Dante has been part of New York City's fabric since 1915, when the bar first opened its doors and began attracting Italian immigrants.
Over the last century, it has evolved into one of the city's most celebrated spots. In 2019, The World's 50 Best Bars named it the best bar on the planet, not bad for a place that's now officially a New York City landmark.
After a month of travel in Italy and Spain, I left Barcelona for New York City to visit family and friends and try a few new bars. Day one began at 11 a.m. in Greenwich Village when I showed up at Dante's door.
Walking inside this popular and historic NYC bar in downtown Manhattan, I was immediately struck by the attractive white tiling. The floor and white ceiling are from the original Caffe Dante.
The decor gave the space a light, airy feeling, making me less self-conscious about going for a drink before noon on a weekday.
Behind one counter were shelves of Italian liquors, including Campari and Aperol, with which I've only recently become acquainted.
Campari is a critical ingredient in the Negroni cocktail, and Dante NYC offers a special Negroni Sessions happy hour menu from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
The walls are adorned with photos of the former owners and famous actors, singers, and writers who frequented the bar, including Ernest Hemingway, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, and Al Pacino.
I sat at Dante's bar and immediately struck up a conversation with the affable bartender.
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Dante's Garibaldi
He asked if I'd ever tried a Garibaldi ($13), which I hadn't. This simple, refreshing, and colorful cocktail contains just two ingredients: Campari and fresh orange juice.
An entire peeled orange is fed into a Breville juicer, which spins rapidly to produce "fluffy orange juice." Mistaking the resulting texture for egg whites would be easy.
I tried the standard Negroni and a Negroni Sbagliato in Italy and returned feeling that Campari wasn't for me. However, it makes a delicious drink when paired with fresh orange juice.
I was enjoying myself so much that I stayed for a second drink.
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Rosalio Spritz
Cocktail number two of the day was a Rosalio Spritz ($14), made with:
- Italicus
- Cabeza Tequila
- Vanilla Yogurt
- Prosecco
- Lemon
Another winner! And as with the Garibaldi, it felt apropos for a morning cocktail.
The breakfast menu offers a nice variety of small plates, from museli and avocado toast to a spinach bowl and poached eggs with prosciutto. I chose the banana bread with ricotta and honey ($6).
Before I knew it, an hour had passed. I could easily have stayed for a lunch of handmade pasta and a cup of espresso, but I had many more bars to check out.
I highly recommend stopping into Dante for breakfast, lunch, aperitivo hour, or dinner to try their award-winning Garibaldi and other world-class cocktails.
Visit Dante NYC
- Address: 79-81 Macdougal Street, New York City
- Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to late
- Dress: Casual
- To view current menus and make reservations, visit the website.
