I feel like I moved to New York at just the right time. Two years ago, we were still wary of crowded spaces and had just-in-case masks rumbling around in our bags. There was an excitement though, post-Covid-shutdowns. As the city recovered, the dining scene exploded once again and New Yorkers were finding new ways to be together. I am not the most excited about evenings spent at dark bars or busy nightclubs, though I can be persuaded every once in a while. In the last few years the best alternative has emerged, full force, and found its way into nearly every neighborhood. Enter, the wine bar.
Wine bars are not new, but their presence in New York certainly feels that way. The emergence of natural wine as a now-coveted part of the New York beverage scene has paved the way for wine experts to highlight their favorite grapes and distributors in a growing market that New Yorkers, in general, are eager to get behind. Exciting new business flaunting sexy and accessible wine lists seem to be opening all the time; with a variation in wine selections, ambience, and the crowd they attract, many of these wine bars feel like distinct destinations with something special to offer. Some are moodier, some are purely outdoors, some are just as focused on their food menus as they are on their by-the-glass lists. Open year-round, wine bars are not exclusively a summer destination; however, with some very good new openings and a growing popularity, I am positive that we will all be flocking to our favorite haunts week-after-week to relish in delayed sunsets and muggy weather.
The best part of the wine bar is that it feels just as appropriate at 7pm on a Wednesday as it does at 11pm on a Saturday—though the lights get dimmer and the space gets louder, these spots are good for any day, any time, and really any occasion. First date? Sure. Catching up with a friend? Perfect. Starting a long night out? Great. Sitting solo outdoors with a glass and a book? Even better.
Here is a semi-exhaustive list of the wine bars I love, the wine bars I have heard about others loving, and where I want to try next!!!! Happy summer solstice, we made it to long days and 90 degree heat!
Should I turn this list into a wine bar Google map to add to over time and share with you all…?
Favorites
Rodeo A new addition to Crown Heights and already a favorite—big windows, good music, delicious natural wines (all of which are chilled), Anthony from Ha’s Dac Biet’s onion dip with trout roe, and a record store with a dance floor opening right next door…
Frog Worth the trip to Bed-Stuy, dark and moody with a pool table and a cutie backyard with glasses I am always tempted to take home. Newest addition is Tadpole, their live music venue right next door!
Prima The best place to sit from 10am to 10pm and never get bored. Prima was my favorite coffee/scone stop when I lived in Clinton Hill and the cutest, casual, fun wine bar by night. Delicious wines, little bites, great outdoor seating.
Gem Wine Forever favorite, even in their newer, larger space. Food is delicious, wine is delicious, great crowd, always busy, very much a Lower East Side scene.
Rhodora Wine Bar This is where you want to be at 2pm on a Saturday in June. The brightest space, easy counter service, buzzy and beautiful and permanently sunny. A Fort Greene institution.
Something Special
These are three of my absolute favorite restaurants and their accolades are equally attributed to their exceptional wine programs and their incredible food. All three of these spots have been featured in right on Franklin before, if you want to read a bit more!
Place des Fêtes an unmissable Clinton Hill spot where I would just as happily sit at the bar solo on a Friday night as host a birthday dinner there. The food is always excellent and the staff really know their stuff. Read more here!
The Four Horsemen Technically a wine bar, but known far more for its dinner menu, 4H has become the Williamsburg hotspot and unattainable reservation. Do not skip the wine!!! Try something fun!!!
Claud A revered restaurant from an incredible team and the location of one of my favorite dinners to date, Claud is an East Village gem worth splurging on. This is where I had Jean-Yves Péron’s wine for the first time and I still think about it five months later. More here…
The Usual Suspects
Ruffian An OG in the natural wine world and one of the most beloved wine bars in the city. This East Village staple has been slinging special wines for almost a decade. Pull up a stool at a sidewalk table and let their team pour you something exciting.
Casetta Personally, reads the same way Le Dive does—sceney Lower East Side wine bar with good beverages, a very cute space, and seemingly overpriced dishes. I would gladly sit at a linoleum table on Hester any day this summer, knowing I will have to dress for the occasion and be prepared to be in the background of someone’s photo shoot.
Skin Contact The darkest wine bar I have ever been in, but always loud and lively. I truly can never see anything in here but it is a great Lower East Side location to meet up with friends or grab a pre-dinner drink.
Sauced I have been here once while putzing through Williamsburg and it was absolutely slammed—but have heard great things about the new East Village location as well! Fun and young and always busy with lots of food pop-ups and events on any given week.
The Ten Bells The less sceney Lower East Side wine bar alternative.
Parcelle A very well-designed space with a food menu ranging from snacky ($5 olives) to decadent ($75 caviar sliders) to somewhere in between ($25 chicken sandwich). They host a “wine school” which I think is genius and have a full online wine retail presence.
Le Dive a favorite of the New York cool girls and the backdrop of many Instagrams. Yet another Lower East Side wine bar, Le Dive gets bonus points for having a million outdoor tables, though the inside is often cramped. This feels like where I would go for a martini and fries, though they have labeled themselves a natural wine bar. Their menu is distinctly french and fun for an outdoor, 5pm dinner that turns into a 10pm bottle of wine without moving from your seat.
Want to Go
June Brooklyn’s first natural wine bar, opening in 2015. A beloved Cobble Hill spot that has been on my list forever!
Anaïs A very cute Boerum Hill wine bar meets bookstore (?), my kinda business!
Black Mountain Wine House I am obsessed with the interior of this Carroll Gardens bar and I want to sit in here for hours.
Let me know what I am missing and I will add to the list! See you next week!
OMG did not realize there was a wine bar where I could order Anthony's onion dip. V exciting.
great news for me personally that all 3 of your want-to-trys are in my neighborhood. let's go split a bottle of something in the backyard at June!