The West Village, my way.

My favorite places that counter and celebrate basic bitch energy

The Cut is hot hot hot right now. I was standing in line at Oslo this morning and the girl in front of me was too distracted to order after the barista asked her three times what she wanted. Why? She was glued to the article, It Must Be Nice to Be A West Village Girl, the one with the cover photo of all the girls in the same white t-shirts and jeans. I’m also not one to look over people’s shoulders, but she was so distracted by her phone that I wanted to get in on the fun of what had captivated her more than her iced oat latte.

The image in question. Creds: The Cut

Here’s the thing. I’m a proud resident of the West Village (cue the eye rolls), but agreed with tidbits of what was said about how the neighborhood has lost the plot a bit. Getting a coffee at a popular spot on a Saturday morning is nothing short of a tall task.

First, it’s about looking ‘put together’- opposite of the mismatched pajamas and mens loafers I used to wear around the East side when I lived there, then it’s about finding space on the sidewalk to put one foot in front of another amongst the crowds of people waiting to take a photograph on the infamous Carrie Bradshaw brownstone. If you’re lucky, the owner might actually peak his head out and say “this isn’t Carries house, she doesn’t live here, I do” only to get nervous laughs from groups of tourists standing right on his property.

By the time you’ve made it to the damn coffee shop, you commit to the 30+ minute line amongst everyone who is dying to try the new strawberry matcha, debate ordering food, but decide that being hungry is a more satisfying use of your time than another 30 minute wait on the other end.

Said strawberry matcha

I can definitely enjoy the strawberry-matcha-flavored West Village. Hell, I share all of my favorite spots with you all for a reason. How mad can I be at a line for something I said on the internet was delicious? The flavor of my West Village, though, is made up of a lot of different seasonings. Some basic bitch. Some you probably haven’t heard of. And at the end of the day, the West Village is my home. My studio here has truly seen it all— sticky floors from spills of wine hosting my very best friends, phone calls with life changing news that were cut short by the unreliable cell service, tears I couldn’t conceal from my elderly neighbors when walking into my lobby from a bad day.

Damn good moment in my apartment <3

We’ll call this piece a comprehensive guide to my neighborhood. My way of peeling back the flashy layers to talk about the best spots. An ode to some businesses that don’t have lines, and my opinions on the ones who do. All in all, the author of the Cut piece has the right to sound the alarm on gentrification, and jokes aside, the evolution of some of these neighborhoods into something far from what they once were is probably a very painful feeling for the native New Yorker. It’s probably similar, but rightfully more severe than the feeling of going back to your college campus or hometown 20 years later to see a new world. I empathize and hope to continue to uplift small businesses that deserve the love for the gems they are.

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1. Turks and Frogs

If you CTRL+F’d the amount of times I said the 3 words Turks and Frogs in my subscriber chat when someone asked me where to grab a casual drink in the West Village, you’d probably giggle. It seems like the only recommendation I ever have for this exact scenario, but the truth is, it probably is. Drinking alcohol in the West Village is exhausting. I practically live across the street from Dante, which does make a mean martini, but any time I’ve tried to casually walk in at any time of day on any weeknight, the hostess out front looks at me with a tight-lipped smile uttering “we’re fully committed this evening”. That phrase, specifically, has come a household joke for my boyfriend and I in all scenarios (including the laundry machine being taken), because it describes the true challenge of being spontaneous amongst West Village bar scene.

With Turks and Frogs- I can bet you money (and you can hold me accountable for this in my chat as well) that there will never be a wait for a crisp glass of wine. They don’t have fancy cocktails, but the charming decor that emulates a luxury hotel in the 1920s makes up for what could be perceived as lacking momentarily. The prices are great, you can actually sit down at a table with your bottle of wine, and I can nearly guarantee a hangover because we aren’t talking top shelf or anything, but nothing that isn’t worth the warm buzz you’ll get within their red velvet walls.

2. Moonflower Wine Bar

I take back what I said about Turks and Frogs being the only decent place to grab a drink. Moonflower is the wonderland of the West Village- a place that you’d envision fairies to be munching on fairy food and sipping little potions. The reason it isn’t hard to get a reservation at Moonflower is probably because its whimsical colors don’t fit in as much with the backdrop of the WV starter pack- the clean girly aesthetic, the elevated basics, the Harvard tennis polo.

Moonflower is eccentric and has a wine list based off of zodiac signs to help quell your indecision of what to get- it would be against your fate to not get the Aries wine if you’re an Aries, right? I think I actually became a Virgo the first time I went because I wanted white wine instead of red, but that’s beside the point. A different vibe is curated here, and it’s a special one that is perfect for the crowd it attracts if you make the right turn off the beaten path of 7th Avenue South.

3. Llama San

Llama San is the sister to the fabulous Llama Inn in Brooklyn, and I’ve never understood why this place also makes for an easy walk-in. The menu is a historybook of Peruvian Nikkei cuisine which I was told by our upbeat waiter, while balancing a tray of passion fruit martinis, emerged in the early 1900s when many Japanese people migrated to Peru. Their crudo selection is an true aquarium of raw scallops, tuna, and ceviche swimming in mango and pickled sauces, which is my favorite type of selection on a warm summer night.

The dish to always order is their Iberian pork katsu served with a side of “udon verde”, which literally tastes like udon in salsa verde- it’s incredible. Maybe you’ll also allow your chopsticks to take a well earned rest on the lucky cat chopstick holder (a restaurant that knows its details) while your spoon finally takes the stage for the tres leches cake.

