When New York City felt the unrelenting strain of the pandemic, a Williamsburg comfort-food spot opened its doors in hopes that community members could forget the grief — even if only for a meal.
Antidote is a restaurant specializing in Sichuan cuisine. Sichuan, located in southwestern China, is known for its bold flavors, often incorporating aromatics such as chili bean paste, ginger and garlic.
“We created Antidote during COVID, when people lost their family members, when there was a lot of sadness, and even us losing our jobs,” said Antidote co-founder Jane Rotari.
But Sichuan cuisine is nothing new to the food scene in NYC. According to Eater, the number of Sichuan restaurants across the boroughs doubled between 2012 and 2018.
What sets Antidote apart is its focus on creating a strong ambience through a modern dining experience. While many Sichuan restaurants in the city share a similar visual identity, Antidote opted against traditional design aesthetics, choosing instead an industrial look.
And as the seasons change, so does the menu.
“We try to add more refreshing items during summer, and more comfort food during winter months,” Rotari said.
Dishes like dongo pork, eight-hour braised pork belly, and fatty beef golden sour soup, made with a 12-hour bone broth, are standouts that shouldn’t be missed when stepping into the space.
To maintain an authentic and diverse clientele, the restaurant says its chefs have refined generational recipes.
“The food, the consistency, the team, the service, and I’ll finish off with cucumber salad. I think that’s what’s still keeping us unique,” she said.
The restaurant also caters to a wide range of customers, from those ordering delivery at home to those hosting weddings or office parties.
“We promote large parties and private events, so parties of all different sizes will be able to come and enjoy the food and the atmosphere,” Rotari said.
The space holds particular significance for Rotari, who invested her life savings into the eatery.
“If this fails, I don’t know where we would be,” she said.
But the business has succeeded. In the short years since opening, the team has launched a second location in Gramercy called By Antidote.
What makes these two locations different is not the culinary experience, but the unique adapted identity each restaurant has created for the distinct neighborhood. The Gramercy location is a more intimate speakeasy vibe compared to the Williamsburg location.
If given the opportunity, Rotari said she would expand the business with co-founders Nick Hwuang and Rudi Jan.
“We believed that creating good food, good drinks, good ambience and good service for a split second would make you forget about all the sadness,” Rotari said.
Antidote is located at 66 S. 2nd St. in Williamsburg and is open seven days a week from 12:15 p.m. to 10 p.m.
