Community, Features

New LGBT-friendly bar lights up Westchester

Among the various bars and restaurants that line Mamaroneck Avenue in downtown White Plains, one stands out from the crowd: Ignite Bar and Bistro.

Ignite is open seven days a week and is known for its Tuesday night karaoke and Sunday brunch featuring neighborhood drag queens. Photo/Suzy Berkowitz
Ignite is open seven days a week and is known for its Tuesday night
karaoke and Sunday brunch featuring neighborhood drag queens. Photo/Suzy Berkowitz

Open since November 2015, Ignite is one of Westchester County’s first LGBT-friendly dining establishments—welcome to all, but built to serve as a safe haven for those who identify as part of the LGBT community.

“Ignite adds a bit of color and culture to the community, and it’s something completely different from anything else around here,” Ignite owner, Kevin Burke, said. “In Manhattan, there’s a gay bar on every street. As people become more progressive, they realize that this is something they want in their neighborhood.”

Burke, 33, who has vast experience hosting parties in the downtown White Plains area, said that after producing events in various venues for several years, he was looking for a spot to call his own, and after scoping out a space, he decided to make his goal of opening an LGBT-friendly bar with a New York City vibe in the Westchester area a reality. Although owing a bar and restaurant comes with a lot of responsibilities, Burke, of Yonkers, said everything is coming together fairly quickly, and he hopes his business will give him a chance to become more involved in the community.

One such community member that Ignite has already positively impacted is Judy Troilo, executive director of The LOFT: LGBT Community Center. Based in downtown White Plains, The LOFT provides legal, medical and psychological support to LGBT individuals within Westchester County and the lower Hudson Valley area.

“The LOFT supports any organization that serves or provides a space for the LGBT community,” Troilo said. “Ignite is a beautiful, charming place, and we will most certainly help to promote Kevin’s vision.”

Troilo said that it is important for members of the LGBT community to have access to a place like Ignite because it is a venue where people feel safe to be themselves. Troilo said the fact that Ignite is both a restaurant and a bar is also important because it accommodates people who want to have a night out in any capacity. She said she is excited to collaborate with Ignite to host events in the future.

Ignite Bar and Bistro opened in November 2015 and serves as one of Westchester County’s first LGBTfriendly dining and drinking locations. Photo/Andrew Dapolite
Ignite Bar and Bistro opened in November 2015 and serves as one of Westchester County’s first LGBTfriendly
dining and drinking locations. Photo/Andrew Dapolite

“We’ve come a long way, but we’ve still got a long way to go,” she said. “Everybody’s welcome there, and that’s important to know. If you embrace us, we’ll embrace you.”

Although Valhalla’s The B Lounge was the first full-service gay bar to open in Westchester in 2011, Troilo said Ignite is different from any other location in the county. Burke said he could see his location quickly becoming a neighborhood favorite.

Besides serving as a regular restaurant and bar seven nights a week, Ignite, which is known for its extensive wine list, also uses its space to host Sunday brunch with a drag show and Tuesday night karaoke.

Although Burke has received an outpouring of positive feedback since Ignite has opened, he has also been hit with some online negativity as well. He said those who are against having this kind of establishment in their community weed themselves out from becoming involved in it, and that although it’s unfortunate that not everyone can enjoy, understand or agree with Ignite’s culture, there are plenty of other bars in the area.

“I look beyond the negative reviews because there’s so much more to do,” Burke said. “Every time I step back for a second and observe the interactions and the smiles and the laughter, it makes my heart swell.”