Greenwich Village

Greenwich Village earned its bohemian reputation early on, and artists and free-spirits of all stripes still flock here today.

There’s a nice mix of tourists, locals, and students, and it is home to some of the oldest cafés and restaurants in the city. You could spend an entire day exploring the narrow cobblestone streets and historic landmarks and still have plenty to do, especially if it’s nightlife you’re after. So what should a good visitor do after exploring the Village in the daylight? Even after the sun goes down, the options are endless, but here’s a good place to get started.

Cocktails to start the night off right…

You could imbibe in a different place every night and still not make a dent in the Village’s bar scene. The best part is that there’s truly a watering hole for every taste. For an evening of wine-tasting, Amelie Wine Bar is a cozy, not-too-expensive restaurant with a wait staff knowledgeable about all things wine. The focus is heavily on French vino, but there are also several offerings from around the world. Before calling it a night, try a handcrafted cocktail form Little Branch, an underground cocktail lounge with comfortable booths and an old-fashioned, speakeasy vibe. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask for the bartender’s choice. And finally, do not miss the Stonewall Inn. Their origin as the birthplace of the modern Gay Rights movement makes them a cornerstone of American history. It’s also a fun place to dance the night away.

Restaurants to feed your foodie…

Sometimes a name says it all. The Meatball Shop has earned devoted fans for their variations on the much-loved dish. You can order your meatballs classically prepared with beef, but spicy pork, chicken, and even veggie options are available. While certainly not a vegetarian’s delight, the menu also offers a nice variety of non-meat side dishes. If you’re in the mood for inexpensive, vegetarian fare, Mamoun’s Falafel is another Greenwich Village fixture. For more of a sit-down vegetarian experience, try by CHLOE, which serves a fully plant-based, locally-sourced menu. As with all good veggie restaurants, they serve their own version of Mac N’ Cheese, as well as a full list of salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and homemade ice creams. Sevilla is the go-to place for tapas and sangria. Like many old-school New York institutions, Sevilla has been family-run since they opened their doors in 1941.

Theater and Entertainment for those artsy types…

Check out the listings at Barrow Street Theater. With only 199 seats, this off-Broadway venue provides an intimate setting for their eclectic mix of productions that have earned them a solid reputation for great theater. Currently showing through May 2018 is Sweeney Todd; theater-goers will enjoy sitting in the middle of a recreated pie shop, and can even opt to dine on “pie and mash” before the show. For arthouse cinema lovers, check out IFC Theater, which features a wide variety of independent movies and also champions foreign and documentary films. Check their listings for festivals and special weekly programs, too. And finally, while Cornelia Street Café is more restaurant than theater, their underground space frequently puts on an interesting selection of live musical performances, storytelling, poetry readings and more.

Coffee and Dessert to curb that sweet tooth…

Caffe Reggio has a full menu but their old-world charm makes it the perfect place to share a sampling of their delicious Italian pastries. In business since the 1927, Caffe Reggio is credited with introducing cappuccino to Americans for the first time. The Uncommons bills itself as Manhattan’s first board game café, so check it out if you’re in the mood for a coffee and also feeling a little competitive. They serve a pretty standard menu of coffee drinks (beer is also available), but the draw is their huge library of games. Mille-Feuille Bakery closes at 7:00, a little on the early side for night owls, but it’s worth it if you’re in the mood for a decadent French dessert. To top off your evening with a traditional Italian coffee drink like an affogato al caffe, which consists of vanilla ice cream with espresso poured on top, stop by Amorino. If you’re in the mood for simple-but-good, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream is the place—they make their ice cream locally in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and keep their recipe down to just a few simple ingredients.

Jazz clubs to snap and tap your feet to…

The word “jazz” cannot be uttered in this neighborhood without mentioning the Village Vanguard, who proudly proclaims to have represented “jazz across many generations and aesthetic viewpoints” since 1935. The Village Vanguard was owned and operated by one man, Max Gordon, for more than six decades. After his death, his wife Lorraine—a lifelong jazz fan and author now in her 90’s—took over, and still runs the iconic club. For a decidedly different experience, head to Fat Cat. In addition to nightly performances, patrons can drink inexpensive beer and satisfy their competitive nature in games of Ping Pong, pool, and shuffleboard. For an informal jazz club where you can pay one price and hear jam sessions all night long, try Smalls. Their intimate basement setting is just right for snapping your fingers to the music of the rising jazz artists that Smalls likes to feature.

Greenwich Village is one of New York City’s greatest neighborhoods. The only letdown you’ll experience is not getting to do everything you planned!

…The Village’s Hot Brews

The bohemian reputation of Greenwich Village largely evolved out of the coffeehouse culture of the 1960s.

Bob Dylan, newly arrived in town and only 19 years old, sang folk songs at Café Wha?. Jimi Hendrix played here, Lenny Bruce did standup, and Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary served coffee while she worked as a waitress. Jack Kerouac was among the customers at Le Figaro Café, and at the legendary Gaslight Café, Allen Ginsberg gave poetry readings, and it later became a hot spot for New York’s folk music scene.

Of the three coffeehouses, only Café Wha? is still in business. They feature nightly live music and they serve alcohol now. They also serve food items like buffalo wings and their take on nachos that they call “Wha?chos”—hardly something a gang of hungry Beatniks might order.

