Ino Café & Wine Bar

New York, United States

4

22 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 212-989-5769
Website:
www.cafeino.com
Address:
21 Bedford St, New York, NY, 10014
b/t Downing St & Houston St
West Village
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
340 ft6th Avenue & West Houston Street
480 ftHouston Street (1)
990 ftWest 4th Street-Washington Square (A,B,C,D,E,F,M)
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner, Late Night
Parking
Street
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Good for Kids
No
Good for Groups
No
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual, Intimate
Noise Level
Average
Music
Background
Good For Dancing
No
Alcohol
Beer & Wine Only
Happy Hour
No
Best Nights
Mon, Thu, Sun
Coat Check
No
Smoking
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today –
Local time (New York) 12:34 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday –
Friday –
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Located on a leafy stretch of Bedford Street in Manhattan’s West Village, ‘ino has become a New York institution since its opening in 1998 – a cozy Italian café and bar that was at the forefront of introducing authentic Panini to American palates. Husband and wife team of Jason and Jennifer Denton drew their inspiration for ‘ino from time they spent in Italy for a friend’s wedding. They wandered into a small paninoteca and discovered a wealth of savory Italian Sandwiches, Tramezzini, Bruschetta, and fine Italian wines, and quickly fell in love with the concept. As a result, ‘ino is the quintessential neighborhood gathering space – an intimate, 25-​seat restaurant as suitable for a quick glass of wine and a snack as it is for a leisurely weekend brunch. The burnt orange color of its exterior and interior, coupled with wooden tables and a wooden bar where one can grab an espresso or a glass of wine are all reminiscent of a Mediterranean bar/​café.

History

Established in 1998.

As one of the first American restaurants to bring authentic Panini to American

diners, it’s no surprise that the traditional Italian sandwiches make up a healthy portion of the ‘ino menu. Guests may choose from over 20 varieties for lunch or dinner, including Cacciatorini, Goat Cheese, and Black Olive Pesto; Sweet Coppa, Mozzarella, and Red Onion; and Italian Sausage, Butternut Squash Mustard, Rucola, and Fontina. Along with Panini, ‘ino serves a variety of Bruschette, which can be mixed and matched. Among the many flavors to try are Ricotta Fresca with Oven-​Roasted Tomato; Anchovy with Rucola Oil; Sweet Pea and Pecorino; and Pepperonata and Crotonese. A variety of Antipasti, Cured Meats, Cheeses, and Salads are also available, including the beloved Truffled Egg Toast, which features a plate of Pullman Bread filled with warmed egg yolks, topped with Fontina, diced Asparagus; and Truffle Oil.

Meet the Business Owner

Jason D.

Business Owner

Jason Denton’s first taste of the restaurant industry came from working in restaurants in Seattle as a teenager. At 21, however, he had moved to San Francisco to work with his uncle, Harry Denton, a wildly popular restaurant and nightclub owner whose establishments were well-​known for showing guests a good time. His time with his uncle encompassed everything from working as a waiter to bartending and eventually learning about wine. ‘It was an intense time, but also a lot of fun,’ he recalls. ‘My hours were basically 6 a.m.-1 a.m., but my uncle inspired me. He showed me it was possible to throw a party, have a good time, and have it be a viable business.‘

For more information visit: www​.jden​ton​nyc​.com

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22 reviews of Ino Café & Wine Bar