4. Anton’s

Told you I’d definitely be recommending some spots that were blatantly called basic for their sceney apertivo crowd on a Saturday at 5, but my Anton’s story starts with a night I thought I could walk into 4 Charles. To spoil the story, I did not get into 4 Charles that night, and was unenthusiastically improvising by walking into Anton’s, which should’ve be plan A instead of my plan B that night.

Their outdoor seating is top tier for people watching with a martini, and I love a menu that champions produce in season- think citrus salads when the city is frozen and ramps when it’s warm. The angel hair franchase is a comfort staple and made for the buttered noodle enthusiast- except covered in breadcrumbs to make you feel slightly better about your milktoast choice. The funniest part about the failed 4 Charles evening is that I asked for the dessert menu, (way too full thinking I’d only get something if it was seemingly spectacular), and ended up seeing a chocolate pie that was identical to the 4 Charles chocolate pie. The universe was doing something that night.

5. People’s

When people ask where to go out in the West Village, the speech bubble that comes out of my mouth quite literally contains “……….” because I usually have no answer. If I’m going to drink, I’m certainly not going to stand around amongst swarms of men and listen to Mr. Brightside. When People’s recently opened and became the first institution to foster that dance-y scene, it became my mission to figure out how to get a reservation here.

I also feel like I’m getting too elderly to deal with the bouncer drama, and this place definitely has elements- it is owned by Acme alum after all, but everything they’re doing warrants a little bit of fuss. I also love a night where I can get a late burger, cocktail, and dance for dessert (although their chocolate chip cookie is worth ruining your buzz for) and not have to run all around town. It’s like a theme park- all the fun and food in one. The best part of People’s is the art covering every wall in every room, which made sense because they call themselves the “downtown gallery”, and the canvases with colorful strokes and shapes bring the glitz and the glam. The Cut article also references the chaotic art scene of the West Village in the early 2000s, and how eccentric parties hosted by produces were all night affairs, and I can only imagine this place is the closest we’ll get to that world.

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Top 3’s…

My other WV staples

Coffee/Tea

1. Oslo Coffee- I think I’ve mentioned Oslo as the backdrop for most of my newsletters because it truthfully is something I get every single day. The cold brew is magical and something I’ll drink black because it’s just that good.

2. Rhythm Zero- Definitely in the crossfire of the Bandit run club crowd (because it’s connected to the store), so beware if you visit on a Saturday, but the salted maple latte- half sweet- is divine.

3. Qahwah House- a Yemeni coffee/tea house that stays open super late and draws a social crowd. I hung out here a bit when I was doing dry jan and wanted to get super caffeinated at 11pm with a pot of tea and chat amongst chess players

Breakfast

1. Edith’s- the new kid on the block all the way from Brooklyn, the best breakfast wrap on planet earth lives here. Mandatory to get the Sephardi wrap and cold brew tahini slushee.

2. Daily Provisions- Nothing anyone doesn’t know, but their classic BEC on a roll with a runny egg is perfect for a morning when you’re a tiny bit hungover, but don’t need the full on bagel. Get a cruller donut too. They’re something special.

3. Hungry Llama- Ok the “viral whipped coffee” sort of tastes too much like a milkshake, but the breakfast burrito is solid and has crispy potatoes, not the weird soggy kind. It’s also right off of the West Side Highway, which I tried not to mention here, but is ideal after one of those walks.

Outdoor seating

1. Bar Pisellino- No matter how popular this place is, it will always have the best Aperol spritz in New York. I don’t know what they do to make them as good as they are, but it’s worth the line.

2. Sogno Toscano- My favorite thing about this place is that they put coffee in wine glasses. It feels so elegant and made for the afternoons you want something more than a latte in a plastic cup, but less than a spritz.

3. Jeffrey’s Grocer- Optimal outdoor spots because they close the sidewalk off and fill it up with tons of little yellow tables. It could be disguised as gimmicky, but the caviar onion dip with old bay chips after throwing back a few oysters ‘hits different’ as they say.

Hardest Tables (that are worth it)

1. 4 Charles- No explanation needed. The reason I always do reservation giveaways in the sub chat for this place, it’s comically good. I love it so much I named my cat after it.

2. Via Carota- Go for the veggies, not the pasta. The pasta is good, but there is something so special about their salads washed down with a Negroni. A 4:45 line up to eat an early dinner when they open has never seemed too silly to me, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that you’ll eat there.

3. San Sabino- Will save you a tiny bit more time and energy from trying to get into their sister, Mrs. Don Angie, but the crab ravioli in a white vodka sauce is worth waiting for.

Most Repeatable (in the best way)

1. Libertine- Casual french bistro with the best chocolate mousse in town. So easy to come here and spend $200 and order most of the menu, but also so easy to sit at the bar and order dessert and wine.

2. Le B- A place I’ve been a few times solo now, which I talk more about in my NYC Spots for Solo Dining piece, because their burger with red wine caramelized onions and dramatic pile of fries make for good companions to sit and write over a meal. Last time I was here a mom and son duo asked me if I was a food critic because I was scribbling away in my notebook between bites.

3. Tomo 21- Ok sliiiiiightly outside of the neighborhood and more toward Greenwich, but this is my favorite place to sit in with wet hair and no makeup on a Friday night when I want to devour a plate of nigiri and don’t want to order takeout, which might be too specific of a feeling but it’s such a good one.

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Curious how everyone feels about the original Cut article, what spots are your favorite, and how everyone is feeling right now about the west village in general….