bacaronyc.com

Tucked away on the most southern street of the Lower East Side, this new hip and quaint destination is welcome and already well-frequented. Local creatives crowd the bacaro, or tavern in Italian, to meet for the cicchetti, Venetian style tapas, like the satisfying Pasta e Fasioi (pasta and bean soup), the surprisingly tasty Carciofi e Breasola (artichoke and beef), and the favorite Gnocchi con Funghi in a brown butter. The wine list boasts more than a hundred Italian wines listed by type and region. The two-level establishment is split with the street-level bar and tables downstairs, with low-beam ceilings and stone- and brick-vaulted walls. Like traditional bacaros, the ambiance is very neighborhoody: simple, dark, and elegant in its candlelit cavernous enclaves. Most large tables are shared, which lends a congenial surprise to a dinner out with friends: the opportunity to meet new ones.

136 Division Street    +212.941.5060