We’re Open: Kirvens

A bar in the Bronx has had live jazz before the pandemic, and it isn’t stopping the tradition now.

News 12 Staff

Oct 2, 2020, 11:38 AM

Updated 1,527 days ago

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A bar in the Bronx has had live jazz before the pandemic, and it isn’t stopping the tradition now.
The drinks and brews at Kirvens are as smooth as the al-fresco jazz.
"We do a lot of coveted beers, like pumpkin is something you can typically only get in Manhattan,” says Marisa Davis-Navarro, owner of Kirvens.
The family-owned small business opened in 2018, but its name was inspired by an earlier generation.
"We named the bar after my mother, it’s her maiden name, Kirven,” says Davis-Navarro.
She says when the space opened, it was the first of its kind.
"It’s like there’s no place in this borough for women to go to who like beer, that looks good, is safe, is really cool. And I said well, maybe it’s time for myself to open up another venture,” says Davis-Navarro.
When the pandemic hit in March, Davis-Navarro says she had to get creative.
"As soon as we were able to have outdoor seating, we jumped on it immediately. As soon as we were able to expand our food program, we jumped on it immediately,” says Davis-Navarro.
Davis-Navarro says Kirvens is not just a bar, but a part of the community, a growing, diverse family of regulars and new faces.
"We're needed in the community, and you need to have places where people look like the patrons coming in, and sometimes they don't,” says Davis-Navarro.