No registration required
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
ughhhhh rip ino.
so missed.
Place rating: 4
Denver, CO
A great italian café/​wine bar located on a quiet block in the west village. Little place and a popular one at that, so you will likely have to wait if you go during peak times. The atmosphere is cozy and intimate, and definitely a bit snug. Great for a date or a quiet dinner to catch up with a friend.
Food– They have a variety of small plates and panins to choose from, which are quite delicious and go wonderfully with their selection of Italian wines. Wines were good and prices are fair. The bruschetta are very good as well, I’ve tried several types including the sweet pea and pecorino and the asparagus, truffle oil and parmesan. My favorite and the thing sticks out the most in my memory is their truffled egg and toast. A must get mouth watering dish!
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
Ino is the very epitome of snug. Cozy and intimate, its the ideal place for drinks and small plates. The menu is not terribly extensive, but it does have an enormous selection of bruschetta — the artichoke and tallegio stands out — and, of course the oft-​lauded truffle egg toast.
I’d pictured this, from the reviews, as being scrambled eggs on toast with some truffle oil drizzled on top. Truly, it is so, so much more. Picture a generous slice of firm white bread — now add an extra half inch of delicious, bready girth. The crust is firm, but the bread itself is soaked in some truffled sauce. Now picture a scoop in the centre in which nestles a perfectly golden oozy truffle infused globe of sunshine… now go ahead, take your knife and fork and set the yolk free… you won’t regret it!
Place rating: 5
Falls Church, VA
I went here back in May 2012, but I still can’t get the truffled egg toast out of my mind! It was amazing. At first, I was almost going to cry because I came during dinner hours and the my dish was nowhere to be found… only for breakfast. Little did I know that it was available for appetizer! Needless to say, I ordered it for my dinner. IT WAS DELICIOUS. I loved every single bite and wish I had some right now. The rest of my dinner group ordered a variety of panini sandwiches and they all said they were delicious as well. I believe them. I didn’t drink any wine though, so I can’t review on that :(
The place is tiny, but it was super cozy and comfortable — not to the point where we were sitting on each other’s laps. We arrived a little later than dinner hours so it wasn’t crowded. It was perfect.
Looking forward to coming back the next time I visit NYC :)
Place rating: 4
La Jolla, CA
Ino is seriously great.
Tiny place, super cozy. Slightly flighty, but ultimately charming staff. Ridiculously good wines, not a glass over $ 10. Excellent, excellent bites — like the bruschetta (all vegetarian, 4 for $ 10 or to for $ 25!), the olive bowl ($ 6, I love olives), any of the panini ($ 11, I’m partial to the ones with prosciutto), or the truffled egg toast ($ 9, divine).
Perfection for a date, shared plates with a small group of friends, or a pre-​dinner glass of wine (with or without a companion).
They open early (9 a.m.) and serve breakfast. Basically, if I lived in the West Village I’d eat there every day.
Place rating: 3
Alexandria, VA
My friend and I lucked out by getting seated at the best table in this tiny joint. The best table is the one to the right of the bar. All the other tables are right on top of each other or right by the door, which is certainly not pleasant on a cold evening. There are also about 8 seats at the bar. As is typical at a place like this, diners are not seated until everyone is present.
We arrived at 6:30 and the place was beginning to get crowded. By 8 it was packed and then it cleared out again by the time we left at 9:30.
It’s not hard to fill up on wine and tasty tidbits at Ino, but if you don’t eat bread or cheese or you’re on a diet you may have a slightly harder time. But come on. Who goes to a wine bar and then moans about being on a diet? No one I’d go out with again, that’s for sure!
Unlike the experience of some other reviewers, the waitress we had did not offer much in the way of personality or wine suggestions. We told her we liked a full-​bodied, dry red and asked what she would recommend. Without replying, she walked away and then returned with a bottle, showed it to us, mumbled something, and then started opening it. My friend and I glanced at each other, confused. I said to the waitress, «I’m sorry, which one did you say it is?» She pointed at it on the menu. It was a $ 33 bottle of wine, so certainly within our budget. She asked who wanted to try it and my friend said I would. I hate being put on the spot like that, but I did it. I didn’t love it, but I am incapable of saying «meh» in those situations although I really should have. It was fine, though, and we drank it all up.
I would go back if I was seeking out a quiet spot to pass a few hours while catching up with a friend IF I saw the good table was available.
Place rating: 3
Manhattan, NY
Stumbled on this place and went in for a quick bite —
you have to try the truffled egg toast — the best of the 2 items i ordered.
Will probably go there again just for the toast :)
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
A friend and I met up for brunch here. Well, it was originally just supposed to be for coffee, but my schedule cleared up, so we ended up getting food too.
The restaurant is a small, quiet place – there are very few tables, I would think it seats 20 people max. Unless there’s another floor, or more space in the back, or something? Well anyways, we were seated a little uncomfortably close to the other tables – which on this particular morning, was not much of a problem, given that there weren’t many people around.
