Sat 12 Sep
Five New York rooms you can sit in tonight.
Saturday is the hardest night of the week, so tonight is all door. Not one of these five needs a booking, and two are four blocks apart in the West Village, so one covers the other.
We never hold, resell or book a table. Availability moves minute to minute, so go early rather than late.
Bar Pisellino
West Village
A curved marble bar under warm light, where a negroni, some spuntini and a dolce make dinner. Rita Sodi and Jody Williams built it for lingering, on a tree-lined corner by Christopher Park.
walk in — they take no reservations at all
Their own site, loaded at midday: "no reservations", open every day 8am to 11pm.
Bar Kabawa
East Village
A small Caribbean daiquiri and wine bar on Extra Place, dark and low, with patties and a raw bar. Short list, short menu, and the counter is where two people should sit.
walk in — they keep seats back for the door
Their own site: "While we do offer reservations each night, we save room for walk-ins too." Open Saturday 5:30pm to 12am.
Hotel Delmano
Williamsburg
Antique mirrors, candles and a marble bar that curls through two rooms, with oysters, tartare and a hundred wines. It is the darkest room on this list and the one to stay in late.
walk in — there is no booking page to use
Their own site lists Saturday hours of 2pm to 2am and carries no booking page or reservation link anywhere. Food here is a raw bar and small plates, not a full dinner.
Bar Vinazo
Park Slope
A Spanish wine bar with a 14-seat bar and a back garden, pouring sherry and vermouth by the glass. Tinned fish, tortilla and a room that rewards sitting for two hours.
walk in — the bar and part of the garden are first come
Their own site: "Our 14 seat bar and a portion of our back garden are available for walk-in diners on a first-come-first-served basis." Saturday 3pm to 11pm. The garden is uncovered and unheated. We are not linking their site tonight because it has been taken over by someone else. The room is fine.
Anton's
West Village
A cosy dining room in an 1850s Greek-revival house on Hudson Street, with a bar and a sidewalk patio. Unhurried, old-school, and four blocks from Bar Pisellino if this door is full.
walk in — they hold room for the door every night
Their own site: "We're a neighborhood restaurant at heart, and we always reserve room for walk-in guests." Open every day 11am to 11pm.
None of these work tonight? Tell us what does — $12.
Your party, your neighborhood, your hour. One person researches tonight and sends three to five rooms with the way in, under 10 minutes.
One of these five keeps no book, so there is no page to send you to. That is the point of it.
That’s tonight. Coat, keys, go.