Guidebook for New York
Drinks & Nightlife
Amor y Amargo
95 E 6th StNice Cocktail place
Angel's Share
45 Stuyvesant StSpeakeasy bar
Cocktails are nice
Hidden in a sushi restaurant
Speakeasy bar
Nice cocktail place
You enter through a phone booth located in a hotdog place!
287 locals recommend
Please Don't Tell
113 St Marks PlSpeakeasy bar
Nice cocktail place
You enter through a phone booth located in a hotdog place!
Experimental Cocktail Club
191 Chrystie StBest cocktails in NYC
55 Bar
55 Christopher StSmalls Jazz Club
183 W 10th Stjazz
Food Scene
Tuome is Asian influence. It is located in a cozy little space on 5th Street near Avenue B, and it's one of the most enjoyable new places I've been recently. The food and space both have that rare ability to feel casual and comfortable, but still finished.
A number of menu items - pork belly, octopus, scallops, skate, mushrooms - are not uncommon, but their preparations all are, in great ways. Octopus comes in a cool spiral with XO sauce, the scallops have a somehow not ridiculously rich foie gras sauce, and mushrooms feature an exploding egg yolk.
The service is solid and friendly, which helps considering the crowd here was slightly older than average for the East Village.
12 locals recommend
Tuome
536 E 5th StTuome is Asian influence. It is located in a cozy little space on 5th Street near Avenue B, and it's one of the most enjoyable new places I've been recently. The food and space both have that rare ability to feel casual and comfortable, but still finished.
A number of menu items - pork belly, octopus, scallops, skate, mushrooms - are not uncommon, but their preparations all are, in great ways. Octopus comes in a cool spiral with XO sauce, the scallops have a somehow not ridiculously rich foie gras sauce, and mushrooms feature an exploding egg yolk.
The service is solid and friendly, which helps considering the crowd here was slightly older than average for the East Village.
The East Village has its share of Italian restaurants for you to choose from, Lavagna is right up there with the best. The place has been in business since 1999, and it's still busy every night.
Chalk it up to an excellent and consistent menu of pastas and entrees that keep the regulars coming back, exceptional daily specials, and a really good wine list. It's everything that you want a cozy Italian restaurant to be, and it's not even all that expensive. The service can be a bit...abrupt at times, but for some reason I kind of like that here.
55 locals recommend
Lavagna
545 E 5th StThe East Village has its share of Italian restaurants for you to choose from, Lavagna is right up there with the best. The place has been in business since 1999, and it's still busy every night.
Chalk it up to an excellent and consistent menu of pastas and entrees that keep the regulars coming back, exceptional daily specials, and a really good wine list. It's everything that you want a cozy Italian restaurant to be, and it's not even all that expensive. The service can be a bit...abrupt at times, but for some reason I kind of like that here.
Timna is Israeli Fusion. It is really only "Israeli" in the sense that it uses common Israeli elements in its dishes. So yes, there's tzatziki, but it's in a dish featuring raw tuna and quinoa. And that's what Timna does best: it takes dishes that have been done to death, combines them with something unexpected, and turns them into something else entirely. Bread isn’t just bread - it comes to the table in a flowerpot.
Timna's space is a little one in the East Village, with enough red brick and air plants to look hip enough for your Friday night plans, but casual enough that you can roll in after work for an easy Tuesday night dinner.
13 locals recommend
Timna
Timna is Israeli Fusion. It is really only "Israeli" in the sense that it uses common Israeli elements in its dishes. So yes, there's tzatziki, but it's in a dish featuring raw tuna and quinoa. And that's what Timna does best: it takes dishes that have been done to death, combines them with something unexpected, and turns them into something else entirely. Bread isn’t just bread - it comes to the table in a flowerpot.
Timna's space is a little one in the East Village, with enough red brick and air plants to look hip enough for your Friday night plans, but casual enough that you can roll in after work for an easy Tuesday night dinner.
Upstate is a tiny, friendly oyster and beer bar.
It may be relatively unheard of and fit to seat less than twenty people at a time, but I think it deserves a high rating.
Everything served and sourced by Upstate is locally produced: cheese from Valley Shepard Creamery in New Jersey, meat and (incredible) pasta from Russo's Mozzarella and Pasta on 11th street, Southhampton Beer, Wölffer wines - as long as it's independent, small, and locally crafted, they can get on board with it.
57 locals recommend
Upstate
95 1st Ave.Upstate is a tiny, friendly oyster and beer bar.
