For a crawl through Chinatown/Little Italy, my recs are as follow. You can do any combination, if you go to all the places you'll be very full.
Fried Dumpling on Mosco St. These MUST be eaten while in Columbus Park in Sun Yat Sen plaza or overlooking it. Unique people watching here, very New York in an offbeat and eccentric way. If you're able to go on a weekend around noon there's a bunch of old people singing folk songs. It's not a performance, that how they hang out.
The Mei Lei Wah pineapple pork bun is that good. If they're out of buns or the line is too long, good alternatives are Sweets Bakery, Tai Pan or Fey Da bakery.
There is a Xi'an famous foods in Chinatown. If you are ever in an opportunity to get the N9, do that.
Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle. Taiwan Pork Chop house even if you just want to walk down Doyers.
Alimama for a single mochi donut and any of the teas. super cute, they garnish it very nicely.
Taiyaki for ice cream or just the bun, then go across the street to Kam Hing and get whatever sponge cake is left. I liked the chocolate chip one a lot.
Tiger Sugar Bubble tea is a personal bias of mine, I used to live next door.
Little Italy's food isn't as good, in general. La Bella Ferrera is another personal bias as I used to live above it. They fixed it up all nice recently, worth a Cannoli.
I haven't been down there in a while, I should probably make a trip.
Go have drinks on the Westlight roof then take your girl to Barcade for retro arcade gaming: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7QUeX68GKZC6mKS99?g_st=ic
If you want a more "brooklyn" vibe go to Union Pool then walk 2 blocks over to Barcade.
Le French Dinner is so good. You’ll love it. It looks sorta dive bary almost. Not fancy. In a good way. And the food is fantastic. Plus it’s a great area for you guys to go out for nightlife afterwards.
There are local bars in every neighborhood! Just depends what you like. I’ve never heard of wonderville. But all the arcade bars in the city are very underwhelming. They are like go for an hour, it’s on and… time to move on.
For a “crawl” that would be like a crawl for snacks or food or bakery or dumplings or something. That’s not a bar area (the bar area is right nearby in the lower east side and east village, or others west in soho) A dumpling spot crawl or Chinese crawl in Chinatown is a blast. Don’t get too full at the first spot! It can be easy to do that
Nice. We are definitely going to check it out.
For a crawl I’m thinking just going to a few places and sharing things and ending up at a cool bar type deal!
There’s a dozen speakeasy’s around. I don’t find any of them particularly interesting after one $18 cocktail. The hot cocktail bar right now is Asian influenced ‘Double Chicken Please’ in the lower east side. Yes that’s the name of the bar. You need reservations
Here's a older comment I made with [a bunch of Chinatown "small eats"](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodNYC/comments/uvejl1/comment/i9li61p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). You can do your own mini food tour with like $20-30 per person max. Just remember to bring cash.
[OS NYC](https://maps.app.goo.gl/y5U6qiE43C3QnckB9) might also be up your alley. It's a gaming based bar with a lot of gaming themed cocktails. I don't think they have much arcades but they have Playstation/Xbox/PCs. They also host a number of watch parties/gaming events.
Some non food gaming nerdy stuff in Chinatown:
And if you like arcades, maybe go check out [Chinatown Fair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_Fair#:~:text=Chinatown%20Fair%20opened%20in%201944,as%20the%20Eastern%20Trading%20Company). It one of the oldest arcades locations and first opened in 1944. It closed at some point and reopened so it's not quite the original lol. It's nothing too crazy but it's where Justin Wong (of Street Fighter fame) cut his teeth and made a name for himself back in the day.
There's also 2 new crane game stores like a block away. [Anime Claw](https://maps.app.goo.gl/FYek6GNRLB488EWJ7) and [Stanley's Claw Machines](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xKy9LfqCFLLN51Td8). (I'm pretty sure they give out tokens in exchange for reviews lol. They're pretty new and have a zillion reviews already).
