Dinner & Drinks: Union Square
With such a vast theatre scene in New York City, selecting the right show can be challenging. With an even more expansive selection of restaurants, deciding where to eat before the show can be just as difficult. We hope the “Dinner & Drinks” series helps to ease your minds as well as your stomachs by highlighting some great places for all sorts of pre and post-theatre eats, sweets, and liquid treats!
Highlighted Theatre: The Vineyard Theatre, DR2 Theatre, Union Square Theater
Surrounding Neighborhood: Union Square
To quote the character Marta from Stephen Sondheim’s Company, “14th Street is the center of the universe. That’s humanity, 14th Street! That’s everything.” Now maybe Marta is exaggerating just a bit, but she’s right that 14th Street, and the surrounding area of Union Square does have just about everything a person could want. There are parks, restaurants, galleries, bars, and even theatres in this mini-metropolis. Just a few blocks away from the street performers, and the hoard of NYU students are three fabulous Off Broadway theatres in the heart of one of New York’s most vibrant cultural pockets.
Union Square is the home to The Vineyard Theatre: a “non-profit theatre company dedicated to new work, bold programming, and the support of artists,” the Union Square Theatre: a popular rental space currently housing the smash hit The 39 Steps, and DR2 Theatre: a two-space complex that currently hosts the experiential movement piece Wayra: Fuerza Bruta as well as The Irish Repertory Theatre. And the cuisine that surrounds these artistic institutions is just as varied and excellent. With so many entertainment and restaurant options, it’s hard to go wrong!
BLUE WATER GRILL — $$$
31 Union Square West
Elegant night out. Sensational seafood. In the heart of Union Square.
“Award-winning Blue Water Grill restaurant has delivered top seafood, sushi, scene and jazz to Union Square for almost two decades. Blue Water Grill’s former bank digs separate the front bar area, main dining room and jazz room, making it well suited to take all types, from nearby NYU overachievers to Grill regulars. This New York seafood & sushi restaurant is perfect for jazz resonance, outdoor seating and people watching in Union Square.”
ROSA MEXICANO — $$ — $$$
9 East 18th Street
Fancy Mexican feasts. Classy atmosphere. Get the guac!
“When we opened the first Rosa Mexicano in 1984, New York Magazine applauded us for introducing New Yorkers to a “hitherto unfamiliar, elevated version of Mexican cuisine.” Today, we continue to redefine expectations nationwide with our authentic Mexican cooking, stylish spaces and festive atmosphere. All of our award-winning dishes remain faithful to their traditional roots while incorporating regional accents and inspired innovation. You’ll know just what we’re talking about when you try our Pomegranate Margaritas or Guacamole en Molcajete, made in a traditional lava-rock mortar and prepared tableside.”
BROTHER JIMMY’S BBQ — $$
116 E 16th Street
Good ol’ Southern cookin’. Relaxed atmosphere. Fun night out!
“Put Some South in Yo’ Mouth” — Brother Jimmy’s mission was, and still is, to bring “down-home” cooking, hospitality and merriment to the heart of the Northeast … By opening in Manhattan’s most popular neighborhoods, Brother Jimmy’s found a home in the hearts of New Yorkers. It has become the restaurant in NYC that reminded Southerners what good ‘ol Southern hospitality was all about and showed Northerners just what they’d been missing all these years.”
TARALLUCCI E VINO — $$ — $$$
15 E 18th Street
Authentic Italian. Semi-casual dining experience. Share great food with great friends.
“Tarallucci e Vino adheres to the Italian ideal of high quality, sustainable, seasonal food, sourced locally and prepared to highlight the natural beauty of the products. Our menus rotate with the seasons, using crops from the neighboring farmer’s market and from our network of local purveyors. Our exceptional wines reflect our program’s commitment to small-batch, family-run vineyards in Italy, including some grapes that are to be found nowhere else in the US.”
DOS TOROS — $
137 4th Avenue
Quick and easy. Forget Chipotle. On the go dining.
“Dos Toros started with Leo and Oliver Kremer, two brothers from the San Francisco Bay Area.” For the Chipotle fans out there, it’s time to reconsider. Dos Toros brings California-style burritos, tacos, etc. to the east coast, and is the only place of this ilk that will hold up to west coast standards of quick Mexican food. Get the smoky hot sauce on your burrito, you won’t regret it.
THE GREY DOG — $
90 University Place
Excellent casual dining. Delicious coffee and desserts. Sandwiches, soups, salads, and more!
With a handful of locations throughout the city, Grey Dog is a popular café and restaurant amongst New Yorkers. Get a sandwich, soup, or salad combo if that is what you are craving. Their menu boasts some of the best comfort food in the city, just like mom used to make. Their coffee is hard to beat, and don’t even get me started on their fudge brownies.
CASA MONO — $$
52 Irving Place
Spanish tapas. Charming intimate atmosphere. Light eats and post-theatre treats.
“Casa Mono is a tapas bar-restaurant inspired by the cooking of Spain’s Costa Brava. Executive Chef Andy Nusser, who grew up in the fishing village of Cadaqués along Spain’s Costa Brava, has reimagined classic dishes with an affinity for adventurous proteins like sweetbreads, cockscombs, and pig’s feet. Dishes are various as Razor Clams a la Plancha and Bone Marrow with Tomato Jam and Pickled Sandía have garnered a cult following.”
PIERRE LOTI — $$ — $$$
53 Irving Place
Rated one of the best wine bars in NYC. Intimate and ambient dining & drinking space. Robust wine selection and delicious tapas too.
“Pierre Loti features a generous and seasonally changing selection of over 30 red, white, rose and sparkling wines by the glass. By the bottle, there are always over 200 selections from France and around the Mediterranean. Pierre Loti delivers a wine friendly, Mediterranean inspired menu that includes ingredients hand-picked from local producers and farmers markets every morning, as well as assorted cheese plates, charcuterie, chocolates and truffles.”
To check out the rest of our Dinner & Drinks Series, click here.