It may be relatively unheard of and fit to seat less than twenty people at a time, but I think it deserves a high rating.
Everything served and sourced by Upstate is locally produced: cheese from Valley Shepard Creamery in New Jersey, meat and (incredible) pasta from Russo's Mozzarella and Pasta on 11th street, Southhampton Beer, Wölffer wines - as long as it's independent, small, and locally crafted, they can get on board with it.
Every neighborhood needs a local sushi joint, and for East Villagers, it’s been Takahachi for a while now. Cheap enough to be in regular rotation, good enough to warrant happy returns, and always crowded, probably because they don't deliver. There is a permanent "15 minute" wait, even at 11pm. Takahachi is everything you want out of your local Japanese home away from home.
There are no frills, no omakase, and there aren’t even Japanese people cutting up your sushi - last time I went, we had a guy from Ecuador. What there is, however, is a large menu of reasonably priced cooked and raw things that will certainly leave you satisfied. This is not mind blowing food, this is "it's Tuesday, and I'm hungry food." On any given night, it’s safe to assume 75% of the restaurant are regulars.
94 locals recommend
Takahachi
85 Avenue AEvery neighborhood needs a local sushi joint, and for East Villagers, it’s been Takahachi for a while now. Cheap enough to be in regular rotation, good enough to warrant happy returns, and always crowded, probably because they don't deliver. There is a permanent "15 minute" wait, even at 11pm. Takahachi is everything you want out of your local Japanese home away from home.
There are no frills, no omakase, and there aren’t even Japanese people cutting up your sushi - last time I went, we had a guy from Ecuador. What there is, however, is a large menu of reasonably priced cooked and raw things that will certainly leave you satisfied. This is not mind blowing food, this is "it's Tuesday, and I'm hungry food." On any given night, it’s safe to assume 75% of the restaurant are regulars.
Black Seed makes bagels in the much-celebrated "Montreal style," meaning that they're poached in honey water and seeded before being baked at high temperature on premises. You see the whole process right when you enter the shop. They're smaller than the behemoths that you probably get from your neighborhood delivery spot, they're a little bit crispy, and they have a bit of sweetness to them. They've been called "perfect," "ambitious," and "the best" by many people who describe food for a living.
97 locals recommend
Black
170 Elizabeth StBlack Seed makes bagels in the much-celebrated "Montreal style," meaning that they're poached in honey water and seeded before being baked at high temperature on premises. You see the whole process right when you enter the shop. They're smaller than the behemoths that you probably get from your neighborhood delivery spot, they're a little bit crispy, and they have a bit of sweetness to them. They've been called "perfect," "ambitious," and "the best" by many people who describe food for a living.
The food at Mighty Quinn's is most definitely not the "good by New York standards" kind of BBQ that you'll find in so many other places. This is legitimately bad ass BBQ that you could just as easily be eating under blue skies in cowboy boots and a pair of Wranglers. Mighty Quinn's meats are so juicy and tender they sweat beautiful little fat droplets, and it's so smoky and flavorful that no sauce is necessary. The sides are great, and the good selection of craft beer and simple design and layout of the restaurant make this place highly conducive to stress free, unrestrained BBQ smashing.
The one downside is that the smoke at Quinn's sure is mighty. I needed to take four showers just to remove the stench of a single meal, so I can only imagine how the people upstairs feel, who are supposedly already complaining about the smell.
139 locals recommend
Mighty Quinn's Barbeque
75 2nd AveThe food at Mighty Quinn's is most definitely not the "good by New York standards" kind of BBQ that you'll find in so many other places. This is legitimately bad ass BBQ that you could just as easily be eating under blue skies in cowboy boots and a pair of Wranglers. Mighty Quinn's meats are so juicy and tender they sweat beautiful little fat droplets, and it's so smoky and flavorful that no sauce is necessary. The sides are great, and the good selection of craft beer and simple design and layout of the restaurant make this place highly conducive to stress free, unrestrained BBQ smashing.
The one downside is that the smoke at Quinn's sure is mighty. I needed to take four showers just to remove the stench of a single meal, so I can only imagine how the people upstairs feel, who are supposedly already complaining about the smell.
Babu Ji is an Avenue B restaurant serving Indian food.
