Wild West Village 10 Hidden Secrets of the West Village

1. Vegan Burger! Corner Bistro West Village institution for tourists and locals, famous for its burgers, beer and fires has just released a veggie and vegan burger. Is so secret that it has redacted “vegan” on the menu with a black stripe! Oh & if you're ever short of a charge, ports are available as you sit by the window.

2. Crispy Chicken! EN Japanese Brassiere, on Hudson St at LeRoy as a large and sometimes family-style Japanese restaurant. Whilst the main area is large enough to house a tree and a operate kitchen counter, the best tables for sake flights and bites are the up top tables by the bar. The large windows make the area beautiful place to sit no matter what the weather. Foodwise, pro tip is the lemon spiced salty chicken for $16 (a delivery favorite on Caviar I'm also told). Lastly, keep a look at for the monthly chef's choice kitchen counter offers surprise menus where Chef Abe will cook up several dishes of his choice for $160. They book out months in advance so keep your eyes peeled. 

3. Fairfax breakfast, ever sat with your laptop in a cafe for the owner to huff and puff at you for the amount of time you’ve been there sipping on your matcha? Fairfax has taken the Apple Store approach where you can sit at the tables, or at the bar or on the couches as long as you like and get your work done. The place turns into a mini-office or living room during the day and sit and work and drink and eat as long as you like. Doubles at networking places as well. Good for contacts! 

4. Little Branch hideaway speakeasy - skip the menu and go for the bartenders choice, ask for vodka, gin or tequila/mezcal base. Last night Bleecker Street Beat who was on reconnaissance for Wild West Village was treated to a beautiful cocktail made up of vodka and ginger, and he whipped up a  cocktail with vodka, mint, ginger, sugar, seltzer, and rose water.

5. The Little Owl stoop and stair - It can be hard going getting a table at the Little Owl on Bedford. A favorite for all because its frontage is the establishing shot for the TV show Friends. But if you're stopping by just for wine and maybe a few bites, the mini-staircase just inside the door makes a perfect spot to sit and enjoy a vino or two - comes with seating cusions. 

6. Bills Bar and Burger Boozy Shakes - Bills apart from its regular menu of burgers and beer offers (off-menu) adult drinks including; Oreo Jack Daniels Shake! Jameson Irish Whiskey milkshake with coffee! Vallila Ice Cream with bourbon or Vanilla Ice Cream with Ketal One Ice Cream. Perfect adulating fun! 

7. Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream - Not an actual secret but if you go during the day you'll miss the long lines and get the best ice cream in New York City without the wait! (you just have to work out how to tell your boss you're leaving early for the day!).

8. Via Carota - the beautiful restaurant and bar on Grove St has a hidden private dining space off to the left of the main room. The great part it's not to cut off from the room so you still get the ambiance and sound waves of a happening place. A perfect place for parties and uber bunches.

9. Free fashion shows and champagne on Bleecker -  Hang out at Bleecker St up from Christopher and you're bound to fall on a fashion event open to public providing free champagne and chance to hang with models and instagrammers. Always check the Kate Spade and Bookmarc websites for event listings.

10. The Wild West Village Cap - They are out and about around the West Village in the bars, on the streets and still a secret! Get yours here! 

Week of September 18th

“Nighthawks Ramen! - Raymun not Ramen”

Chef Douglas Kim from Per Se, Nobu, and Gordon Ramsey fame has opened a new ramen based restaurant in the Nighthawks space on Greenwich and Christopher named Jeju. Supposedly the venue was the basis for Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks painting of the three lonely patrons sitting at a wooden bar.

On my last visit Chef Kim said he was looking at two spaces, one in East Village and this one in the West Village and the West Village location “just felt right”. The newly designed restaurant looks nothing like the old Nighthawks or Classic Cafe as it was also known (and an Oyster Bar at one point), gone is the long dark wood bar and replaced by wide open spaces, with retractable tables, light wood effects and smooth lighting. The large windows provide plenty of natural lighting and the views are peaceful onto Christopher. I managed to try Jeju's chicken wings with their secret sauce and it was out of this world. I tried getting the ingredients of the sauce but was meet with CIA like “it’s classified” type responses. 

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MICHELIN Guide New York City 2017: Restaurants (Michelin Guide/Michelin)

$10.22

By Michelin

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”BoBo Renovation, dark tones be gone” 

Bobo on West 10th has been undergoing a renovation and soon to reopen, possibly this week (I was told Thursday); I was allowed to take a sneak peek at the new bar area and take a snap, gone is the dark wooden floors and replaced with light woods and furnishings.

