East Village Filter: Where to meet?

February 7, 2008 3:35 PM

I'd like to meet an old friend in the East Village on Saturday afternoon, but everywhere's become a bank!? What's a good place to meet that's not too loud, not too fancy, etc?

Bar or restaurant ok, though my friend doesn't drink (and I'll need to pop out for a cig).

posted by tingting to grab bag (14 comments total)

Clinton Street Baking Companyyyyyyyyyyyyyy.
posted by spec80 at 4:03 PM on February 7, 2008

Brunch at Prune.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 4:14 PM on February 7, 2008

On second thought- Prune is totally in the LES, not the East Village. I revise my answer- Veselka.
posted by Thin Lizzy at 4:16 PM on February 7, 2008

I haven't been in NY in a couple of years, but, assuming it's still open and hasn't changed (and I can't imagine it's capable of change), Mars Bar is about as "not too fancy" as a place can get. Not for the faint of heart, though.
posted by dersins at 4:20 PM on February 7, 2008

I like the 11th Street bar; they are very low-key, they had hot non-alcoholic cider last time I was there (weather pending I presume), and don't have food but don't seem to mind if you order some delivery.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 4:43 PM on February 7, 2008

...Or if you want food I had a decent meal at MaryAnn's last night. Frozen strawberry margarita was great.
posted by These Premises Are Alarmed at 4:45 PM on February 7, 2008

Veselka is fantastic.
posted by doift at 4:47 PM on February 7, 2008

I think Veselka is overrated. The food is decent but nothing special. Also, I wouldn't call it dirty per se but it's definitely a bit shabbier than I like my restaurants. My humble opinion.

Why Curry is a small, cute, excellent Thai restaurant on St. Marks between, I think, 1st and 2nd.
posted by sneakin at 5:28 PM on February 7, 2008

...and I recommend it (Why Curry) for a tasty meal and lowkey place. Not sure I posted before finishing the thought; sorry.
posted by sneakin at 5:29 PM on February 7, 2008

Love Veselka. It's always busy, so you *know* the food hasn't been sitting around and festering somewhere in kitchen walk-in. Their peirogies and kielbasa are quite good. They also have the most gianormous rice krispie treats I've ever witnessed. ;)
posted by dancinglamb at 6:44 PM on February 7, 2008

Clinton Street Baking Company serves the best brunch you will ever have in the entirety of your mortal existance. However, the wait to get in is usually an hour to an hour and a half on weekends. That's why you do what I do - talk to the hostess, put your name on the list, find out how long the wait is. Then you go across the street to Cocoa Bar and chill out with some of their amazing hot cocoa, and go back across the street to CSBC 15 mins before your table is ready. Once seated, you order the blueberry pancakes with a side order of sugar cured bacon. There are few pleasures in life greater than their blueberry pancakes and sugar cured bacon.

However this all requires quite the time commitment. If you are not ready to dedicate 2-3 hours to the gathering, I suggest checking out the B Cup Cafe, on Ave B near 13th Street. Believe me when I tell you that they're the last real coffee shop left in Alphabet City, ever since alt.coffee became the travesty known as Hopscotch. B Cup is the real deal - comfy couches, good music, good beverages, free wifi. I'm actually kinda hesitant to tell people about it for fear that it will become "discovered, " but there you have it.

And yes, both of these places are on the B side of the park, because the B side is where it's *at*
posted by Afroblanco at 8:12 PM on February 7, 2008

thank you everyone! Gotta love NYC!
posted by tingting at 5:33 AM on February 8, 2008

afterwards, you could come over to the meetup which is happening closeby!
posted by rmless at 6:34 AM on February 8, 2008

What time? Prune (EV) and Clinton St. (LES) have horrible waits. At least an hour on the weekends for two, if you show up after 9:30am. They both stop offering brunch around 4pm, the kitchen and the list will close before then so you may not even get in. Veselka is also quite crowded -- I met up there with a friend on a Saturday recently, and the line didn't budge for 20 minutes. Even then, all three places will have people giving you the evil eye if you linger.

I'm with Afroblanco, go to a real coffee shop where you can eat, relax, chat, and hang out. If B Cup doesn't work out, I also like Caffe Emilia, which somehow hasn't yet been colonized by the brunch crowds.
posted by kathryn at 7:59 AM on February 8, 2008