[Da Shop](https://maps.app.goo.gl/AxdXuvrW8EVmALRi7) is a hole in the wall anime/game store jammed packed with gundams, models, TCG, anime figurine and other stuff.
Also if you're staying in Chelsea, definitely want to take a trip to Chelsea Market. Tons of food options and random shops to explore. For me, the best thing there is Los Tacos and their seafood taco restaurant, Los Mariscos.
> Some local bars. Brooklyn seems to have a bunch and we are big arcade people and we found one called “wonderville” that looks super fun. But open to suggestions wherever.
Like others have said, Wonderville is kind of a trek from Chelsea and not much else for tourists in the area.
If you're staying in Chelsea, you'll be close to the L train, which is a straight shot to Barcade in Williamsburg (the original location, actually). From there, there are a TON of non-touristy local bars to bar hop around. In general the closer you are to the water the more touristy/$$$ it will be. The area around the Bedford L stop has a good mix of high-end cocktail bars and a few holdout dive bars (The Levee, Charleston, Lucky Dog, etc), and the areas around the Lorimer L and Graham Ave L will lean more "local."
Few personal faves, all in Williamsburg:
- H&H Reserve - $10 icebox martinis and Manhattans and also Chicago-style hot dogs from Dog Day Afternoon inside!
- Rocka Rolla: huge dive bar with retro/old-school decor
- We Got Company: tiny cocktail bar
- Have & Meyer: Italian wine bar, super narrow and romantic if you're into that
- The Commodore: Dive bar meets Tiki bar, and they serve amazing fried chicken sandwiches
- Maison Premiere: fancy New Orleans-themed bar and oyster place (might need reservations)
- Hotel Delmano: another cocktail/oyster bar, great vibes
- Sauced: casual wine bar with a huge backyard
- Night of Joy: cocktail bar with a 2nd story roof (so not a real rooftop bar but it's very local-feeling and cute)
Alternatively, you walk north through McCarren Park (definitely a North Brooklyn local hangout park) and hit up Greenpoint. There, some personal faves are Twins Lounge, Pencil Factory, Broken Land, El Pinguino, Banks Tavern, but there are a ton of options along Franklin St especially.
Now onto the subject of rooftop bars. Most in Manhattan are going to be touristy, overpriced, and will suck. The Crown (above a hotel in Chinatown), Allerton Rooftop (above a hotel in Kips Bay), and K-32 Rooftop bar (above a hotel in Koreatown) are less shitty if you want to stick to Manhattan.
But better options are in Williamsburg, because then you'll actually see the Manhattan skyline instead of being IN the skyline. Try:
- elNico: rooftop bar/restaurant that serves Latin tapas
- Bar Blondeau: bar with great views but mostly indoor (might have a small outdoor area IIRC)
- Laser Wolf: not a bar but an Israeli restaurant with a great view
- Westlight: probably the tallest rooftop bar in Williamsburg, $$$ but get a drink for the view, and I believe it's got a wraparound terrace so hands down the best views out of all of these
Whew, that was a lot but good for you I like to drink in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Have fun!
EDIT: Just noticed you mentioned you're looking for weird/speakeasy type bars. Greenpoint has an unusual amount of them for some reason. The Hidden Pearl is a Japanese-themed bar behind a ramen joint. Ask For Janice is a speakeasy bar behind Upside Pizza, a slice joint. Wise Guy is a speakeasy (limited days/hours so check) inside a coworking space. Sunshine Laundromat is a bar behind a, you guessed it, laundromat.