So while the entertainment in the coffeehouses of the 1960s was of epic proportions, the coffee, presumably, was not. Today, the cafés scattered around Greenwich Village are all about high-quality coffee, and since it is still a hip neighborhood, there’s some competition to maintain a cool, trendy vibe. The coffee shops listed here may not produce the next Joni Mitchell, but they all serve excellent, high-quality espresso drinks and coffee.

Third Rail Coffee

The comfortable, wide wooden benches and large street-facing windows initially hide the fact that this café is pretty small. It doesn’t matter though; they manage to squeeze in quite a few seats, and better yet, their coffee is superb. They also offer a selection of fresh pastries from local bakeries, and rotating exhibits of tasteful art lines the walls. Third Rail Coffee also happens to have a pretty cool logo, so their merchandise would make a nice NYC souvenir.

Kopi Kopi

Stop in here for a little change of pace. A wall mural of Indonesia, painted in shades of sunset red and orange, evokes a tropical setting in the heart of the Greenwich Village. Best of all, Kopi Kopi’s menu is made up of interesting specialty drinks you won’t likely find anywhere else. Try the Bajigur, made of coffee with infused coconut milk, or the Kopi Susu, where a little sweetened condensed milk is stirred into a cup of their freshly brewed signature coffee. Order an Indonesian pastry on the side.

Stumptown Coffee Roasters

This Stumptown branch has a little bit of an edge to it, but a friendly edge. Music that sounds vaguely like Green Day plays loud enough to stir up some energy but soft enough to allow conversation. A gang of friendly baristas greet you, and it’s a bright, large space. In the back of the café, random, well-worn paperbacks are available to read, along with a choice of magazines like High Times and Thrashers. It’s a fun, casual setting, but rest assured, they take their coffee quality seriously.

O Café

Everything O Café does is intended to deliver to their customers “a holistically thoughtful and sustainable experience.” Large potted trees and plants with vines creeping down the walls fill the rustic space. Their produce comes from local farms, and they encourage you to compost any food items you don’t finish. A full coffee and food menu is available.

Grounded Coffee House

Grounded looks like it was tastefully converted from a large warehouse. Exposed pipes line the walls and tall ceilings, now all painted an eggshell white to contrast with the green leafy plants and colorful chalk menus that line the walls. It’s a bright space with a nice buzz of conversation and a seating area that holds a good number of customers. In addition to coffee and espresso drinks, they also serve a pretty good selection of sandwiches, salads, and sweets (the giant peanut butter cups looked to-die for). It’s another café that believes buying local is best.

Tea & Sympathy

Not a typical New York coffee house by any means, but go here to satisfy your need for an afternoon cup of tea and a plate of scones with clotted cream, or sticky toffee pudding. Other British comfort food is available throughout the day, too: Bangers and mash, Heinz baked beans on toast, Welsh rarebit, and many others. Next door is the Tea & Sympathy shop, where you can stock up on all your British groceries.

Halloween has always been a time where it seems the veil between our plane of existence and what lies beyond becomes a bit thinner.

No place celebrates that more than Greenwich Village. New York’s Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday parade and street pageant presented on the night of every Halloween in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The Village Halloween Parade, initiated in 1974 by Greenwich Village puppeteer and mask maker Ralph Lee, and is the world’s largest Halloween parade.

It has been called “New York’s Carnival.”

Although the parade is currently not as informal and wild as it was in its earliest years, it is in effect still an alternative festival. The parade has been studied by leading cultural anthropologists. According to The New York Times, “the Halloween Parade is the best entertainment the people of this City ever give the people of this City.” “Absolutely anything goes,” says USA Today. “Be prepared to drop your jaw.”

The audience is likely to see old women in a Kazoo band, a puppet ship with a full set of sails, a Statue of Liberty stabbed in the chest, a group of bulldogs on leashes all dressed as Batman, skeletons playing the tuba, skeletons dressed as Krispy Kreme employees, brides and grooms, brides and brides, grooms and grooms, politicians, and madrigal drum corps. Onlookers have been entertained by walking Scrabble tiles that rearrange themselves to spell various words; decks of playing cards shuffling up the avenue; and armies of chess pieces marching in regiments of black and white, with small children as pawns.

The Route begins at Spring Street and Sixth Avenue.

Heading south on Sixth to Broome Street, costumed marchers gather well before the official line-up scheduled for 6:00 p.m. In fact, beginning at Noon on parade day, areas on adjoining streets are designated for groups with puppets, floats, and other complicated presentations requiring more set-up and rehearsal. Parade marshals and volunteers keep order and answer questions, assisted by the police. At 7:00 p.m., the first enormous puppets and theme performance enter the parade route to lead the march straight up Sixth Avenue. After the puppets safely pass, the waiting throngs of costumed participants join behind the puppets, and throughout the evening more puppets, floats, bands and other performers are introduced into the stream. It can take two to three hours to enter the parade, so the staging area becomes its own party. Masqueraders continue to show up for hours, stake out a position in the line-up, and gather around their favorite live bands.

TopDogTours is no stranger to the spooky Greenwich Village nightlife.

Our Ghosts of the Village tour explores all the places that make you go bump in the night. We can also show you all the best locations to camp out for the best Halloween parade around. Our group and private tours are offered every day and begin at 8pm (or whenever you want if you book privately) on the corner of Waverley and 7th Ave. Come out and explore one of the spookiest and unique places in New York City.