In artisanal bars and cafes all around the world, environmentalism is in vogue. You can usually spot a behind-the-bar recycling bin, and the restaurateurs will pay the expected lip service to waste and sustainability.

But there’s saying and then there’s doing, and Rhodora, a brand new Brooklyn wine bar, is counting its carbon meticulously.

The team behind the opening, The Oberon Group, has a longstanding commitment to sustainability (the bar’s forerunner, Mettā, became New York’s first carbon-neutral restaurant in 2017), but for Rhodora they’ve doubled down on every aspect.

Wines come in compostable boxes, drawn entirely from small-farm producers crafting low-intervention, natural products. The dishwasher uses electrolyzed water to steer clear of soap, and single-use plastics have been banished entirely, along with all alcohol brands that use non-recyclable bottle caps. 

Local producers deliver fresh meat and seafood by bicycle, often in so-called “closed loop” deliveries where the container is returned and re-used.

Scraps are composted, as is leftover cardboard, while corks are sent to a non-profit that turns them into shoe soles.

Being a no-waste space means controlling not only your own refuse, but that of your customers. You’ll have to dispose of your gum elsewhere – Rhodora doesn’t have the necessary facilities – and don’t expect a paper receipt.

The establishment takes its cue from the tapas bars of Portugal and Spain, and serves up a light, early-evening combo of oysters, salads, cheeses, tinned fish, and charcuterie. 

The streamlined menu means that there’s one other thing missing from Rhodora – a chef. Staff are “cross-trained” to handle every stage of the operation interchangeably, eliminating the front and back of house split that defines most eateries.

Though new to New York, no-waste restaurants are not unheard of. Rhodora drew inspiration from Silo, a London-based diner started in Brighton.

(Photos: Liz Clayman)