A Visit With // Miss Lily’s Variety
You may have heard of the much buzzed about Miss Lily’s Variety in NYC. It could have something to do with the fact that on any given day, you can pop by and catch a world famous DJ eating jerk chicken wings in the back with his Maybach parked in the front. Or perhaps party at night with North West’s Daddy and the proud parents of Blue Ivy Carter. While the celebrity cache is cool, it’s the laid back, island aura that draws the crowd. Miss Lily’s Variety is a trifecta of Jamaican inspired outposts: 1/3 juice bar, 1/3 restaurant & bar cum dance spot at night, 1/3 live broadcast radio front.
I arrived to a joyful shout out on live radio which is broadcast daily from a booth, housed in the boutique novelty shop. DJs like Jasmine Solano and DJ Select are regulars on the line up. Crocheted bikinis mingle with classic reggae records and Miss Lily’s own brand of jerk sauce. A few short steps beyond the shop, you can get your fill of wheat-grass shots and wedges of fresh orange in the packed juice bar. Rounding out the full experience, I ate next door enjoying the jerk chicken & avocado” jaquitos” (aka Jamaican taquitos) and full jerk chicken plate. Girls in bikini tops and denim cut offs danced excitedly to the dancehall songs which none of the patrons dining at the tables nearby seemed to mind. The spirit of Jamaica has definitely arrived in lower Manhattan!
Photographs by Julian Darwall.
Words by Lizzy Okoro.
