The first permanent site from award-winning bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana is bringing stripped-back warmth and unpretentious creativity to the heart of Manhattan
October 30, 2025 — The world’s most awarded bartender, Ryan Chetiyawardana a.k.a Mr Lyan, will open Seed Library NYC on Wednesday 5th November, his first permanent bar in the city. Located on the lower ground floor of Hotel Park Ave NYC, the venue will offer an intimate escape from the chaos of the city and pay homage to the legacy of the timeless “Manhattan Bar”.
Seed Library NYC is a collaboration between Mr Lyan, Lore Group and Renwick Hospitality, drawing inspiration from the original site at One Hundred Shoreditch in London’s East End and reimagining the simple creativity of the original, while embracing the heritage and innovation that defines New York bar culture. The cocktail menu will highlight this through 17 original cocktails including a selection of Seed Library classics adapted with iconic New York flavours, such as C.R.E.A.M Margarita, a rich and spicy blend of Lalo Tequila, Mezcal, passionfruit, cream ATOM, pickled chilli, and lime as well as Coriander Seed Gimlet, made with Beefeater Gin, coriander seed cordial, and white grape.
These will be available alongside signature creations such as Shepherd’s Delight combining Renais Gin, Maker’s Mark, enzyme’d concord grape, raspberry, and lemon in a wild reimagining of a classic flavour that unleashes an explosion of vibrant fruitiness or the crisp and bright Pear + Apple + Tonic highball, made with Christian Drouin white calvados, pear brandy and sonic water. On the more spirit-forward side, Irish Treacle is a cooling twist on the Old Fashioned with Redbreast 12, Kombu, cucumber, honey and fino.
Four of the menus original signatures will also be available alcohol-free, including S&P Spritz, a bittersweet highball that replaces Grey Goose Vodka with Seedlip Spice, and combines yellow bell pepper with strawberry aperitivo to create a complex, vegetal lift and Thai Basil Soda, a ranch water-inspiredcreation with Seedlip Garden in place of Belvedere Vodka, as well as Thai basil and soda.
Rounding out the cocktail list is a selection of Lyan Classics, such as: the beloved Koji Hardshake, a whisky sour created by the Dandelyan team reimagined with Johnnie Walker Black, miso, lemon, koji and cream sugar; Ribs, created at White Lyan, the first cocktail bar in the world to operate without perishables, combines Glenfiddich 15 with chipotle, mint, and rosewood to create a spirit-forward serve with spicy notes and bright acidity; and Beeswax Old Fashioned, one of the Lyan Bars’ first drinks, a complex blend created with Michter’s, bitters and NY State beeswax.
Alongside the cocktail menu, Seed Library NYC will also offer a concise menu of bar snacks created in collaboration with Renwick Hospitality to reflect the same ethos of thoughtful simplicity found in the drinks program. Highlights include a delicious Cheese Dip featuring whipped feta alongside salsa verde and crispy naan bread; Loaded Tots crispy tater tots served with spicy herb aioli, pancetta and pecorino sardo; Lyan Burger with English cheddar, bacon and gherkins served on a potato roll. Lastly, for those looking for something sweet, freshly baked Chocolate Chip Cookies are also available.
Designed by Lore Group Creative Director Jacu Strauss, in partnership with RD Studio, the interior blends organic textures, natural materials, and understated elegance to reflect the bar’s philosophy of embracing nature’s variance.
Seed Library NYC will open on Wednesday 5th November
Reservations can be made at seedlibrarynyc.com or on OpenTable
About Hotel Park Ave NYC
Hotel Park Ave marks Lore Group’s debut property in New York City, introducing the brand’s signature design-led hospitality to the corner of Park Avenue and 30th Street. Reimagined from the former Mondrian Hotel, the property reopened earlier in 2025 following a comprehensive refurbishment led by Creative Director Jacu Strauss.
The hotel features 189 art-filled guest rooms, including nine bespoke suites, each embodying Lore Group’s distinctive approach to bold interiors and considered design. It joins a celebrated portfolio that includes Pulitzer Amsterdam and Sea Containers London, and is part of Lore DISCOVERY – Lore’ Group’s loyalty program.
Launching in Fall 2025, the hotel’s new food and beverage offering will include Park Rose – an all-day Italian-inspired restaurant, and Seed Library NYC – a cocktail bar from award-winning bartender Mr Lyan. Golden Child, the hotel’s roof terrace bar, will follow in Spring 2026.
About Mr Lyan
Ryan Chetiyawardana is at the forefront of innovation within the drinks industry and has been involved in several of the UK’s best bars for over a decade. He has been named in Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers, Imbibe’s 10 Years of Outstanding Achievement, and TimeOut’s Person of the Decade in 2020, among other accolades.
Ryan launched his first bar, ‘White Lyan’ in Hoxton, in 2013. It was voted World’s Best New International Bar in 2014 at Tales the Cocktail and appeared in the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2014 and 2015. It closed in 2017 to make way for Super Lyan and Cub. His second bar, ‘Dandelyan’, opened in 2014 at the Sea Containers building in London. It won World’s Best New International Bar in 2015 and topped the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2018. ‘Dandelyan’ closed in 2019, and the team opened ‘Lyaness’, which entered the list at No. 39 that year and rose to No. 29 in 2020. In 2020, Ryan opened his first US venue, ‘Silver Lyan’, in the Riggs Hotel, Washington DC. It was named Best New Bar in America and placed No. 48 in North America’s 50 Best Bars 2025. In 2022, he launched ‘Seed Library’ in 100 Shoreditch, a laid-back East London cocktail bar featured on the 50 Best Discovery list.
The Mr Lyan brand also includes a retail range of bottled cocktails (available at Selfridges and Master of Malt) and cocktail seasonings, ‘Three Families’ (via Mangrove and DELLI). Ryan has authored three books: ‘Good Things to Drink with Mr Lyan’ and ‘Friends, Good Together’, and ‘Mr Lyan’s Cocktails at Home’. In 2025, Ryan and the Lyan Group’s consultancy, ‘Mr Lyan Studio’, launched the TV series ‘Mr Lyan’s Taste Trips’ in partnership with reachTV and Ink. The eight-episode series explores food and drink culture across Ryan’s favourite cities.
