NYC’s Wildest New Spot? This 4-Story Asian Cultural Hub With Vending Machine Cocktails, Retro Mandopop, & Gua Sha Facials

If your ideal night out involves Taiwanese railway bento boxes, sipping a cocktail named after a city like Hsinchu, and ending the night dancing to retro Mandopop and Cantopop, then you need to know about Hue House. Opened near Bryant Park, this massive four-story cultural and creative hub is a living love letter to the Asian diaspora. It’s more than a restaurant or a bar–it’s a carefully curated second home where high-end cocktails, street food, art, and traditional Chinese healing all flow together under one roof. Here’s a look inside. Inside Hue House: A Four-Story Journey -------------------------------------- Hue House draws its name and design philosophy from the Chinese character “迴” (pronounced Huí), which symbolizes flow, return, and continuity. The character’s roots in “回家” (“to return home”) inspired the founders to imagine Hue House as a kind of second home for the Asian diaspora: a place where grabbing a bento, meeting friends for cocktails, discovering a new AAPI brand, or booking a wellness ritual all intertwine. Rather than treating food, nightlife, and wellness as separate experiences, Hue House meshes them together across four distinct floors –each with its own mood but a shared goal: to celebrate Asian identity. And in true New York fashion, it’s hiding in plain sight. Floor 1: Gulp 呷奔 & Traveler – Taiwanese Street Food and Train Station Vibes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Opening in two phases, Hue House has officially debuted its first two floors–Gulp 呷奔, Traveler, and 929. Walk in off East 41st Street and you’re immediately dropped into a slice of Taiwanese street culture. ### Gulp 呷奔: railway bentos and bubble tea in Midtown Hue House’s ground floor is anchored by Gulp 呷奔, the Taiwanese street food concept that first won hearts in Long Island City in 2023. Now, it’s bringing railway bento box nostalgia straight to Midtown. On the menu you’ll find: * Nostalgic railway bento boxes * Beef noodle soup * Popcorn chicken * Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice) * Grab-and-go Taiwanese comfort snacks and bubble tea Gulp is essentially your go-to lunch spot, pre-theater bite, or casual meet-up before heading upstairs. ### Traveler: a seasonally changing bistro Sharing the first floor is Traveler, a laid-back, train-station-inspired bistro . Each “chapter” of Traveler zooms in on a different destination in Asia (beginning with Taiwan) with the food, drinks, music, and atmosphere all shifting with the theme. Think: * Cocktails served via vending machine , each named after a Taiwanese city * Drinks infused with region-specific flavors, like an Hsinchu martini-style cocktail using Suan Gan Cha, a Hakka tea dried in citrus peel * Playful dishes like Tainan Arancini, a cheeky Italian nod to Tainan’s sticky rice traditions Being Traveler is open morning through midnight, it’s just as good for a long lunch as it is for late-night snacks and last rounds. Floor 2: 929 – the Retro Mandopop Cocktail Bar is Back ------------------------------------------------------ If you ever squeezed into 929’s original Long Island City home–tucked behind Taiwanese restaurant Gulp and filled with retro Mandopop, rare vinyl, and cocktails inspired by Chinese herbal syrups–you’ll be very pleased to know: 929 is back, and now it has a prime location on the second floor of Hue House. The new 929 keeps its signature theme of “mixing”–mixing cultures, mixing sounds, and mixing flavors –with: * Creatively designed cocktails riffing on familiar flavors from across the Chinese and broader Asian diaspora * A retro-inspired space that celebrates the golden age of Mandopop and Cantopop * DJ-curated playlists and vinyl sessions that spotlight Mandarin and Cantonese pop classics Coming early 2026: café culture, pop-ups, & a wellness retreat -------------------------------------------------------------- Hue House is opening in two phases–food and nightlife now, café and wellness soon–so there’s even more on the way to look forward to! ### Floor 3: Apt.Hue – café culture & creative pop-ups The third floor, Apt.Hue, is designed as the heart of Hue House. By day, it’s a serene café pouring Osmanthus Oolong Lattes, Gardenia Yunnan pour-overs, and other drinks that blend classic Asian flavors with Western coffee culture. It also houses a curated retail section with Asian lifestyle goods like records, books, lighting, ceramics, and design pieces from Asian creatives. By night, the space transforms for events like dinner salons, AAPI brand pop-ups, drag shows, vinyl listening sessions, and other cultural happenings that highlight the full spectrum of Asian creative expression. ### Floor 4: Puyu 璞嶼 – wellness rooted in traditional Chinese healing Sitting at the tippy top of the space is Puyu 璞嶼, Hue House’s wellness and aesthetics studio, which blends modern skincare with traditional Chinese healing philosophies. Rooted in the idea of Five Senses Healing–sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste –Puyu will offer services like: * Personalized facials * Gua Sha * Singing bowl resonance sessions * Aroma rituals and sensory therapies * Healing teas and mindful rituals designed to restore balance The name 璞嶼 (Pú Yǔ) roughly translates to “a serene island of raw beauty,” and the space leans into that spirit with Zen-inspired interiors and a focus on slowing down. Why Hue House feels unlike anything else in NYC right now --------------------------------------------------------- New York has no shortage of buzzy restaurants, moody speakeasies, or hole-in-the-wall wellness studios, but Hue House combines all of those worlds into one cohesive experience. Instead of one-off themed concepts, everything here is connected by the idea of homecoming and flow. You might: * Grab a railway bento at Gulp * Wander into Traveler for a cocktail in Taiwan * Drift upstairs to 929 to dance to Mandopop hits * Return on another day for a quiet pour-over at Apt.Hue or a Gua Sha session at Puyu For the Asian diaspora, it offers a rare, intentional space to see heritage, nostalgia, and creativity under one roof. For everyone else, it’s a welcoming invitation to explore Asian cultures beyond clichés; through flavors, sounds, and stories thoughtfully brought to life. Know Before You Go ------------------ * 📍 Location: Hue House – 56 E 41st Street, Midtown * 🗓️ Now Open: Gulp, Traveler, & 929 * ☕ Coming soon (early 2026): Apt.Hue café and Puyu wellness studio * 📲 More info: Check out their website and follow on Instagram for programming announcements and opening updates Source: https://secretnyc.co/four-story-asian-cultural-hub-hue-house-nyc/