Since its opening eight years ago (that's an eternity in the restaurant business), Bongo in Chelsea has been considered one of the best kept secrets in New York City. But you can't keep that much cool concentrated in one place – it's just physics – so owners Jeffrey Bell and Andrea Cohen have opened a brand new location, bigger and in a more ostentatious area. Now located in the West Village, Bongo is sure to attract a much larger crowd of New York scenesters with a taste for seafood (i.e. whichever ones aren't vegan).

The new location can't really be called "cozy" in the same way as the original, but Bongo 2.0 makes up for it in funky décor that manages to recall the 50's, 70's, and 2030's simultaneously. Big sun-catching rooms are made up in vibrant monochromatic blue and red motifs, which feel bright, fun and maritimey, despite its urban location, just a little too close to Jersey. Low furniture, blown glass, and idiosyncratic mosaics make it a unique little spot to have a drink or some chow.

Bongo's owners aren't stupid; they know what put them on the map: oysters. They've more than obliged with a whole raw bar that serves Clams, Jumbo Shrip, and 15 (!) different kinds of oysters, including Beavertail, Elkhorn, Skookum and other varieties that sound made up (but aren't). The menu is way expanded, with more Lobster Rolls, Homemade Chips and Salsa, all sorts of Tuna Burgers, and eventually a whole boatload of New England style fried seafood dishes.

But Bongo is as much a bar as it is a restaurant, the type of place that you go just to kick back and relax in a fun environment. Oh, and to drink. Lots of drinking. The booze menu is arguably more expansive than the food menu, with a huge single-malt and bourbon selection, whiskeys, scotches, wines (now available by the bottle), a whole new sake section (perfect for a seafood heavy night), and a summery cocktail list 30 items long (yeah you read that right).

Get your head out of that art gallery, get on your Vespa, and get over to the West Village, because Bongo is making a case as one of the unfussiest new hip spots in New York City.