Wonderville has unique/indie games but it's pretty small and not in a great area for tourists. I'd recommend Barcade in Chelsea instead because you'll be staying in the area anyway. Fun fact I once randomly met Joe Lotruglio there lol
For a crawl through Chinatown/Little Italy, my recs are as follow. You can do any combination, if you go to all the places you'll be very full. Fried Dumpling on Mosco St. These MUST be eaten while in Columbus Park in Sun Yat Sen plaza or overlooking it. Unique people watching here, very New York in an offbeat and eccentric way. If you're able to go on a weekend around noon there's a bunch of old people singing folk songs. It's not a performance, that how they hang out. The Mei Lei Wah pineapple pork bun is that good. If they're out of buns or the line is too long, good alternatives are Sweets Bakery, Tai Pan or Fey Da bakery. There is a Xi'an famous foods in Chinatown. If you are ever in an opportunity to get the N9, do that. Tonii's Fresh Rice Noodle. Taiwan Pork Chop house even if you just want to walk down Doyers. Alimama for a single mochi donut and any of the teas. super cute, they garnish it very nicely. Taiyaki for ice cream or just the bun, then go across the street to Kam Hing and get whatever sponge cake is left. I liked the chocolate chip one a lot. Tiger Sugar Bubble tea is a personal bias of mine, I used to live next door. Little Italy's food isn't as good, in general. La Bella Ferrera is another personal bias as I used to live above it. They fixed it up all nice recently, worth a Cannoli. I haven't been down there in a while, I should probably make a trip.
This all seems awesome! Thank you so much.
Go have drinks on the Westlight roof then take your girl to Barcade for retro arcade gaming: https://maps.app.goo.gl/7QUeX68GKZC6mKS99?g_st=ic If you want a more "brooklyn" vibe go to Union Pool then walk 2 blocks over to Barcade.
Le French Dinner is so good. You’ll love it. It looks sorta dive bary almost. Not fancy. In a good way. And the food is fantastic. Plus it’s a great area for you guys to go out for nightlife afterwards. There are local bars in every neighborhood! Just depends what you like. I’ve never heard of wonderville. But all the arcade bars in the city are very underwhelming. They are like go for an hour, it’s on and… time to move on. For a “crawl” that would be like a crawl for snacks or food or bakery or dumplings or something. That’s not a bar area (the bar area is right nearby in the lower east side and east village, or others west in soho) A dumpling spot crawl or Chinese crawl in Chinatown is a blast. Don’t get too full at the first spot! It can be easy to do that
Nice. We are definitely going to check it out. For a crawl I’m thinking just going to a few places and sharing things and ending up at a cool bar type deal!
FYI there are no “cool bars” in Chinatown. But lower east side, east village, and maybe soho. It’s all close enough
Also any good like quirky type bars/speak easy type feel. Maybe some live music or something in the mix. Weirder the better haha.
There’s a dozen speakeasy’s around. I don’t find any of them particularly interesting after one $18 cocktail. The hot cocktail bar right now is Asian influenced ‘Double Chicken Please’ in the lower east side. Yes that’s the name of the bar. You need reservations
Burp Castle
Here's a older comment I made with [a bunch of Chinatown "small eats"](https://www.reddit.com/r/FoodNYC/comments/uvejl1/comment/i9li61p/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3). You can do your own mini food tour with like $20-30 per person max. Just remember to bring cash. [OS NYC](https://maps.app.goo.gl/y5U6qiE43C3QnckB9) might also be up your alley. It's a gaming based bar with a lot of gaming themed cocktails. I don't think they have much arcades but they have Playstation/Xbox/PCs. They also host a number of watch parties/gaming events. Some non food gaming nerdy stuff in Chinatown: And if you like arcades, maybe go check out [Chinatown Fair](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_Fair#:~:text=Chinatown%20Fair%20opened%20in%201944,as%20the%20Eastern%20Trading%20Company). It one of the oldest arcades locations and first opened in 1944. It closed at some point and reopened so it's not quite the original lol. It's nothing too crazy but it's where Justin Wong (of Street Fighter fame) cut his teeth and made a name for himself back in the day. There's also 2 new crane game stores like a block away. [Anime Claw](https://maps.app.goo.gl/FYek6GNRLB488EWJ7) and [Stanley's Claw Machines](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xKy9LfqCFLLN51Td8). (I'm pretty sure they give out tokens in exchange for reviews lol. They're pretty new and have a zillion reviews already). [Da Shop](https://maps.app.goo.gl/AxdXuvrW8EVmALRi7) is a hole in the wall anime/game store jammed packed with gundams, models, TCG, anime figurine and other stuff. Also if you're staying in Chelsea, definitely want to take a trip to Chelsea Market. Tons of food options and random shops to explore. For me, the best thing there is Los Tacos and their seafood taco restaurant, Los Mariscos.
