On November 4, Welton Room, at 2590 Welton Street, opened a second space in the same building as its original cocktail bar. The new Welton Room is larger, with more seating than the original and the addition of a kitchen. The original Welton Room, now called the Monkey Lounge at Welton Room, will continue to focus on its specialty cocktails.

The elegant cocktail bar originally opened in 2019, serving libations that are as much a show as a drink. The bartenders often use smoking wood chips, whipped foam, liquid nitrogen and other flair in preparing Welton Room's signature cocktails. The bar has been so popular (and is so small), it often uses the lobby of the apartment building it's in to host overflow guests, something co-owner Jorge Ortega says he is grateful for, even though it was not a long-term solution.

"It wasn't ideal, because people don't get the true experience," he says. "It's not the environment we want to provide for our cocktails and service." The bar's ambience, with dark walls, a black bar, velvety seats and accent lighting, deeply contrasts the bright lobby. Many of the drinks are completed at the table, allowing for the molecular magic to surprise guests.
The new location, which is right next door but has a separate entrance, more than doubled Welton Room's capacity. It's also more than a bar — chefs Gregory Mak and Alex Grenier have prepared a menu of small plates comprising "modern American fare with global twists," Ortega says. The menu will change seasonally, or as ingredients are available.

The current offerings include duck croquettes, a charcuterie plate and an autumn salad with squash, beetroot, goat cheese and pecans. Entree-like plates include piri piri chicken served with a goat cheese biscuit and skirt steak with smashed potatoes.

The two locations will eventually avoid overlap in their cocktail menus, with Monkey Lounge featuring the more presentation-heavy drinks (think smoking and foamy cocktails), while Welton Room will offer less intensive creations. But the menus are still in the works, and some of the smokier drinks are on the new Welton Room's menu. One of the more presentation-heavy cocktails is the Passion Fruit, a vodka drink with a fruity purée in a bulbous glass bottle that is corked, placed in a terrarium, frozen with liquid nitrogen and then poured into a smoking copper martini glass.

Next door, the Monkey Lounge has transformed one of its most popular drinks — an espresso martini — into a holiday-themed glass of gingerbread joy. The espresso martini can also be found at Welton Room right now, but it's a simpler version, served with a burnt anise star.

Welton Room and Monkey Lounge are located at 2590 Welton Street. Welton Room is open from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, 3 to 10 p.m. on Sunday and 5 to 10 p.m. on Monday. The kitchen is open from 5 to 9 p.m., with a limited late-night menu from 9 to 11 p.m. or close. Monkey Lounge at Welton Room is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. For more information, visit weltonroom.com.