Wow East Village! You have yourself a gem with Rake Wine Bar! We were waiting for our dinner…read morereservations and decided to stop in here for a pre-dinner drink and bite. I am SO glad we did. The vibe drew us in, they had great music bumpin from the outside, it looked lively and welcoming. Let me tell you- I would have skipped dinner and just stayed here all evening if it was my choice! But alas, my husband wanted a bit more to eat. But let me tell you- their knowledge of wine is PRISTINE! I can't tell you what white wine we had but they captured our tastes perfectly. We also shared a bruschetta and it was deliciouso! I love how friendly the staff was here and how unpretentious it all was. Next time we are in NYC- we will definitely make a point to come visit Rake!

My partner and I were looking for a great double date spot, so we decided to give Rake a try due to…read moreits relaxing vibe and multitude of bites we could share. First I'll start with the wine - we ended up trying all three happy hour wines (HH until 7), which the tables favorites were the white and we ended up getting a bottle to split once HH ended (but I really enjoyed the other vino verde option). It was incredibly refreshing and paired well with the many tinned fish options. As you'd expect - it's a pretty massive selection and there is bound to be a varietal and glass for any palate. It's also attached to a wine store - so it's fine to see all the bottles when peaking over. Food-wise - this is where it was hit or miss, they have a pretty extensive menu (with a whole tinned fish section!) and we ended up ordering the buratta on focaccia (buratta was excellent, focaccia was too dense for my tastes), mushroom truffle crostini (way too salty), the flatbread with sliced kielbasa (was fine), halloume (table favorite ), tinned sardines in lemon oil (delicious), tinned smoked trout (my favorite). Overall the four of us were very full at the end of the meal! The space itself felt very relaxing and rustic, and definitely got busier as the night went on (we got there at 6:50 and left around 9). The service was also fast and attentive - even for the amount of tables they were serving. Overall - I'd definitely go back again, and maybe just focus on the wine and another tinned fish selection!

a true neighborhood gem, even after 15 years…read more i came by while walking my dog to ask a question about their menu due to my family's food allergies. eva was behind the bar and saw me standing in front of the door, but not entering because i had my dog with me. she came out to greet me, fed my dog treats, and answered all my questions (!!!) she must have spent at least 15 minutes being a kind human being. sofia's just got a customer for life.

Sofia wine bar was outstanding! They were able to squeeze in our party of four on a busy Saturday…read morenight. The service was outstanding and the food was delicious. I highly recommend the meatballs and pasta dishes. We ordered the special wine of the month and it was so good. The inside is adorable. Highly recommend!

This is a really nice low-key wine spot. They seem to specialize in ice-cream + wine, which is an…read moreinteresting combo, but it works. Their ice cream flavors are super unique (inlcuding cheese flavor and fish sauce). The ice cream quality was really good, but although the unique flavors were interesting, the coffee was easily the best and some of the best ice cream I've had in the city. The wine selection was very good, and the bartender was sommelier who gave some good recommendations. This spot is quite small, so maybe would not bring a large group and to come here on a weekday night.

We liked this place so much I almost want to keep it from getting too popular! We loved that it was…read morea cozy and quaint bar. The servers were very friendly and told us about the wines. We got a red wine from China and an orange wine from Georgia, both of which were unique and we liked! We also ordered the chrysanthemum and banana leaf ice cream and pate with butter aioli on baguette. The pate and baguette were one of the best we've had. We would definitely come back!

Tucked away in this alcove of Chinatown is Lei, with what I find was a unique take on Asian tapas…read morehad - ik it's technically a wine bar, but friend and I came for the food, and honestly we had such an eye-opening (and an even more mouth-opening) culinary experience. Thank you to my lovely friend who spent who knows how long trying to get a reservation here. Chilled celtuce (4/5): is it a combination of celery and lettuce? idk but it kinda reminded me of radish, with a clean/slightly bland flavor but it had this hydrating quality to it and a nice crunch. Sesame shao bing (5/5): a literal drug in the most innocuous and tasty form of flatbread. It has the crispiest flake on the outside with a perfectly chewy doughiness to it and a literal slab of butter inside, which melts in real time (careful not to go too ham and let it dribble down your arms and get all over your clothes...because it's just THAT good). Sweet & sour short rib (4/5): the cook on these short ribs were super tender, I just think the marinade was very strong, with a particularly vinegary aroma. Eight treasure rice pudding with sticky toffee (4/5): she's a 4 only because I don't like toffee, but the rice pudding was hands down heavenly. Service was solid, and they have a chic, dim ambience for the tables inside whereas the outdoor seating sits underneath the lanterns and soaks up the streets of Chinatown, so each have a merit of its own.