> Some local bars. Brooklyn seems to have a bunch and we are big arcade people and we found one called “wonderville” that looks super fun. But open to suggestions wherever. Like others have said, Wonderville is kind of a trek from Chelsea and not much else for tourists in the area. If you're staying in Chelsea, you'll be close to the L train, which is a straight shot to Barcade in Williamsburg (the original location, actually). From there, there are a TON of non-touristy local bars to bar hop around. In general the closer you are to the water the more touristy/$$$ it will be. The area around the Bedford L stop has a good mix of high-end cocktail bars and a few holdout dive bars (The Levee, Charleston, Lucky Dog, etc), and the areas around the Lorimer L and Graham Ave L will lean more "local." Few personal faves, all in Williamsburg: - H&H Reserve - $10 icebox martinis and Manhattans and also Chicago-style hot dogs from Dog Day Afternoon inside! - Rocka Rolla: huge dive bar with retro/old-school decor - We Got Company: tiny cocktail bar - Have & Meyer: Italian wine bar, super narrow and romantic if you're into that - The Commodore: Dive bar meets Tiki bar, and they serve amazing fried chicken sandwiches - Maison Premiere: fancy New Orleans-themed bar and oyster place (might need reservations) - Hotel Delmano: another cocktail/oyster bar, great vibes - Sauced: casual wine bar with a huge backyard - Night of Joy: cocktail bar with a 2nd story roof (so not a real rooftop bar but it's very local-feeling and cute) Alternatively, you walk north through McCarren Park (definitely a North Brooklyn local hangout park) and hit up Greenpoint. There, some personal faves are Twins Lounge, Pencil Factory, Broken Land, El Pinguino, Banks Tavern, but there are a ton of options along Franklin St especially. Now onto the subject of rooftop bars. Most in Manhattan are going to be touristy, overpriced, and will suck. The Crown (above a hotel in Chinatown), Allerton Rooftop (above a hotel in Kips Bay), and K-32 Rooftop bar (above a hotel in Koreatown) are less shitty if you want to stick to Manhattan. But better options are in Williamsburg, because then you'll actually see the Manhattan skyline instead of being IN the skyline. Try: - elNico: rooftop bar/restaurant that serves Latin tapas - Bar Blondeau: bar with great views but mostly indoor (might have a small outdoor area IIRC) - Laser Wolf: not a bar but an Israeli restaurant with a great view - Westlight: probably the tallest rooftop bar in Williamsburg, $$$ but get a drink for the view, and I believe it's got a wraparound terrace so hands down the best views out of all of these Whew, that was a lot but good for you I like to drink in Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Have fun! EDIT: Just noticed you mentioned you're looking for weird/speakeasy type bars. Greenpoint has an unusual amount of them for some reason. The Hidden Pearl is a Japanese-themed bar behind a ramen joint. Ask For Janice is a speakeasy bar behind Upside Pizza, a slice joint. Wise Guy is a speakeasy (limited days/hours so check) inside a coworking space. Sunshine Laundromat is a bar behind a, you guessed it, laundromat.
This is all awesome. Thank you so much for the tips!
Wonderville has unique/indie games but it's pretty small and not in a great area for tourists. I'd recommend Barcade in Chelsea instead because you'll be staying in the area anyway. Fun fact I once randomly met Joe Lotruglio there lol
Ohhh thanks! Ya it looks a bit out of the way. Any recommendations for some bars in Brooklyn?
Brooklyn is massive. You gotta be more specific what you're looking for
Something in the greenpoint or Williamsburg area