where to eat near washington square park?

November 12, 2006 3:20 PM

i'm looking for a relatively nice yet inexpensive restaurant that is walking distance from the nyu torch club. "located on Waverly Place between Greene St. and Mercer St. in Greenwich Village." it will be for a business meeting and yes i know the torch club has their own dining room but i am looking for something else. Thank you!
posted by Paleoindian to food & drink (13 comments total)

What kind of food do you prefer, define inexpensive and how many people will be dining? What sort of business meeting is this?
posted by lia at 3:28 PM on November 12, 2006

I should mention that this will be on a weekday between 8 and 10pm.
posted by Paleoindian at 3:29 PM on November 12, 2006

two people, not more than $25 a plate. it will be an informal interview to gather information for a paper.
posted by Paleoindian at 3:31 PM on November 12, 2006

Oh, and "walking distance" is very different to New Yorkers than it is to visitors, so is anyone from out of town? I'll walk more than a mile to dinner and back and think nothing of it, but probably wouldn't do the same with guests around.
posted by lia at 3:31 PM on November 12, 2006

Le Gamin on Houston (between MacDougal and Sullivan) and Ino on Bedford (between 6th and Downing) are both very nice and will feed you so well under your budget that you'll forget you're actually eating on the cheap. The former is a bistro and cafe, the latter a cafe and wine bar; both have delicious desserts and good coffee, in case dinner runs long.
posted by lia at 3:54 PM on November 12, 2006

Otto, on 5th Ave and 8th St, is just a short hop through Washington Square. Classy place co-owned by Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich.

The Knickerbocker Bar and Grill is a bit of a steakhouse/jazz club kind of place. I've always walked by and thought "oh, business-y type people in there."

Cornelia St. Cafe is a bit further, but still really nice.
posted by The Michael The at 4:24 PM on November 12, 2006

Village on 9th Street is perfect.
posted by mattbucher at 5:12 PM on November 12, 2006

wow, this place looks great! thanks for the tip.
posted by Paleoindian at 6:33 PM on November 12, 2006

"this place" being Village
posted by Paleoindian at 6:35 PM on November 12, 2006

Paleoindian, maybe you didn't notice, but the Village website says the average cost is $35/plate, and it's easy to go over that.

The Knickerbocker seems slightly less, although it's still quite possible to go over.

You might just want to walk up, say, University Place, and see what sounds good to everyone -- all the restaurants along there have menus in their windows. Some are a bit diner-ish, while others are trendier.

How far are you willing/able to walk? Union Square, say?
posted by booksandlibretti at 7:24 PM on November 12, 2006

the Village website says the average cost is $35/plate

The $28.50 prix fixe is pretty close to the $25 range the poster suggested and the atmosphere is a lot more appropriate for a business dinner than some diner on University. Japonica on University is one of the better places for a business dinner, but it's more expensive than Village.
posted by mattbucher at 7:37 PM on November 12, 2006

It's okay, mattbucher, you still have your shiny marked-as-best-answer. Sheesh. I just wanted to make sure Paleoindian realized it wouldn't be the "not more than $25 a plate" he specifically requested -- and, yes, there are nice places on University as well as the diner-ish ones.
posted by booksandlibretti at 7:46 PM on November 12, 2006

One thing to think about is noise level, since you say it's a business meeting. Village, at rush times (which is when you'd be there), is incredibly loud, IIRC. You probably don't want to have to YELL at each other for two hours, so you might want to make conversationability a priority in order to encourage a successful business meeting. Also, make sure you can get a seat. Many's the good vibe that's been stretched to the breaking point whilst traipsing, ever more dispiritedly, from place to place, trying to find room for one's party. Make a reservation, to avoid that particular torture.
posted by MaudB at 11:55 PM on November 12, 2006