single female in nyc drinks and food at the bar

[postali]

In New York for a few days sun, mon looking for a place that would be fun to eat and drink solo. i like to eat at the bar..any suggestions?

[fm1963]

Surprised no one has mentioned Babbo, Scarpetta, and Casa Mono... all three are great for bar dining.

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Babbo
110 Waverly Pl, New York, NY 10011

Casa Mono
52 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003

[eeee]

if you like ceviche, try Desnuda. the prep of the ceviche is fun to watch and the bar-chefs are very friendly. Also in the East Village (there is a new location in Tribeca, where I haven't been) try Terroir for great wines and tasty bar food.

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Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Desnuda
122 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009

[mc22]

If it's not obvious from my post above, I do this all the time and I live here. And I LOVE those suggestions. Thanks eeee! You are so right about how it's fun to watch ceviche prep. I love Oyamel in DC for that, and I went on a ceviche pilgrimage last time I was in Lima!

[Sneakeater]

The responses so far in this thread are a little misleading, in that they obscure the great central fact of New York City solo dining.

New York is the bar dining capital of the world. There is almost no restaurant in New York (beyond the cheapest or most tiny) that doesn't have a good bar to eat at, where it is perfectly comfortable to eat alone (and easy to make friends for the duration of your meal). This goes from the very top -- per se, Le Bernardin -- to more quirky mid-priced places.

So the question isn't really where you can eat at the bar. You can do that just about anywhere. The question is, what and where do you want to eat?

[mc22]

As a youngish female though, I like bars that make me feel comfortable, which is different from bars that make 40-something men comfortable (not sure what you are...) So I would reply with places that aren't like Cheers and also where you aren't going to get hit on. Also places that aren't chock full of people on a romantic date. So I agree with your statement, but I think you can answer it independently too!

[Sneakeater]

I'm not talking about bars. I'm talking about restaurants. There's no credible restaurant in New York that I can think of where a youngish female wouldn't be comfortable eating at the bar. (I'm a 50-something man, just so you know.)

[gutsofsteel]

That's really for a young female to say, I would think. Plenty of hitting on goes on at those "restaurant bars"

[Sneakeater]

If you need an absolute guarantee against being on, the only place I could recommend is Milk & Honey. But they don't have food.

[princeofpork]

I must disagree, I do not think a female in her late 20s or early 30s would feel very comfortable eating at the bar at Sparks for example. I am sure many would but these responses are focused on the majority.

[uwsister]

As a young woman, I totally agree with your post.

[Littleman]

Sneakeater you speak well for the cause but you must realize ladies have their own opinions and it's difficult to change them. You can try but you will have a very hard time changing their mind. I don't have an argument in this matter. I suggested Maialino and I will stop there. I wish the young ladies the best but you won't win an argument on this matter. Good luck.

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[asiansupper]

Ten Bells & Sapporo East

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The Ten Bells
247 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

Sapporo East
245 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009

[mc22]

Love Ten Bells! And I had a great time ordering the restaurant week menu alone at the bar room at the modern tonight. and i'm a single female :)

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The Ten Bells
247 Broome St, New York, NY 10002

[west34]

I know a couple girls who really enjoy eating solo at the bar at Otto.

[jeffreylydon]

Centro Vinoteca in the West Village has a friendly bar scene, good wine list and good food. Early evenings they have $7 quartinos and free snacks at the bar.

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Centro Vinoteca
74 7th Avenue South, New York, NY 10014

[loratliff]

If you're even the least bit interested in mixology and good cocktails, I'd recommend some place like Death & Co. The list can be killer if you're with a bigger party, but as a single woman, you'll have no trouble getting in. I wouldn't mind eating/drinking alone at the bar there.

[Steve R]

Otto
Lupa
Maialino
Redhead
Hearth (the pass, as someone else said)
Terroir (either)

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Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Terroir
413 E 12th St, New York, NY 10009

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[roze]

Just an FYI. It's restuarant week this week so many places you go to may have special deals going on. One person mentioned A Voce which is participating for lunch.
http://www.avocerestaurant.com/avoce_...

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A Voce
41 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010

[seal]

Monday is a great day to be in nyc looking to eat and drink. More than a few good bars have free food for you as well. Check out this link:

http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/r...

Vero would be one of my top picks.

[larssten]

!!! $$$$, head to the LES and go to Grape and Grain on 6th Ave. between B and C. Good music, good bar action, although Sunday and Monday it may be sparse. Walk by and if it's dead walk another two blocks to Cienfuegos on 6th between 1st and A. Either way you will save a ton of money and have a better time (I think) than Gramercy Tavern or any of the other equally pricey suggestions.

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Grape and Grain
620 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[Phil Ogelos]

Money is only one variable of many, nordic-track, in choosing a place to hang out. Weightier than others, maybe, but not unconnected from them. [Otherwise, this whole 'Chow' enterprise would have gone the way of the dot.com bubble by now.]
It's good to see your recommends, though; I love G&G.

[kathryn]

Cienfuegos has a bar without seating, you can't sit and eat/drink at the bar. And the food is not the star there. The best thing there is the Cuban. Everything else I've tried has been merely OK, not worthy of an entire dinner. And it's small plates -- by the time you get full, you might as well have gone to the GT Tavern Room.

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Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[ellabella]

the thread bookhound and Phil suggest is good -- one i don't see mentioned there, however, is marea, where i've had very good experiences eating at the bar as a solo female myself.

[bookhound]

This question comes up pretty often

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/716985

[Phil Ogelos]

The same link I gave earlier this morning, postali, now seconded.

[bookhound]

Ha! I didn't read your post before I posted. That thread really is very good except for one ridiculous suggestion.

[Phil Ogelos]

"... except for one ridiculous suggestion."

which was?

[Littleman]

Which rediculous suggestion do you refer to Book Hound. Do you care to elaborate.

[Littleman]

Maialino at the Gramercy Park Hotel is an outstanding restaurant for bar dining.

Maialino @ 2 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 212 - 777 - 2410.
http://www.maialinonyc.com/

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[Phil Ogelos]

Especially if you're wandering around Central Park over the course of the day, postali, you can't do worse than the King Cole bar at the St. Regis, on 55th just east of Fifth. Sublime space (how many other places in this town have a Maxfield Parrish behind the counter!?) and a really nice vibe.

Gramercy Tavern is also a reliable choice.

And you'd do well to look at this thread, which does the work of 20 or so:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7169...

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King Cole Bar
2 E 55th St, New York, NY 10022

[gutsofsteel]

Eat at the pass at Hearth. Big fun.

[momoney]

A voce in the Time Warner Building