BoBo became popular as the number one date spot in the Village and with its new interiors that might continue, at least now you’ll be able to see the menus! Boy,was that place dark! Fingers crossed the amazing $6 wine and margarita Happy Hour remains through the week.

“Complimentary wine tasting (free!)"

Turks & Frogs on West 11th the fabulous antique wine bar just down from the Spotted Pig is holding a special event this Thursday 21st. From 5:30pm - 7:30pm will hold a complimentary wine tasting event from renowned Turkish winemakers Vinkara. Come along, enjoy a few glasses on Turks and Vinkara. The food and wine media will be attendance along with neighborhood folk who treat this bar as their own.

“I would walk five hundred miles”

Hundred Acres a brunch time favorite on MacDougal St in Soho (South Village?!!) shuttered recently for a remodel, a menu change and the addition of Moroccan styled soft pillows on all the chairs. Hundred Acres has now become Shuka and features a constantly changing menu of Mediterranean dishes so it will be a different restaurant almost every day. If you're into sharing, they will be cooking up some amazing large shared plates, like a Turkish breakfast. If the weather is good his is great brunch spot when the main doors are swung wide open. Open now.

“Swine no more” 

Swine Bar is no more. It closed down just after Labor Day weekend. What is Next is anyone’s guess. The space is nice with duel level layout, could make a perfect upstairs bar / downstairs speakeasy concept work or build karaoke downstairs with pizza slices and a one lane bowling alley upstairs. I know how to build these things! 

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Happy Hour of the Week

As per above, Turks and Frogs, free wine tasting event is enough reason to go along and drink for two hours just for fun and learn a little about wine. 

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Don't forget our Wild West Village Caps in the store!! On sale now! (plug!)

Week of September 7th

"Whip it"

Rivera Cafe on 7th Ave and West 4th closed down its dusty doors on the 31st August. The home to many a dive bar night and Boston Red Socks games Rivera have left a note on their door that the rising rents the bar/restaurant just wasn't sustainable anymore. The Rivera has been open since the 30's in the Village and many will be sad to see it go. What comes next is anybody's guess but the space has awesome potential. There is an upstairs bar, downstairs and of course the outdoor seating along 7th and quieter area on 4th. So get on to your rich cousin in Florida and open that bar you always talk about! I vote for a roller disco upstairs and bowling alley bar downstairs. 

"No photos please"

The Waverley Inn home to many celebrity sightings and beautiful dinners holds once a month wine events for a flat fee plus tax and tip. You can check here as the events pop up. Previous events have included Truffles and Rose in the Garden, White Bordeaux with Caviar and Oysters and many more. Oh, and there's a no gramming policy here!

"Where the steaks have no name"

Hogsalt all the way from Chicago who gave us the treat of 4 Charles Prime Rib, the 36 seat steak and supper club. 4 Charles can be fairly elusive to get into for any sitting, most nights bookings are made a month in a advance. Alas they've just added in midnight sittings, so you might just have a chance to impress your SO only if they can stay awake past 12am! Bookings made here on Resy.  

"War is over, give bread a chance"

Bread seems to have a bad reputation of late due its glutenous nature. But if you're looking for a great tasting loaf, try Hudson on High St on Hudson St. They offer taste defining bread with most of their meals or order it as a separate. Its baked on the premises with its ingredients coming from New England and paired with a creamy butter. The bread is so good they also supply Untitled in the Whitney Museum and Gunter Seeger a few doors down. You won't regret even if you are a no-carb type of person.  

"Corner Shop"

The old Duet space on 7th Ave and Barrow which moved to Brooklyn has been empty for sometime now. Signs have just gone up over the weekend that Le Masion de Makato will be taking over the venue in the not too distance future. It was an odd shaped building but the view from the top floor were always spectacular. Looking forward to the top floor dining experince.

"But first coffee"

As reported in our Fall restaurant preview Pisellino from Buvette, Via Carota fame will land on 7th Ave and Grove in November. The space is perfectly located on the corner, so expect long lines for coffee at 7am!

"The wedding singer"

Ever had that discussion, "need to find a venue for a wedding reception in the West Village"? I have it all the time! I was asked that question last weekend at Blue Ribbon Wine Bar on Downing St. I only have one answer and it the guest count is lower than 40 then Palma on Cornelia St has a beautiful covered garden out the back of their restaurant.. They also have two indoor levels atop the out door seating. Beautiful plants and lighting make it a magical space. The garden is also opening for dining when there is no bookings are in place.  

