Opened in 2025 by partners LaTeisha Moore and Phil Reichenberger, Oddball is a retro-futurist cocktail bar built around experimentation. On the menu are cocktails made with fermented tomatillo brine, mushroom oil, synthesized banana, and fig leaf-infused tequila. They sound unusual at first glance. Then you take a sip and begin to wonder why they ever sounded strange in the first place.
That’s the fun of Oddball.
Atmosphere
New York has always rewarded individuality. The city is filled with people whose tastes, habits, and interests rarely fit neatly into a box. These are the people who spend Saturday afternoon hunting down momos in Jackson Heights, wander into Washington Square Park to intentionally watch a Harry Styles look-alike contest, linger on a subway platform because a musician started performing and a crowd gathered around, or pour into the streets to celebrate the Knicks finally winning a championship after 53 years.
Oddball feels right at home among those adventures. From the street on Avenue B, the bar reveals very little. A small red circular sign hovers above darkened doors, while a circular window offers only a glimpse inside.
Step through the entrance and the room opens up. Mini mushroom lamps glow atop tables near the front, while spherical pendant lights hover above communal high-top tables and the bar like miniature moons. Deep blue walls and a mustard-yellow tiled bar create a color palette that feels lifted from a vintage science-fiction paperback. Vintage Japanese movie and music posters add another layer of nostalgia, while a retro television flickers quietly behind the bar.
The team intentionally built the space around a retro-futurist aesthetic. Beverage Director Logan Rodriguez says the inspiration came from the optimism found in science fiction from the late 1970s and early 1980s.
“I think there’s an inherent optimism in the science fiction of yesteryear,” Rodriguez says. “Perhaps even a kind of utopianism.”
While today’s view of the future often leans cynical, Oddball looks back to a time when flying cars, instant food, and intergalactic adventures felt just around the corner. Rodriguez points specifically to the BBC’s 1981 adaptation of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as a source of inspiration.
Combined with warm wood accents and space-age lighting, the room feels pulled from a future imagined decades ago.
Drinks
The menu divides cocktails into categories such as Light & Bright, Herbaceous, Savory Curious, and Experimenting. For newcomers, a glance at the menu may be followed by a simple question: “What is that?” At most bars, that question might lead someone back toward a standard Martini or Negroni. At Oddball, it often seems to have the opposite effect.
With names like The Far Side, Space Cadet, Infinite Loop, Pseudo-Banana, and Rubrik, the menu invites questions. Oddball’s tagline—”bringing out-there flavors down to earth”—offers something of an answer. Rodriguez describes the phrase as intentionally tongue-in-cheek. “It’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but we’ve approached it with a sensibility that leans into more ambitious flavors, encouraging people to step outside their comfort zones and, hopefully, subvert expectations,” he says. The ingredients may sound unfamiliar, but the drinks themselves are remarkably approachable. Here are a few that stood out from the menu
The Far Side
The Far Side arrives glowing a vibrant shade of green in a rocks glass. Built with Serrano tincture, fermented tomatillo brine, acidified pineapple juice, Empirical Cilantro, and fig leaf-infused tequila, it reads more like a pantry experiment than a cocktail recipe. Two translucent ice cubes float beneath the surface. The bright green hue makes the cocktail look as though it belongs on a distant planet in a 1970s science-fiction illustration.
Infinite Loop
Infinite Loop, Oddball’s take on a Vesper Martini, arrives crystal clear in a stemmed glass. It layers sesame- and hazelnut-infused gin with guava, whey brandy, and white aperitif. Visually, it appears simple. The flavors are anything but. Each sip reveals another layer, making the drink’s name feel particularly appropriate.
Space Cadet
Space Cadet combines rhubarb syrup, Freimeister Rhabarber, ghee-washed gin, College Club Fiz Tonic, and seltzer. Served in a Collins glass, it arrives bright, sparkling, and easy to drink. Rodriguez points to the cocktail as one example of Oddball’s approach.”There’s a clear confectionary quality to Space Cadet,” he says, describing it as a futuristic translation of familiar flavors.
Beyond the Cocktail List
Perhaps that’s why guests seem willing to take chances here. Rodriguez says the team works hard to help people navigate the menu, whether they’re eager explorers or flavor skeptics. “We want curious guests to feel rewarded and more cautious guests to feel reassured,” he says. The spirit of experimentation extends beyond individual cocktails. The Blind Box Punch is determined by a roll of dice, with the team building the drink around whatever combination lands. Rodriguez compares the menu to an album rather than a collection of individual hits. “Some drinks may stand as highlights, but the rest of the menu functions more like an album, where each track contributes to a larger narrative that rewards deeper engagement.” Beer, wine, and non-alcoholic options round out the menu, ensuring there is something for everyone at the table.
Food
The food menu is still evolving. Rather than presenting a fixed concept, the team continues to test ideas and see what resonates. During a recent visit, that meant musubi. The Hawaiian snack arrived in three variations: a classic Spam musubi, a Spam and egg version, and a vegan interpretation made with plant-based Spam. Served in easy-to-share portions, the musubi felt well suited to the room. Familiar enough to be comforting, substantial enough to pair with a few rounds of cocktails, and casual enough for a group to order several versions and compare favorites. Unlike the drinks, which feel carefully anchored in Oddball’s retro-futurist identity, the food appears to have more freedom to evolve.
One visit might feature musubi. A future visit could bring something entirely different.
Oddball
188 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
