Monthly Archives: September 2013

A review of Virgola in Manhattan's West Village

Located at 28 Greenwich Avenue in Manhattan’s West Village, Virgola is a long, narrow, cozy wine bar that seats at most 20 patrons at once.  With mostly tables of two, with a couple of tables that seat 4-5, Virgola offers 12 wines by the glass and 15 by the bottle (all glass wines are also available by bottle) and three bottled beers.  Limited food menu includes three types of oysters, meat/cheese offerings and a few specials like shrimp cocktail.  Even though the place is small, no reservations are available, unless you have a party of four.  The place opens daily at 5pm, so we recommend getting there at 5:05pm!

Virgola

A review of Buddha Beer Bar in Manhattan's Washington Heights

Located at 4476 Broadway near 191st Street at the northern edge of Washington Heights, Buddha Beer Bar, with its 26 beer taps, most likely offers the largest draught beer selection of any bar in the northern tip of Manhattan.  Budda Beer Bar is fairly spacious, with a mix of hi and low rise tables scattered throughout the space.  The food offerings encompass a mix of bar food, pizzas and Mexican fare.  We look forward to returning here.

Buddha Beer Bar 1

Buddha Beer Bar 2

A review of Beacon Bar on Manhattan's Upper West Side

Located at 2130 Broadway (between 74th and 75th Streets) in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Beacon Bar is to the right of the lobby of the Beacon Hotel.  During our visit at happy hour, the space had a laid back, but upscale feel to it.  We did spot not-in-use velvet ropes near the entrance, so later at night, Beacon Bar probably plays the ‘velvet rope’ game, which is a bit rare for this part of town.  Aside from the physical bar, the space is filled with mostly two-seat tables and lounge-style seating.  Three draught beers and another dozen bottled beers are offered; wine and cocktails are also available.

Beacon Bar

NYC bars on our to-visit list

Now that it’s September and most locals have returned from their summer vacations, this is the season for new restaurant and bar openings.  Among recently-opened or about-to-open pubs in Manhattan on our radar include the Financial District’s Clinton Hall (a craft-beer bar/beer hall), Chelsea’s American Whiskey (taking over the space that was The Parlour Midtown on West 30th Street), Lower East Side’s Fool’s Gold (another craft-beer focused bar in the former White Rabbit space) and The Winslow (a cocktail spot on East 14th Street).  We hope to visit all of these (and other) spots in the coming days and weeks.  As always, we’ll share with you our thoughts on these spots in forthcoming posts.

A review of Antler Beer & Wine Dispensary on Manhattan's Lower East Side

Located at 123 Allen Street in Manhattan’s LES, Antler Beer & Wine Dispensary is a beer/wine only spot located just north of the Allen & Delancey Street intersection.  A few steps down from street level is the long and narrow spot with a bar in front and a seating area in the back offering assorted styles of seating.  Seven tap beers, two tap wines and 12 glasses of wine are available.  For food, a small selection of wine bar-type snacks including chacuterie is available.  Antler is worth a visit next time you’re on the Lower East Side.

Antler 1

Antler 2