"Fashion, turn to the left"

Fashion week starts today 7th September, many events are invite only but for public events listing you can procure tickets here.

Goorin Brothers the amazing hat / cap shop on Bleecker will be holding an open to the public event from 6pm to 8pm tonight (7th Sept) to celebrate the start Fashion Week. Muddling Memories will be serving complimentry Old Fashions.

"Happy Hour of the Week"

Fig & Olive in Meatpacking District offers Rose Sundays from 6pm - 9pm, with complimentary Rose between rounds. The trick is also to do brunch, roll into Happy Hour at 4pm then into Rose Sunday at 6pm - smart!

"Wild West Village - Merch!"

We have limited quantities of our Wild West Village cap in our store, you might have already seen them around the bars in the Village. Use our fashion week code "WWVFW" for $5 off till then end of Fashion Week. Enjoy! 

Fall Restaurant Preview - 2017

While We Were Young on West 10th (at 4th) featured in Wednesday NY Times as one of New York’s most Instagram-able bar/restaurants is now operating during lunch hours and for brunch on weekends. Outdoor seating is coming in the next few days so overflow waits will be a thing of the past. A new fall menu is on the way. Had the pleasure of trying the new cheese based Gnocchi and was sublime. Pumpkin Cheesecake also hits the menu post-Labor Day.

Next door neighbor to WWWY, Bobo and sister restaurant of Rosemary’s on West 10th closed its doors for a week or three whilst they renovate the interiors and prepare a new fall menu. Looking forward to seeing the upstairs dining area which looked more like an atrium with its glass roof and greenery. Hopefully, they’ll also get some more natural light into the downstairs cabin!

Personal favorite Air’s Champagne Parlor on MacDougal St opens her basement Tokyo Record Bar tonight (31st) at the same location the “Izakaya” (gastropub) theme with real “Vinyl Jukebox” seating’s (6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.) with a $50 seven-course menu paired with a vinyl playlist created each night by the guests. Sake, beer, and cocktails are part of the price. Outside these times feel free to select off the menu. I had a sneak peek during the build out and the design and concept it’s the nuts. I used to frequent the original TRB back in the day and it was always a lot of fun. Also, if vinyl is not your thing, upstairs ACP offers “parlor hour” 3 champagnes, 3 dishes for $30 till 7pm. Bookings on Resy.

Monument Lane on Greenwich Ave and 12th closed its doors last month will reopen around October as Don Angie. The crew who brought you Quality Italian in Midtown are bringing their menu to the West Village location.

The old Pagani space on Bleecker and 7th Ave, will become The Loyal, opening sometime in October, brought to you by the Michelin star team from vegetarian based Nix restaurant on University place, which also has some of the best interiors this side of midtown. It’s an odd location, caught between the villages, look forward to seeing the space.

Fans of Buvette, Via Carota and I Sodi will be pleased to have another option in the Village; Pisellino will open as a corner breakfast, lunch, speed dinner bar opposite Via Carota on Grove and & 7th Ave. The 30 seat Pisellino will open in November.

Michelin man Joël Robuchon will be opening a new space in Meatpacking on West 15th next door to celebrity favorite Del Posto. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon will open in October but I’m way more excited about the front area which will open as a casual bar and sandwich counter at the same time known as Le Bar. Those who remember the former space Colicchio & Sons will be glad to see the lovely windows overlooking the nearby garden and water front views onto the Hudson.

Appears mini restaurants bars are all the rage at the moment. Just around the corner in Meatpacking, Okuda will open on 17th with a counter of 7 seats with two seatings per night. A small private room is also on offer. Good luck getting a reservation here before Jay-Z & Beyoncé. Seatings are 6:00pm and 8:30pm.

Old Rose on Jane St inside the Jane Hotel opens in September as an upmarket pizza parlor. You will remember the space as it used to house Café Gitane. Old Rose will stay up into the wee hours on Thursday through Saturday nights for late night munchies. Note, this won’t be a per slice place, full pies only.

Those who remember Cafe Minerva on West 4th with its big beautiful windows will be pleased to know the space has been secured and will open as a South of France Wine Bar open for lunch and breakfast. Scheduled for opening in November. I had a sneak peek at the new interiors, this one will be special. Name TBD.

Rumor has it that popular brunching place Rosemary’s on Greenwich is morphing itself away from the pasta into wood fire pizza. Expect to see the menu flip after labor day. 

Happy Hour of the Week Award:

Casa Le Femme Egyptian belly dancing lounge on Charles St, has Rose Thursday’s where ladies can drink complimentary rose till 7pm.