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| Digital signage, flatscreen TV's, and pleasing lighting beckons passersby into Irie Vybez for a sit and a smoothie. |
“That’s what Irie Vybez means,” Antonio says with a smile. “Good vibes.” It’s an unusual moniker, pure Jamaica, and one that Antonio hopes will stand out on this block.
Irie Vybez, a new smoothie bar and Caribbean restaurant, is the latest restaurant to join Central Avenue’s burgeoning Arts & Entertainment District, home to whopping eight international restaurants, four ethnic markets, the Linda, WAMC’s Performing Arts Center, WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the local public radio station, as well as two live music venues, Pauly’s Hotel and The Low Beat, and a new record shop, Noise Annoys record shop. It's the third business to open on this busy block in as many months, prompting business owners to band together to launch a new music district. The music district rebranding campaign is expected to be announced in September.
“I call it Albany’s 42nd Street,” says Antonio, a New York City native. Antonio says Central Avenue is the perfect location for his new restaurant, which combines great food with an inviting atmosphere. --and it doesn’t hurt that the place is open late -- 3am on the weekends -- so he’s poised to capture that after-hours crowd that lets out from local hot spots.
The menu offers a twist on traditional Caribbean dishes, with a number of options for the health-conscious. Irie Vybez has “Design Your Own Fruit Smoothies,” or a great menu of flavors including Ocho Rio's, Negril, Montego Bay, Kingston, and Irie Vibe. All smoothies are made to order using fresh fruits, Greek yogurt, fresh veggies, regular milk, berries, and nuts, and customers can see their smoothies made right in front of them.
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| Irie Vybez combines healthy options with bright space, and stools perfect for watching the world go by. |
The menu offers a twist on traditional Caribbean dishes, with a number of options for the health-conscious. Irie Vybez has “Design Your Own Fruit Smoothies,” or a great menu of flavors including Ocho Rio's, Negril, Montego Bay, Kingston, and Irie Vibe. All smoothies are made to order using fresh fruits, Greek yogurt, fresh veggies, regular milk, berries, and nuts, and customers can see their smoothies made right in front of them.
Irie Vybez also offers a “Design Your Own Salad,” which you can top with jerk chicken or jerk steak, as well as more traditional fare like ackee with saltfish and curry chicken. “I also have to say that my prices are probably the best of any restaurant around. Our lunches start at $4,” he says.
The restaurant is located in the former I Love NY Pizza, which Antonio is leasing. He has rehabbed the space over the course of six months, starting with a complete gut. Today, the restaurant sports digital signage, internet-connected flatscreen TVs which play upbeat reggae music videos. The space boasts brightly painted walls in Tropical hues, and slick high-top tables and bar stools to compliment the islands vibe. It’s a far cry from how he found it, Antonio says, with bleach white tile and red picnic-style tables.
Irie Vybez also offers free wi-fi, and online ordering that tells customers exactly where their order is from the time they log it until it arrives on their doorstep. “We’re trying to be innovative,” he says. Antonio is an admitted tech geek--when he was fresh out of college at Buffalo State, he and his buddies opened an online retail business. “All my life, I’ve been a real entrepreneur,” says Antonio.
He hopes this latest endeavor will be the start of something big--a franchise. “I won’t lie, we’re looking to open 10 in two years,” says Antonio. “We’re thinking of doing a lounge area next. We’re looking down in Saratoga Springs, Providence Rhode Island, and also near Temple University,” says Antonio.
Irie Vybez is located at 313 Central Avenue in Albany. The Ribbon-Cutting will take place Friday, June 20, from 11:30am-12:30pm.