It's certainly different from what you'd find at most traditional Indian restaurants, but it's not "fusion," and it's also without the pretension that comes along with most "modern" takes on ethnic cuisine. Instead, like the space and overall environment, it just feels... original. The owners run a few restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, including the original Babu Ji
The menu is split between items "from the street," which include plated appetizer-like options ranging from spicy fried yogurt-filled discs to a sweet whole smoked rainbow trout, and items "from the pots," which are mostly small saucy pots of curry filled with anything from raw scallops to figs. Everything we ate was excellent, and better yet, truly unlike any dishes - Indian or otherwise - we've tried before.
27 locals recommend
Babu Ji
Babu Ji is an Avenue B restaurant serving Indian food.
It's certainly different from what you'd find at most traditional Indian restaurants, but it's not "fusion," and it's also without the pretension that comes along with most "modern" takes on ethnic cuisine. Instead, like the space and overall environment, it just feels... original. The owners run a few restaurants in Melbourne, Australia, including the original Babu Ji
The menu is split between items "from the street," which include plated appetizer-like options ranging from spicy fried yogurt-filled discs to a sweet whole smoked rainbow trout, and items "from the pots," which are mostly small saucy pots of curry filled with anything from raw scallops to figs. Everything we ate was excellent, and better yet, truly unlike any dishes - Indian or otherwise - we've tried before.
This place has a unique menu, full of vegetable-focused small plates that also sometimes employ ancient grains, exotic spices, and interesting flavor combinations. Even the desserts here will blow your mind, thanks to a real deal pastry chef who spent ten years at Gotham Bar And Grill. Add that up with amazing service from the person answering the phone all the way to the people who bring you your food, and Narcissa is surprisingly devoid of all the things we hate about trendy new restaurants. Yes, there is definitely a scene here. But it's more subdued and humble than the crowd at the other Standard Hotel. Maybe that's because the staff is so nice. Or maybe it's because people are actually eating the food.
21 locals recommend
Narcissa
This place has a unique menu, full of vegetable-focused small plates that also sometimes employ ancient grains, exotic spices, and interesting flavor combinations. Even the desserts here will blow your mind, thanks to a real deal pastry chef who spent ten years at Gotham Bar And Grill. Add that up with amazing service from the person answering the phone all the way to the people who bring you your food, and Narcissa is surprisingly devoid of all the things we hate about trendy new restaurants. Yes, there is definitely a scene here. But it's more subdued and humble than the crowd at the other Standard Hotel. Maybe that's because the staff is so nice. Or maybe it's because people are actually eating the food.
Momofoku Noodle bar is not for everyone, but Noodle Bar's ramen is indeed excellent. However, ramen isn't the only reason to come. You can have a great meal and not even order noodles. The ever-changing menu of meat, fish, and vegetable options are always stacked. Plus, staples like the steamed buns, soy sauce egg, and chicken wings never leave, which is good because we order those things every damn time.
271 locals recommend
Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 1st Ave.Momofoku Noodle bar is not for everyone, but Noodle Bar's ramen is indeed excellent. However, ramen isn't the only reason to come. You can have a great meal and not even order noodles. The ever-changing menu of meat, fish, and vegetable options are always stacked. Plus, staples like the steamed buns, soy sauce egg, and chicken wings never leave, which is good because we order those things every damn time.
Zadie's is just what it sounds like: a single room serving almost exclusively oysters, prepared every way you can think of: raw, steamed, baked, fried, broiled, poached. They come topped with prosciutto, and ginger, and leeks, and vermouth, and hijiki, and fennel, and probably some other ingredients you're going to have to either Google on your phone or ask the waiter about. There are some other small plates that change seasonally, but it's a stretch to build a full meal here, unless you want to eat oysters in a lot of different varieties. You should plan to wash down your oysters with sparkling wine, especially during the Monday-Friday 5-7 happy hour, when both can be had for half price. There's regular wine and beer too, but no liquor.
Zadie's Oyster Room
413 E 12th StZadie's is just what it sounds like: a single room serving almost exclusively oysters, prepared every way you can think of: raw, steamed, baked, fried, broiled, poached. They come topped with prosciutto, and ginger, and leeks, and vermouth, and hijiki, and fennel, and probably some other ingredients you're going to have to either Google on your phone or ask the waiter about. There are some other small plates that change seasonally, but it's a stretch to build a full meal here, unless you want to eat oysters in a lot of different varieties. You should plan to wash down your oysters with sparkling wine, especially during the Monday-Friday 5-7 happy hour, when both can be had for half price. There's regular wine and beer too, but no liquor.