We are happy to report that the Paris Cafe, located at 119 South Street in Manhattan and our favorite stop along the Old NYC pub crawl, has re-opened for business after nearly a year of renovations following Hurricane Sandy. We visited the Paris Cafe on a recent afternoon. While the dining area is basically the same, the main bar area was altered such that the bar is now against the southern edge of the space, instead of the western edge.
The Castello Plan, located at 1213 Cortelyou Road in Brooklyn’s Kensington, is a small-ish wine bar opposite the fire house. Seating area includes high top tables with small bar area. Also, a small outdoor area on the eastern side of the establishment.
One of the few bars in Brighton Beach, Kebeer, located at 1003 Brighton Beach Avenue, is a combo German beer spot and Middle Eastern/Uzbek grill. Kebeer offers 12 tap beers and another dozen bottled ones.
Located at 54 Jay Street in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, Olympia Wine Bar is just what this neighborhood needs: A chill, nabe wine bar. Olympia offers a dozen bottled/glass wines. A few small tables fill out the space, but it’s mostly bar-style seating. Olympia offers innovative wine bar food and a killer cheese plate (we hope some Manhattan wine bars take notice). Next time you’re in DUMBO, you need to check out Olympia.
Some drinking establishment visits that we’ve included on our various recent NYC pub crawls include Midtown Manhattan’s Monarch Rooftop Bar (just off of Herald Square), The Winslow on East 14th Street and Store Front NYC on West 23rd Street. Over in Brooklyn, we had the pleasure of visiting Park Slope’s Duke of Montrose, Kensington’s Bar Chord and Williamsburg’s Grand Ferry, among others. We found all of these spots appealing. As always, we’ll share some detailed thoughts on these spots in forthcoming posts.
Located at 63 West 38th Street atop the Refinery Hotel, the Refinery Rooftop Bar offers beautiful south and west views of Midtown South, including a front row view of the Empire State Building. The place is spacious with three areas: one indoor, one hybrid indoor-outdoor with a retractable roof and an outdoor space. Reservations are recommended. While we found the guest list at the door rather unnecessary, this is a good place to visit for after-work or a date.
Located at 37 East 28th Street in the southern end of Manhattan’s Murray Hill, Snafu 28 is the second location of the famous Midtown East spot. Fourteen tap beers are offered. The long bar area takes up most of the space, along with some banquette seating and high-top tables in back. Six TVs available for your sports viewing pleasure. No kitchen, so you’ll have to eat somewhere nearby.
The cheese plate at Olympia Wine Bar in Brooklyn. We’ve noticed recently that some cheese plates at wine bars are getting a bit skimpy on the cheese servings. Not the case at Olympia. Full review of Olympia Wine Bar forthcoming.
Located at 121 Ludlow Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Amuse is a cool new wine and beer spot. Eight tap beers served, but you come mainly for the wine (no hard liquor available).
Located at 38 West 26th Street (on a block fast becoming a huge NYC pub crawl destination with its half-dozen bars), Flatiron Hall is a beer bar from same owners as Houston Hall. This is the same beer selection brewed by Greenpoint Beerworks (who make beer for Heartland Brewery and Kelso). The food menu primarily consists of bistro fare. Spacious bar and dining room upstairs, including Prime seating by the windows for people watching on West 26th Street. The Beer hall is downstairs.