I ordered the brunch prix fixe – egg and fontina bruschetta with asparagus, coffee, and fresh-​squeezed orange juice for $ 14. Which I think is a little pricey given how much small the portions were, but that’s probably my non-​NYC-​ness talking. This is definitely one of the more reasonably priced brunches I’ve been to in NYC: P
There is no elegant way of eating that bruschetta. It was just a tad too large for me to just take bites of it (plus, I’m fairly sure I would have scattered crumbs all over myself/​the table/​everything in a 3-​ft radius, including my friend), it’s crunchy/​hard enough that it’s very difficult to cut and eat… but it’s what I ended up doing, since it seemed to be less indelicate than shoving my face. If the person you’re eating with is someone that you’re not comfortable embarrassing yourself in front of (oh god that was terrible english – sorry folks), don’t get the bruschetta. Luckily, this friend is of mine is pretty used to me making a fool of myself.
The coffee was unremarkable, and the juice was tasty, but nothing to write home about. Service? fine, I think – I think they hardly made themselves noticed!
Anyways, probably a cute place to have brunch with a friend (or maybe a date). Not a bad deal, for nyc.
Place rating: 3
Frederiksberg, Denmark
If noise and cramped conditions are not an issue with you, this is a great place to take a light meal and drink a decent glass of wine.
If you’re a single male, you might also enjoy being wildly outnumbered by female guests.
How approachable these bright, beautiful fowers of New York in reality are, is however difficult to tell.
They seem so confident and busy and wrapped up in each other, I think even George Clooney could feel intimidated.
Place rating: 4
McLean, VA
I would recommend this place for a first time drinks or catch up with a friend (both 1:1 or maybe in a small group). The place is cozy in size and vibrant in service.
You can’t go wrong with a bruschetta plate — mix, match, and enjoy!!!
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
Wandered in here starving post arrival in New York. For the Philly people out there Ino definitely channels Tria. It’s a tiny and adorable little bar/​restaurant. Their menu came with a key as to what the italian descriptions meant. Fun.
We ordered some great red wine, a mixed plate of bruschetta, and a mozzarella prosciutto panini. The artichoke bruschetta was to die for. The panini was great. It was the perfect amount of everything to end our post travel starvation.
Minus one star because everyone that worked there was horribly annoyed with having to wait on us. Sorry, it’s your job. Maybe it’s a New York thing and I just don’t get it.
Place rating: 4
Philadelphia, PA
Solid date spot very quaint and romantic, that can get very crowded. and cramped. I liked my portobello grana and sun-​dried tomato pesto panini, especially when they brought over a spicy relish-​like sauce.
Place rating: 4
Songshan District, Taiwan
I’ve always had a fascination with small quaint hole in the wall places and thankfully my cousin who brought me here share my passion for good food.
‘ino accommodates 25 people so Sonya S. is right: «The table arethiseclosetoeachother.»
While we mulled over the brunch choices, we sipped on a Bellini and a Mimosa. It’s decent but not the best I’ve ever had. We asked Kim, our super friendly waitress and she recommended the prosciutto, bel paese and sweet onion along with the famous truffled egg toast. I decided I was in the mood for something sweet so I tried the trio of orange and ricotta bruschette with honey.
Truffled egg toast DOES deserve the fanfare it has received.
Their bruschetta was yummy. I liked their sweet onions a lot but it’s probably a 7⁄10 at best in my book.
The orange and ricotta bruschette is really delicious, it’s sweet and fresh and not so rich that it disgusts you.
I really enjoyed my ‘ino experience — next time I’m coming back and getting some coffee and well, truffled egg toast, truffled egg toast, truffled egg toast…
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
The Bad
— No take out for quattro
— Bruschettas — totally not worth it…
The Good
— TRUFFLE EGG TOAST— ok i think its just the truffle that i am in love with… i hate raw egg but i ate this like nothing– so imagine a deep toasted bread with a hole in the middle… and plop goes the egg yolk drowned in truffle oil… yummmm
— Any of their panini’s are awesome!
The Bottomline– Check this place out for their panini’s and TRUFFLE EGG TOAST of course… you will surely not be disappointed… i yet to try the quattro so dine in and eat them alll
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
there are exactly 8 two tops and 7 bar stools — you get the point.
delicious quality ingredients on simple bruschettas. we had a plate of 4 different kinds — ricotta tomato, butternut squash (mini cubes of squash sprinkled with black pepper and shredded cheese, taleggio sundried tomato and white bean. the ricotta tomato and white bean were my favorite.
tramezzinis are little sandwiches on crustless white bread cut into two triangles. we tried the bresaola arugula grana and was very tasty. salads are light and refreshing, good portion for sharing.
go during lunch for a cozy quiet afternoon with a book and a glass of wine or great for catch up with a friend, service is extremely friendly. if you have a larger group, go to their other restaurant inoteca in les that takes reservations for parties of 6 or more.
Place rating: 3
Hoboken, NJ
Yummy truffle egg toast. The mozzerella, pesto + peppers panini was delicious, but the peppers kept sliding out!
Can’t say the same for the bean soup… was bland and tasteless. Wish I had steered clear of soup + ½ panini and went for a full panini or brunch entrée instead.
A-​OK for now. Space is small (we sat at the bar and the guy next to me kept inching into my space) but tolerable for a short catchup brunch with a girlfriend. Will give another shot for dinner!
Place rating: 4
Syracuse, NY