TLDR: I recommend coming here with your bestie/boo not too hungry, get a bottle of wine, the cat…read moreear hand pulled noodles & the sticky rice toffee pudding dessert. Walked in at 8pm on a Wednesday and was able to sit right away for a limited time (1.5hrs), which was plenty for us. It's small, as most places in NYC are, and dark & intimate. They also have shared tables, so we sat with another couple. Huge wine selection. Everything we ate was delicious. To me, the Celtuce is more of a novelty - cool, yummy, fresh but small. The crudo was the same thing. So in my opinion, I don't think it's worth the money. The noodles were so good we got 2 orders of it - you cannot skip!! The dessert was also unlike anything I've had before. If you love sticky rice and caramel/toffee, you have to try it. Overall, I do think it was very expensive but the ambiance + some of the dishes were well worth it. I'd definitely come back.

Very cozy in the back, just the vibe I wanted. Came by on a Thursday evening after work and the…read moreserver was very friendly and attentive. Had a couple of glasses of the rose (can't remember which specific one) but it was delicious!

Came here during happy hour and got the rosè. We also ordered the cauliflower, which was pretty…read moregood. This place gets pretty busy during the weekdays. Good service and lively atmosphere.

After a poor experience, I returned a third time since some friends wanted to meet here…read more Thankfully, this place has really turned things around. The service was attentive and the food was actually delicious - the hummus was a true standout item as was the baklava-like desert we tried. It gets really busy here, so make sure to come early and secure your seat. Glad to have this back in my rotation!

ZiZi Wine Bar is one of those rare places that makes you feel like you're on vacation without…read moreleaving New York. The vibe? Chic but not pretentious. The teal walls and glowing wine bottles make it look like someone with taste and a passport designed the space. The food is outstanding. The cauliflower was smoky and rich, the hummus was silky enough to qualify as skincare, and the lamb... let's just say it didn't last long. Even the wine glasses have personality, literally, ZiZi's face on them. Service was great, portions perfect for sharing, and everything came out like it was plated by someone who actually cares. If you're into Mediterranean food, good wine, and pretending you have better life balance than you really do, this place is your spot.

Played the Opentable notification game and got a Friday night counter spot. My boyfriend and I…read moreshared: + Banchan of the day + added gochujang candied squid + Sunn's salad with chicories, sweet potato, sesame jang + Spicy tomato Tteokbokki + Ssam (beef brisket) + Sesame Crusted Mochi Cake Ssam was my favorite dish. Also loved the kimchi, cucumbers and potato salad from the banchan. Tteokbokki was a standout as well. It was more than enough food, and we even took home leftovers. Service was very friendly, and coat check was a nice touch!

I wanted to love Sunn's but overall it felt overrated…read more We ordered the banchan, chigae, bossam and tteokbokki. Starting with the positives -the banchan was solid across the board and really flavorful. That said, charging for banchan feels strange to me. Traditionally, it's complimentary, like bread at an Italian restaurant so that part didn't sit right but it was flavorful. The chigae was interesting and probably the standout dish. It had a unique flavor that reminded me of a mix between soondubu and dwenjang chigae which worked well. Unfortunately, the rest was a miss. The bossam was overly salty and didn't feel true to the dish. The tteokbokki was another disappointment -it came with cheese (which wasn't expected) and just fell flat overall. For the hype, I expected much more especially because I've eaten Korean food my whole life. The venue is small and the seats in the back are uncomfortable.

good for happy hour! they had a delicious orange wine I can't remember the name of but plenty of…read morehappy hour drink options! It was pretty busy though when we went in for HH. Service was fast. It was pretty busy inside and dim lighting. The kimchi grilled cheese was sooo good!!

Finding wine bar hidden gems are on my to-do list this year and I really loved this place! Located…read morein the heart of the East Village you'll find a cozy/intimate spot which is perfect for a date night. They have a bunch of dishes to select from and kitchen is open for a specific time frame that I didn't get to try but need to come back for. Their wine options were pretty good (White wine is my favorite!) and the Red wine was very rich and yummy. Loved the atmosphere and everyone here was super inviting!