Wine and cheese plates go so perfectly with the autumn season, no? Cozying up in an intimate wine bar, the last warm rays of sunshine dipping behind the fall clouds.
Mr. P and I had a 4 pm wine bar date recently and I was reminded of the simple pleasures a glass of wine, a plate of three cheeses, and a person’s undivided attention can bring.
3 Cozy Wine Bars in NYC
Ayza–Located on 31st Street, this central Manhattan spot is equal parts cozy and lovely. It has an outdoor area, which is covered and heated during the cooler months. Also, every Sunday evening they have “Couples Night Out” where tables are covered in rose petals and candlelight, and you end the meal with a free chocolate truffle.
Every Tuesday evening is “Girls Night Out” which includes a complimentary Chocolate Shot and a Belgian Chocolate Covered Strawberry. Just make sure to mention these when you make the reservation.
La Giocanda–A 52nd Street favorite of ours, this exposed brick room is small and simple. Where it lacks points in decor, it certainly gains them in their amazing deals: during happy hour, for every two drinks that are ordered PER BILL, you get one free plate of food!
So for example, on a recent boozy date night my husband and I went through 3 glasses of wine each, and got 3 FREE DISHES. The total bill ended up being $70, which is just insane by NYC standards.
Jadis–This Lower East Side spot is nowhere close to where I live, but I keep coming back to it again and again. “Jadis” is French for “long ago”, and one can easily visualize themselves curled up in the couch here either in 1919 or 2019–it’s got that special charm to it.
Also, the spot is large enough to have a gathering (I’ve hosted several book clubs here), which sets it apart from most other tiny NYC wine bars. Finally, their mulled wine in the cooler months leaves nothing to be desired!
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