Likely my favorite wine bar for late night snacks. The space is super tiny (eavesdropping is the name of the game), but cozy and dark (re: romantical). The wine selection is extensive (as to be expected) and the menu offers quite a variety of paninis, bruschettas, and other less-​than-​substantial treats.
If you:
— have mild-​hunger pangs anytime after 10pm on a weeknight
— hope to seduce your date
— want to share details of your life with neighboring strangers
then ino is for you!
Place rating: 5
Epsom, United Kingdom
Quick glance:
+ great for eating nice food on your own
+ signature dish — truffled egg toast with asparagus
+ large selection of wine
+ free wi-​fi available
— small venue, not for the claustrophobics
I heard about ‘Ino from my in-​flight guide to NYC when flying for a holiday from London, and I am so glad I paid a last minute visit. ‘Ino serves Italian styled snacks, sandwiches, and paninis in a very small establishment, with about 8 tables (each table seating two) sandwiched together and a bar which seats another 6 or so. It can get crowded in there, but it’s a place that caters for both lone patrons and small groups of friends. I recommend a weekday visit to avoid waiting in line; I went there on a Monday at noon and didn’t have to wait for a table.
I ordered their signature dish — truffled egg toast with asparagus, which as other reviewers have commented, is a must-​try. The aroma of the truffle oil fills every bite. The toast is crunchy at the bottom while the melted cheese and runny egg yolks glue everything together. If you like all these ingredients, you must order one for yourself. (Yes, don’t even think of sharing!)
The café also has a selection of wine available by the glass, although I didn’t try any as I was due to fly back later that evening to London and wanted to keep my wits about me. But I did spot a guy sitting at the bar who claimed to the waitress he’s had 3 different glasses of white wine to try already (and this was noon time on a Monday!).
I also ordered a tramenzzini (small sandwiches) of bresaola with rucola (or rocket if you are British) and grana, which was simple and fresh, much like how you would expect in Europe. The café also offers free wi-​fi, so if you are a hungry, weary traveller in NYC, I definitely recommend refuelling at ‘Ino as you rest your feet and look up the next thing to see in the Big Apple.
Place rating: 5
Manhattan, NY
This has been my favorite restaurant in NYC for years and now its my 100th Unilocal review!
Why I’m smitten:
— Cozy & Dimly lit (my husband calls it ‘cramped’ I call it ‘intimate’)
— I’ve never had a bad glass of wine, and they have a diverse selection.
— The food is fantastic without being pretentious (my husband calls it ‘limited’, but then why does it take me 20 mins to decide what I want?)
I have a permenant craving for the walnut sundried tomato pesto bruchetta. The truffled egg toast makes me swoon as well.
I love love love that they allow you to do a quatro panini so you can try lots of things.
I honestly don’t think you can go wrong here… and I could rave about it for days. YUM!
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
Ino is probably the smallest restaurant I’ve ever been too, but hey, it was fun. There’s nothing wrong with it, it is New York after all. I ordered the mozzarella, basil pesto and pepperonata panini for $ 15. It was good, yet not filling one bit. After dinner my friend and I had to stop at a hot dog on the way home.
Good paninis, fun vibe, but extremely loud (even for only holding 15 – 20 people). I’ve heard their breakfast is great though, I guess I’ll try that next time.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
I like this little wine bar. The name, ‘ino, is the Italian suffix for small. And indeed small this place is: it is basically a long corridor, whit a bar on one side and a few tables on the other, plus one table by the window overlooking Bedford St.
The décor is simple: exposed bricks, hanging framed pictures, dark wooden tables. Although I came here on a Wednesday night in February, the place was packed, but the vast majority of patrons left before 11 pm. I was pleasantly surprised by the music that was playing in the background: Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and Stevie Wonder. This kind of music always puts me in a good mood.
I came here for an after-​dinner glass of wine, so I can’t say anything about the food. The all-​Italian wine menu, which is divided by region (North, Central, South and Islands) is comprehensive without being overwhelming. Although the vast majority of the wines on the menu are by the bottle, there are 2 – 3 per region that are available by the half-​bottle and by the glass. Personally, I would like to see more wines by the glass.
My friend and I shared half a bottle of Aglianico del Taburno ($ 17) over a tray of biscotti ($ 6 and delicious!). Aglianico is a red wine from Campania, in Southern Italy. This is one of the oldest grapes we have in Italy, and its wine is characterized by a full body, rich taste of dark berries, with a slightly tart, dry, finish. Deeply satisfactory.
Nice place to start (or end) your evening, to catch up with a friend, or for an intimate, low key date.
I feel a whole lotta love for this place: it gave me satisfaction and lifted my spirit to a higher ground[1]
— — — — — — — — — — — — — -
[1] Ok, ok, I promise: I won’t do that again.
Place rating: 4
New York, NY
I love ‘Ino’s bruschetta!!! Their $ 10 4pc Bruschette combo is a fun and yummy tasting sampler!!! You can choose from nearly 20 different creative toppings and 4 pieces are definitely enough to fill you up! This wine bar restaurant is very tiny so I won’t recommend for group dining… I’d say it’s good for 2 people, and 4 people max. The ambiance is dark, intimate, romantic, and cozy but still casual enough for a quick bite. The menu is simple, focused mainly on panini and bruschette but they are of solid gourmet quality and aren’t expensive either. Great value for your money, very cool hole in the wall bar restaurant! One of my fave spots in West Village!