed “populist” twist: He prides himself on liking a mixed crowd, not only celebrities. 

The good news is that Mr. Amiri plans to open the upstairs club for “Viennese-style” coffee and lunch during the day. Any paying customer will be able come there and flip through the newspaper.

He added that the diner will open on Halloween. “We’re planning a great Halloween party,” he said.

smorgan@observer.com