drink-n-talk about deep things
November 27, 2010 12:56 PM Subscribe
manhattan filter: whats a good public place (pub/diner etc) to sit and have a long, deep, nuanced talk for at least 2 hours with a friend? Near columbia U. would be nice. Beer needed, food a plus.
Diners tend to be too open, not private enough. Bars and pubs tend to have really loud music and are not at all great for subtle and nuanced speech to be heard.
We'd like to be out in public, near drink and perhaps something to nosh on if we get hungry. We plan to talk for about 2 hours if not longer, so the establishment also cant get too impatient with us.
Any ideas? A pub seems ideal, but i'm not someone who goes out to pubs on a regular basis, and I dont want any loud music blasting in our ears.
Willing to go into midtown or downtown if the place is ideal, but something near Columbia U. would be better.
Diners tend to be too open, not private enough. Bars and pubs tend to have really loud music and are not at all great for subtle and nuanced speech to be heard.
We'd like to be out in public, near drink and perhaps something to nosh on if we get hungry. We plan to talk for about 2 hours if not longer, so the establishment also cant get too impatient with us.
Any ideas? A pub seems ideal, but i'm not someone who goes out to pubs on a regular basis, and I dont want any loud music blasting in our ears.
Willing to go into midtown or downtown if the place is ideal, but something near Columbia U. would be better.
Response by poster: Thanks, yea, abbey was one of my fallback choices I guess. Hard to get a booth there sometimes though.
anything else?
posted by jak68 at 1:03 PM on November 27, 2010
anything else?
posted by jak68 at 1:03 PM on November 27, 2010
I'm a big fan of the Fig & Olive. If you go to the one that's in Midtown near Rockerfeller Center and not the Meatpacking District, it can be fairly comfy and really very nice to have a convo. Plus the food is divine.
posted by patronuscharms at 1:06 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by patronuscharms at 1:06 PM on November 27, 2010 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I guess I used to go there on weeknights. Haven't lived there for a few years so don't have too many ideas that are still relevant.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:07 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:07 PM on November 27, 2010
What's your price range, and what day/time of day are you thinking of? Bars and pubs around the city don't get loud and crowded until 10 or so on weekends, and weeknights tend to be pretty quiet no matter what.
Revival is great for sitting and talking (on weeknights; gets a bit crowded on weekends). Yaffa Cafe is more restaurant/less bar-y, but still has beer and wine. Both are comfortable in a shabby way, have low lighting, nice gardens in the back if it's warm enough to sit outside, and won't kick you out ever. They're both vaguely East Village, but I live near Columbia and the 123 --> NQR to that area doesn't take much more than half an hour.
Peculier Pub might be too grungey for your purposes, but it's very easy to get a private table on weeknights and early on weekend nights, they won't be pushy, and if you're in the back, it's not too loud. You can take the 1 to Christopher Street or the A to West 4th.
posted by oinopaponton at 1:08 PM on November 27, 2010
Revival is great for sitting and talking (on weeknights; gets a bit crowded on weekends). Yaffa Cafe is more restaurant/less bar-y, but still has beer and wine. Both are comfortable in a shabby way, have low lighting, nice gardens in the back if it's warm enough to sit outside, and won't kick you out ever. They're both vaguely East Village, but I live near Columbia and the 123 --> NQR to that area doesn't take much more than half an hour.
Peculier Pub might be too grungey for your purposes, but it's very easy to get a private table on weeknights and early on weekend nights, they won't be pushy, and if you're in the back, it's not too loud. You can take the 1 to Christopher Street or the A to West 4th.
posted by oinopaponton at 1:08 PM on November 27, 2010
Around Columbia? Symposium, Pisticci's, Max Cafe (not Max Soha, which tends to be loud as heck), and so on. The former two are more food joints, but Symposium is wonderfully cozy and family-like and you could share a pitcher of Sangria, and Pisticci's is a little 'nicer' but still great for conversation.
