The Eats: A Memorial Day NYC Wine Crawl (3 places to check out)

If there’s one thing I love doing on a beautiful day in New York City, it’s finding that perfect place to drink wine with friends. After a harrowing 21 days on a Sugar Detox at the beginning of May, I decided to celebrate by exploring the many wine-centric bars and restaurants in my new neighborhood (Greenwich Village).

The attempt was a success. We stopped at three different places throughout the day, and each one brought something delicious to the table. New York, you have no shortage of amazing wine opportunities (I say as I write this with a glass of red in my hand).

So, onto the goods. Here are the three stops we made and some of the best things (and not so best) things about them.

Gottino - West Village

This quaint little spot with the green awning is impossible to miss. The vibe is pure Italy and one of the upsides to their space is they have a lot of it. There’s a large bar and a few smaller tables in the main room. The back groom has a few more tables that allow for a little more privacy. But the best part? They have a garden. The garden is perfect for groups that want to enjoy their wine with some fresh air. Even better? It’s pretty quiet back there. So, you’ll be able to hear each other talk.

We also asked our waiter for suggestions and he was incredibly accommodating. As someone that is not a huge fan of rose, he managed to pick one out that was perfect for that warm summer day. Of all the places we went, this was by far my favorite.

Full disclosure, we didn’t have any food here. After look at the website I’m really excited to go back and check out. I’ll be sure to update if I do.

Pros: Garden seating, large bar, great staff

Cons: I don’t know what to right here because I loved it

I forgot to take a photo of our dishes so here are my cute friends instead.

The Little Prince

Chances are if you’ve spent any time in SoHo you’ve passed by this French beauty. They have an outside patio with a few tables, but the thing that will catch your attention is the stunning flower display that wraps around the entire entrance. I’ve passed it many times on my way to Trader Joe’s and have always wanted to step inside.

Luckily, I got the chance. The Little Prince was hopping on Memorial Day (which shouldn’t have been a surprise) and was a bit fancier than I think we were expecting. However, we split a few dishes and a bottle of wine between the four of us. The standout was the Burrata and of course the bottle of Sancerre suggested by our amazing waitress.

If you’re looking for a nice bottle of French wine and a even fancier dinner, The Little Prince is a great option.

Pros: Great French Wine, Burrata is delicious

Cons: Super packed almost all the time, on the pricey side

Terra

Another cute little Italian place. This place is huge and across the street from what I believe is the original Terra restaurant. The restaurant is on the smaller side.

It was getting a bit later in the evening and this place was pretty empty. However, they have a huge list of Italian wine with reasonable prices across the board. I’ve eaten at the restaurant across the street as well, and though the food was your pretty standard Italian, it was very good.

While we enjoyed the wine here, there wasn’t much to be said for atmosphere.

Pros: Great wine, good small bites that are easy to share

Cons: Weird atmosphere, pretty dead

There are still so many more places we want to go, but this was about as much wine as we could fit into the day. Do you have a wine bar that you’d suggest? Have you heard about other great spots? Drop a comment below and don’t forget to subscribe to the newsletter for more info on cool spots in NYC.