Le Gamin reopens Le Bar with year-round plans

SHARON, Conn. — Le Bar, the space next door that is part of Le Gamin, has reopened for the summer with a new menu, a new bartender and plans to become a year-round destination for drinks, good food and community events.

The bar first opened last summer as a seasonal extension of Le Gamin before closing for the winter. This year, owner Robert Arbor decided to bring it back with a more permanent approach, adding a new, and locally famous bartender, a different menu and a space that stands apart from the French café next door.

“We opened the bar last year just for the summer and closed it in the winter,” Arbor said. “This year we will run the restaurant from the bar all winter because it’s much cozier, warmer.”

The idea of Le Bar, although connected to Le Gamin, was to offer something different, a different vibe, to the community of Sharon and beyond. While the restaurant offers the experience of a classic French café, with crepes and quiche, the bar creates a darker, more intimate feel, with seating at the bar and tables throughout the smaller space.

The menu also separates the two spaces. Le Bar offers a slightly more American-style menu, featuring items like burgers and chicken sandwiches.

These changes and revamping were made possible by bartender Ryan Andrade, who previously worked at the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, garnering a local reputation as a talented bartender and, in 2021, was the Connecticut Restaurant Association Bartender of the Year Finalist. Arbor gave Andrade the freedom to shape the bar’s menu and overall feel.

“Those are all my own recipes, and I curated the food menu,” Andrade said. “The cocktails are my babies so it’s kind of hard to pick a favorite”

In the future, Ryan is looking to establish Le Bar as a gathering place. Recently, it has been hosting world cup watch parties and dance nights, including a U.S. match that packed the space from wall to wall.

Andrade hopes Le Bar brings a different energy to Sharon, describing the goal as bringing “kind of a Brooklyn side to Sharon” while cultivating a speakeasy atmosphere.

As Le Bar embarks on its first full year, Arbor and Andrade are looking forward to creating a regular destination for Sharon and Connecticut residents to gather.