Union Square's Iconic Coffee Shop Neon Sign Returns at Bernie and Herb's-Hopetrip

The legendary Coffee Shop neon sign is about to shine over Union Square once more, this time gracing the facade of Bernie and Herb's, a freshly opened neighborhood watering hole.

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Union Square has undergone plenty of transformation since the 1990s, yet one cherished relic from its grittier past is poised for a triumphant return to the skyline.

The towering neon Coffee Shop sign that once dominated the corner of Union Square West and East 16th Street will flicker back to life atop Bernie and Herb's, a new bar that debuted on July 31 in a portion of the former restaurant's footprint.

For anyone who spent time around Union Square in the aughts and teens, Coffee Shop requires no introduction. The Brazilian-tinged eatery opened its doors in 1990 and swiftly became a downtown institution, famed for its model-turned-waitstaff, round-the-clock breakfast, late-night hours, and cameos on Sex and the City. But its most iconic feature was arguably the massive vertical neon sign — which, remarkably, predated the restaurant itself: Coffee Shop simply moved into an existing coffee shop and kept its gloriously no-frills signage. When Coffee Shop shuttered in 2018 after nearly three decades, the sign vanished with it. As it turns out, it never strayed far.

Eater NY reports that Bernie and Herb's co-owner David Goldberg happens to be a childhood friend of the building's landlord, who had salvaged the sign but discovered it was a touch too large for home display. He offered it to the new bar along with permission to remount it on the building. Scaffolding currently blocks the way, but once it comes down, the sign will be raised and illuminated once more — now with "Bernie and Herb's" added to the top.

Tucked into 28 East 16th Street in what was once Coffee Shop's VIP room, the new venture is a collaboration between Goldberg, former 169 Bar bartender and manager Dakota Pollock, and fellow 169 alum Jose Beltre. The bar borrows heavily from that legendary Lower East Side dive: a jukebox loaded with 45-rpm records, glowing palm trees, and — perhaps most crucially — the accessible price point.

Nearly every drink rings in under $11: well drinks at $9, draft beers from $8, and a beer-and-shot combo for just $9. Happy hour, running until 7pm, slashes wells, drafts, and the combo deal to $7 apiece. The food menu matches the affordability: plain hot dogs for $3, loaded versions starting at $6, and a pulled pork sandwich at $10.

Currently, Bernie and Herb's operates from 2pm to midnight, though Pollock hopes to stretch closing time to 2am down the line.

The bar may be brand new, but once that neon glow returns to East 16th Street, this corner of Union Square will feel reassuringly like home again.

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