East 9th and 3rd Ave Gathering Place?

[Garris]

Hello!

My family is coming into New York for 2 days and would like to invite 10 relatives to meet us for drinks, appetizers or desserts. We're going to be staying near the above intersection and are looking for a lounge-like environment nearby to have everyone meet us where people can drop in, see us, and order their own food and drink without wait staff looking to kick us out after five minutes.

Can anyone suggest anyplace close to this area that fits this description? Thanks!

- Garris

[hungrycomposer]

Pangea, on 2nd ave. btwn 11 and 12 st. is comfortable and cozy - like a big living room. It's not the best food in the neighborhood, but I always find the staff to be welcoming, and you could easily just order drinks, apps, dessert, or dinner.

[bolletje]

maybe the restaurant at the Ukrainian National Home? It's next to Veselka and they are pretty mellow there. It has a full bar (affordable) and people could order a full meal or just some pierogies or a piece of kielbasa. They also have awesome latkes. It's not the most glamorous place, but it's comfortable. Way better than veselka.

[jon]

that's easy, jimmy's 43.

[kathryn]

Good call.

[coasts]

i came to post the same

[smokeandapancake]

the smith
10th and 3rd
three of cups (a little further east); 1st and 5th)

[kathryn]

The Smith gets VERY busy during dinner, I can't imagine trying to do what the OP wants unless you grab a section of the bar and people stand.

[PlomeekSoup]

While not a lounge-y atmosphere, I recently (over the summer) had a family gathering of just this sort at Veselka, just one block (9th & 2nd) from your desired corner.

We started as a group of six and took over some tables along the back wall of the diner. We casually ordered lunch, drinks, desserts, and the waitstaff tolerated a few other drop-ins/orders as time progressed. Granted, this was during a weekday afternoon, so you may not be able to do this on a busy Saturday night...

Veselka is a 24-hour diner and the food isn't anything outrageous, but it fit our needs for a central meeting place to nosh without being rushed out the door.

Good luck!

-----
Veselka
144 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

[carcrash]

Veselka is worth trying, but it can get very busy, and I can't imagine them not trying to get you out pretty quickly during peak times.

[kathryn]

Ditto, if you're doing this during prime dinner hours, there will be a lot of people giving you the evil eye.

[guttergourmet]

Tough one but I'll go with Telephone Bar & Grill- can't go wrong with a pint of Guiness or a Woodpecker Cider.