THE guide to a NYC bar crawl where your tini’s icy, Caesar’s crisp, and the fries are always hot
There’s a particular kind of pleasure in the ritual: the sting of an ice-cold martini, a plate of salty, blistered fries still steaming and a perfectly dressed Caesar salad. Girl dinner–it’s rich, it’s clean, it’s chic, it’s just so New York. Because if there’s one thing New York does better than anywhere else, it’s turning a plate of fries into a reservation. Sometimes off the menu but never off the record, this particular order–martini, fries, Caesar–has quietly become a signature among women who know how to order well. And while it might look low-effort on plate, the address always says otherwise. From uptown institutions to candlelit downtown haunts, this is your definitive guide to the city’s swankiest spots for a grabbing girl dinner.
The Nines, NoHo
All plush lipstick-red velvet, dim and layered in jazz, the Nines is reminiscent of old New York. The space is anchored by a piano and lit like a music video from the 2000s. Everything here gleams, everything’s flirtatious. The staff are dressed in velvet jackets; the martinis are icy and exacting. The fries taste best paired with caviar, the Caesar with perfectly crunchy, dusted with salty parmesan shavings. There are a few places in New York where the drink in your hand feels as dressed up as you do. If you are headed out in your best heels, The Nines is the place to be.
Timings: Tue-Sat, 5pm-2am; Website
Hotel Chelsea Lobby Bar, Chelsea
At the cost of being over-referential, slinking into the restored Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea feels like slipping into pages of a Fitzgerald classic. It’s low-lit, velvet-heavy and just the right amount of odious. There’s truffle on the shoestring fries, crisp romaine in the Caesar, and the martini menu is the headline act. The 1884 is a silky house original, layered with lemony cedro and a whisper of vetiver. Their New York interaction of the Dukes Martini, poured table side, stirred-not-shaken, made with Tanqueray 10 or Ketel One, both kept in blocks of solid ice (“the koozie”), spiked with a touch of Maldon salt for extra snap. Patti Smith once lived upstairs at the hotel during her early years in the city, and while you might not stop by to write punk poetry, the Lobby Bar still draws the city’s quietly electric types: writers off deadlines, stylists off duty, that friend who always knows where to go next. It’s a little louche, a little lush, just how Fitzgerald might’ve done girl dinner.
Open daily, 11am-2am; Website
Cecchi’s, West Village
At Cecchi’s, Owner Michael Cecchi-Azzolina brings his old-school maitre d’ charm to a sultry supper club setting. It’s moodily lit, suavely mirrored and with leather flanked booths. Go for their ‘NYC Happy Meal’—a dry, cold classic martini with crisp fries, offered daily from 5pm to 6pm and again late-night. Like most places in New York, the ambience takes precedence over food at Cecchi’s. But the hospitality does not land flat, the maitre d’ would know your name, and you’d find Cecchi himself working the room.
Timings: Sun to Tues open 3pm to 10pm and Wed to Sat from 3pm to 11pm; Website
The Tusk Bar, NoMad
Housed in the Evelyn Hotel, Tusk Bar, inspired by a refined Parisian apartment, feels like a jazz-age salon. In luxurious red velvet drapery, brass accents, plush berry-toned seating, with cheeky touches like a taxidermied ostrich here, a larger than life mural there—it’s part opulent, part cheeky and thoroughly hedonistic. Their Martini offering is unfussy but confident, a precise freezer-cold Belvedere served up with a twist or a fat olive. Fries are golden thin, best dipped with ketchup and aioli, and the Caesar is all crisp-umami.
Open daily, 4pm to midnight; Website
Pearl Box, SoHo
No Caesar or fries on the menu, Pearl Box earns its seat at this table for its martini game alone. Up a mirrored staircase above Heroes, it feels like stepping into a Bianca Jagger after party: red carpet, lacquered wood, soft lighting and crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The martinis come in four variations, including a bone-dry number that’s all chill and shimmer. What it lacks in bar snacks, it makes up for with a candy bowl that’s part gag, part delight and a roaming caviar cart that feels like a wink to the grown-up girl dinner.
Pearl re-opens on 15th July, runs from Tue to Sat from 5:30pm
Temple Bar, NoHo
Originally opened in 1989, Temple Bar re-emerged in 2021 with its full Art Deco swagger intact. The space is all retro lights, checkered floors, burgundy booths and frosted glass. The martinis are still and simple, but the upgrade—a chilled bump of caviar served on the hand, is just the right amount of drama.
