No photo of this bar survives from the 2008 site.

Xai Xai

365 W. 51st St · btwn Greenwich Ave. & Hudson St.
Hells Kitchen, Manhattan

In 2026

Closed

Checked October 18, 2026.

Show on the map Directions See the 2008 page

Overview

Pronounced shy shy this candle lit South African wine bar serves hefty glasses of regional wines and a selection of small plates to an upscale Hell's Kitchen crowd.

History

South African wine, by the beaker

Xai Xai opened in October 2007 as New York's first South African wine bar, sharing its name, pronounced shy-shy, with a beach town in Mozambique¹. Its owner, Brett Curtin, was born in Johannesburg and raised in Cape Town². Under high wood beams held up by thick cypress logs, a pre- and post-theater crowd picked from about 100 South African wines in carafes that looked like beakers, with biltong to eat but, one early review lamented, no bunny chow^{1, 3}. The owners also opened Braai, a South African barbecue restaurant nearby at 329 West 51st Street, and both places are out of business now^{4, 5, 6}.

Sources

Researched October 2026.

What's nearby

Therapy under 0.1 mi Closed; now Hush
Vlada Lounge 0.1 mi A different business is licensed at this address: Carla
McCoy's 0.1 mi Still pouring
The Snug 0.1 mi Closed; now Craft + Carry
Sortie 0.1 mi No license found in 2026
Vintage 0.1 mi Closed; now Atlas Social Club
Posh 0.1 mi Closed
Time Out New York Lounge 0.1 mi Same bar, now The Green Room
Casellula Cheese and Wine Cafe 0.1 mi Closed; now The Red Stache
Coppersmiths 0.1 mi A different business is licensed at this address: Flaming Saddles Saloon