Sunburnt Cow | Loisida, 137 Avenue C between E 8th St. & E 9th St. @thesunburntcow
Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4.5
Their all-you-can-drink offer for brunch is really dangerous, but worth it. Where else in Manhattan can you find a deal this sweet? They don’t “kick you out” but they will ask you to move to the bar to allow others to have a table.
The food is fantastic and the atmosphere is electric but laid back - just what to expect from an Australian spot. Don’t cross the bartender and make friends with your neighbors, you’ll be there a while!
Beware: CASH ONLY, get there before they open or you’ll be waiting a while, don’t drink too much - you still have to get through the rest of the day
The Porch | Loisida, 115 Avenue C between E 7th St. & E 8th St.
Drink strength: 3
Overall: 3.5
While this bar is in a strange neighborhood, it has some personality. Grab a drink at the bar downstairs and trek up the stairs for comfy couches and a real fire. The music is fantastic - I was moved to dance when I was there.
Zum Schneider Restaurant and Biergarten | Loisida, 107 Avenue C at E 7th St.
Drink strength: n/a
Overall: 3
“ZUMSCHNEIDER” was our call on the walk to this banker beer bar … but it must be said with a burly voice with a Bavarian accent or it’s no good. No liquor here and they only take cash. It was quite packed, too. … and, dude, they have a foosball table.
Hundred Acres | SoHo, 38 MacDougal Street between Prince St. and W Houston St.
Drink strength: 3.5
Overall: 4
Don’t get the oyster in your bloody mary - they don’t shuck them well and shooting it turned out to be a very unenjoyable experience because I didn’t want to swallow the shell that had joined the oyster in my mouth. Definitely get the grilled cheese - everyone at my table was trying to steal it and for a good reason! Make sure you request any appetizers come BEFORE the meal because this is apparently a tough concept to grasp for their wait staff.
Though this is more of a restaurant than a bar, you can easily meet the people sitting next to you who are drunk at 11 a.m. when they sing in your ear.
Max Brenner | Union Square, 841 Broadway between E 13th St and E 14th St.
Drink strength: 2.5
Overall: 3
The food here is pretty good but it feels very commercial. Expect to wait for a table for a while. They have chocolate beer and really ridiculously good desserts. Sadly, their chocolates are tres expensive so don’t even bother with them.
Angel’s Share | NoHo, 8 Stuyvesant St. between 3rd Ave and E 9th (it’s a small cross street)
Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4
This place is a gem of a swanky bar. Tucked inside a run-down restaurant, it is very small. With a huge mural of angels above the bar, don’t be fooled, they have some ridiculously strict rules.
#1 - you can’t stand around waiting for a chair or table, you have to wait outside
#2 - everyone at the table has to order at least one drink
#3 - cash only (I think)
The Back Room | Lower East Side, 102 Norfolk St. between Delancey St. & Rivington St.
DO NOT WEAR FUR … they won’t let you in! I’d love to share more about my experience, but my friend had a fur collar and I had a coat with a LOT of feathers so we were turned away. BUT I have heard that it is LITERALLY a back room and you travel through an underground tunnel of sorts to get in. I look forward to trying to go back … fur and featherless.
Momofuku | Lower East Side
Drink strength: 4
Overall: 4.5
This place was bananas. From the mind of David Chang to the streets of New York, this is some of the best food I’ve had in a while. There was a really long wait but it was so worth it. You can order drinks while you wait - I recommend the ginger slushy drink (it was incredibly delicious and wasn’t like anything I’ve ever had). Try the soy eggs and pork buns and leave the tamales. Share the ramen - it’s huge.
It’s community seating so make sure you go in small groups.
Milk Bar | Lower East Side, 207 2nd Ave between E 12th St. & E 13th St.
Another David Chang creation, it is the home of the Compost Cookie and Crack Pie that have Anderson Cooper all a-twitter (pun intended). After you wait in the line that goes out the door at all hours, grab a beer and a slice of the exorbitantly expensive (but worth it) pie, and grab a cookie to go.
You can also order food from Momofuku Ssam Bar for less than in the restaurant … and avoid the wait (somewhat).
Jadis | Lower East Side, 42 Rivington St. between Forsyth St. & Eldridge St.
Drink strength: n/a
Overall: 3
Cute wine bar with some interesting folks, we sat at a table with two older ladies on one side and two young people on the other with mohawks. Definitely try the food - especially the truffle risotto bites and the bacon-wrapped scallops (sad to say, it’s frozen food, but still good).
Ippudo
Killer sangria, fun bartenders, and really great pork buns
Freeman’s | Lower East Side
Drink strength: 3
Overall: 4.5
The.food.is.amazing. Sadly, I don’t remember EXACTLY what I had due to my many drinks before dinner, but I remember that it was really DAMN good.
Verlaine | Lower East Side
Drink Strength: 4
Overall: 4.2
Happy Hour until 10 p.m. (I remember something about a lychee martini … maybe I should up the drink strength!)
Cielo Bar @ The Four Seasons St. Louis To see and be seen? Maybe, but this beautiful destination is all about location, location, location. The scene is more important than being seen in this case. Cielo Bar, located on the 8th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, offers a memorable view of the Gateway Arch and the city skyline. The hotel pool and restaurant are also located on the floor. Yes the drinks are expensive. It’s The Four Seasons. What did you expect? Don’t lose the forest from the trees. This is quite possibly the best view in the city and the bar staff know how to make a solid libation. The bar snacks are very good as well and they’re free! Does that make up for the $7 Bud Lights? There’s only one way to find out. 