UWS -- Hummus Place is also a food joint, but also wonderful for drinking/snacking/talking, and Edgar Cafe, although a tiny bit overwrought with its 'Hey! Poe!' sensibility, has been usually pretty empty and talkable whenever I've been there.
posted by suedehead at 1:47 PM on November 27, 2010
UWS -- Hummus Place is also a food joint, but also wonderful for drinking/snacking/talking, and Edgar Cafe, although a tiny bit overwrought with its 'Hey! Poe!' sensibility, has been usually pretty empty and talkable whenever I've been there.
posted by suedehead at 1:47 PM on November 27, 2010
The Ding Dong Lounge (105th and Columbus) is cheap and private if you sit at one of the window seats. They won't care if you're there for two hours or two days. However, if you go past a certain time (probably 9:00 PM or so) the music will be loud. There's food right next door and I think they're pretty cool about letting outside food in. It's really divey but has a good character.
posted by amicamentis at 1:58 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by amicamentis at 1:58 PM on November 27, 2010
Burp Castle is a pub with a "quiet" policy - so definitely not too loud with music and boisterous crowds and such. They specialize in Belgian beers and have possibly the best-curated selection in the city. However, it's in the East Village, so not near Columbia at all.
I ate at the very Fig & Olive location patronuscharms mentioned about a week ago. Glorious. Though it's more of a wine place than a beer place, and it's a bit pricey. Also brightly lit - not a pub atmosphere at all.
I also agree with Hummus Place - haven't been to their UWS location, but the downtown versions are all great for this sort of thing.
posted by Sara C. at 2:00 PM on November 27, 2010
I ate at the very Fig & Olive location patronuscharms mentioned about a week ago. Glorious. Though it's more of a wine place than a beer place, and it's a bit pricey. Also brightly lit - not a pub atmosphere at all.
I also agree with Hummus Place - haven't been to their UWS location, but the downtown versions are all great for this sort of thing.
posted by Sara C. at 2:00 PM on November 27, 2010
I'm a big fan of Fred's on 83rd and Amsterdam. In the back left they have some couch-like seats. Also, pretty good food and beer. And the bartenders are great. It's almost always pleasant and never super-crowded.
posted by jourman2 at 2:43 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by jourman2 at 2:43 PM on November 27, 2010
Vareli at 111th & Broadway bills itself as a wine and cheese place, but the beer selection is decent and the food is reasonably priced. Spent several hours there a few months ago, sitting at a wine barrel-turned-table and catching up with an old friend, and it was perfect.
posted by rebekah at 5:40 PM on November 27, 2010
posted by rebekah at 5:40 PM on November 27, 2010
If you don't mind a trip down to the LES (yeah, I know you said around columbia, but I don't know the area), I'd recommend The Magician. No matter how busy the front area is, I've never run into trouble getting a seat at a back table. The price of beer there went up a little while ago to $6, but it is, all in all, a great bar.
Revival is good, although weekends can get crowded and if they still have couch surfing nights, it gets packed.
posted by Hactar at 10:40 PM on November 27, 2010
Revival is good, although weekends can get crowded and if they still have couch surfing nights, it gets packed.
posted by Hactar at 10:40 PM on November 27, 2010
Symposium on 113th between Broadway and Amsterdam, especially late afternoon. It's fantastic, and they don't care if you sit there all day.
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:15 AM on November 28, 2010
posted by thinkingwoman at 7:15 AM on November 28, 2010
Response by poster: thanks for the great tips everyone. I think symposium might be a good choice for me as well, i'll swing by and check it out.
Time/day is weekday/after-work. But its great to have this list for other times/days as well.
posted by jak68 at 9:43 AM on November 28, 2010
Time/day is weekday/after-work. But its great to have this list for other times/days as well.
posted by jak68 at 9:43 AM on November 28, 2010
Response by poster: p.s., abbey pub worked out *perfectly*. Couldnt have asked for a better setting for what we wanted. Talked for 2.5 hours in a booth over 2 beers each, and everything was perfect. Not too loud, not too crowded (tho after about 8pm it started to fill up, but didnt bother us), no loud music, and the staff pretty much left us alone. This was on a weekday evening after work.
posted by jak68 at 7:58 PM on December 1, 2010
posted by jak68 at 7:58 PM on December 1, 2010
Response by poster: even the lighting was perfect, not too light, not too dark.
posted by jak68 at 7:59 PM on December 1, 2010
posted by jak68 at 7:59 PM on December 1, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 1:02 PM on November 27, 2010