Open daily from 5pm; Website
The Grand Bar & Salon, SoHo
Under chandeliers that borrow from the New York Public Library, Grand Bar & Salon takes you back to the old-school lounge bars. Woven leather banquettes offer an intimate hangout along the soaring windows. The martinis are precise, and the truffle fries are an essential sidecar (rich, salty, eminently snackable).
Open daily from 7am; Website
Jack & Charlie’s No. 118, Manhattan
Found inside a restored townhouse, Jack & Charlie’s serves up a crisp stirred martini in Nick & Nora glasses, dry and clean. The Cae Sal is crisp, with shaved parmesan and filone croutons. The rosemary and parmesan fries can be paired with black truffle aioli, dijonnaise dip, and au poivre sauce. Open daily; Website
Tigre, Lower East Side
Inside a narrow storefront, Tigre juggles ’70s psychedelia and lean industrial aesthetics. Velvet booths meet steel surfaces, candlelight meets glow, and the martinis slide between the two. The fries are gritty and pair well with any strong drink of choice. Chef Augustin Ferrando Balbi and the team behind Wayla give this Argentinian bistro a distinctly New York pulse. The martini is crisp, botanical with an American twist (sharpened with yerba mate vermouth or spiced tinctures), paired best with an architectural stack of crisp fries.
Timings: Thu to Sun from 5pm; Website
The Standard Grill, Washington Street
The Standard Grill is like a social club with a menu. The energy begins with a brunch hum and crescendos into themed nights where even your martini might come costumed. Think dill-spiked allusions and green-apple twists, the fries are classic, thick and ready for dunking. Sunday night at 10pm for themed games led by the host are raucous and hilarious, while costumes are not mandatory, but highly, highly encouraged.
Open daily; Website
The Polo Bar, Manhattan
One of the most difficult reservations to crack in NYC, The Polo Bar by Ralph Lauren is an equestrian-inflected haven for martini connoisseurs. The menu is inspired by Ralph’s favourites, the iceberg wedge Caesar is precise, cool and just salty enough; the fries delivered in sterling buckets are crisp and well seasoned, and the martinis are straightforward. It’s the Uptown club energy brought downtown, with a dress code (Entrance will not be permitted if guests are wearing athleticwear, beachwear, T-shirts, hoodies, ripped jeans or hats.)
Jean’s, NoHo
Jean’s is technically a restaurant—sure, but it operates more like a members-only hotel for the well-dressed and socially overbooked. Upstairs diners sink into candlelit booths under a moody, golden glow. Downstairs, it’s a red-hued, bass-thumping boîte that lures the likes of Michelle Lamy and Erykah Badu, downtown designers and off-duty models into its mirrored corners. The Caesar salad (anchovy rosettes included) is sculptural, and the glossy burger-and-fries duo is delectable. The Dirty Jean’s Martini is the one to order: gin or vodka, with housemade brine and a single drop of chilli oil–it’s salty, chilled and perfectly spiked with heat.
Timing: 5pm – 11:30pm daily and until 2am on Fri & Sat; Website
Deux Chats, Broadway
The romance of Art Nouveau-meets-Gotham mood in this softly lit French-inspired supper bar on Broadway. Deux Chats with its curving floral chandeliers, hand-painted tiles and a mural of two cats perched dreamily above the Williamsburg skyline, is warm, elegant with a hint of humour. There’s a jazz age hum to it, one that pairs perfectly with the house’s namesake martini: a celery-kissed, manzanilla-laced pour served ice-cold in pristine glassware (made by the Prince of Wales’ official glassmaker). It leans dirty, feels crisp and finishes clean.
Open daily from 5pm; Website
La Tête d’Or, Park Avenue
Chef Daniel Boulud’s La Tête d’Or is the kind of steakhouse that feels like it should only exist in a Parisian film. It’s low lit, wood-panelled and just plush enough. Their LTD Dirty Martini is icy, extra dirty and made with Belvedere and olive oil brine; the New Money is citrusy, bitter and rich. The Burnt Velvet with Pantalones Añejo, Michter’s Rye, Barolo Chinato and Benedictine is smoky, sultry and topped with a spiced cherry. The tableside LTD Caesar is made fresh with romaine, parmesan, garlic breadcrumbs, and a touch of anchovy dressing is just the right amount of showy. While the prime rib and dry-aged rib-eye are obvious must-haves, the truffle fries here land just the right funk.
Open daily, 5pm – 10:30pm; Website
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