Vanguard Wine Bar

Best first date/​date spot in nyc. Big bar to sit at incase you don’t like the awkwardness of sitting at a table (although they have that too) oldies playing on the tv (but my type of oldies like casino or goodfellas) and light classic jazz music in the background. Not much more you can ask for. The apps are pretty damn good too.

Went last night with a girlfriend after a disappointing experience at another enoteca. The wine list is great and the atmosphere very casual and low key for a Friday night. I’m sold!

I went to Vanguard Wine Bar one night with a friend and loved it! It’s a cute little spot that’s kind of hidden. I had passed it many times until I finally decided that I wanted to try it out. I went on a rainy Saturday night and it was a little busier than I thought it would be. The bartender was really sweet and helped me and my friend pick out the right wine. I ended up going with the Barrymore, to my surprise this wine is actually made by Drew Barrymore and it was quite delicious. We didn’t try any of the appetizers, but they looked great! As soon as I walked in, I immediately thought this would be the perfect date spot. it’s cute and cozy and a great atmosphere to have a great conversation! Looking forward to visiting again.

Fun décor and perfect layout for groups, dates or just dinner. The space has a long bar and moderately priced cocktails for the area.
Unfortunately during my last visit we had an incredibly grumpy bartendar, but! Dont let that deter you from this great neughborhood bar.

The Vanguard wine bar is a place you go to explore quality wines at reasonable prices. The head bartender, Isabel, is knowledgeable about everything they have and can match a wine to your palette just by asking a few questions. Other wine bars tend towards popular labels, often serving unbalanced, highly acidic, or immature wines. Vanguard, on the other hand, has a robust selection of French and American wines that range from the familiar (California Merlot) to the bold (Bordeaux Medoc) the pleasantly surprising (Upstate NY Riesling).
The menu also offers a nice selection of flatbreads, salads, and other snack which you can enjoy with whatever wine Isabel picks out for you.

I love this wine bar. Definitely the best place to have apéritif in the neighborhood. Never overcrowded, lovely ambiance with old movies playing on the tv, a fantastic wine selection and knowledgeable staff. I’m still dreaming of the $ 10 Pinot blanc from Alsace! I’d love it even more if they had outdoor space! Get on it, y’all!

Cool spot in an area I wouldn’t necessarily consider «cool.» It’s in no man’s area of Murray Hill (meaning 30^th and 2^nd). It kind of popped up out of nowhere on the street! I was meeting someone at 7 and usually, wine bars attract a pretty big crowd by then. To my surprise, there were ample tables and even a few bar seats left! A few glasses of wine later, we were chatting it up with Isabelle the bartender who was AWESOME. The crowd was an older crowd, older meaning near 30 and over which is a-​ok with me. My one complaint would probably be the food. It’s not really event a complaint. It was good, not great. I got the mushroom, ricotta and truffle flatbread. It was SUPER small and the flatbread was more like a cracker. Either way, I’d absolutely be back!

This place is an amazing hidden gem. I came here one night with a friend after we exhausted the area looking for a place to grab a glass of wine. There are tons of other local spots to grab a glass of wine, but we wanted to go somewhere that wasn’t too loud to catch up. Neither of us had been to this place, but based on reviews, we thought it sounded like what we were looking for, and we were so happy we tried it!
The space is perfectly arranged with a large wraparound bar in the middle, small tables when you walk in, and larger tables off to both sides of the bar. They have added a lot of cool touches to the space and décor to add to atmosphere like vintage posters on the walls. Unlike some other places in the area, it didn’t seem pretentious at all; it was a great casual place to meet a friend.
We ended up getting a few small plates and glasses of wine. The small plates are a perfect size for a snack, and the prices for wine were reasonable (most were $ 11 – 13). We were completely happy with our decision to come here and will hopefully be making it a regular spot to return to!

Great for a date night. The only problem is that the place is a little small but that’s also part of it’s charm.

The only reason why I took off a star is because there is no happy hour. I love the décor with the subway tiles, the brick walls, the pretty chandeliers etc. There’s a great wine list, good seating, and friendly bartenders.
Now, if only they had a happy hour…

I love finding the smaller bars that I have a quiet and sophisticated theme to them. This bar is one of those. The ambiance is not too loud, but not so quiet that you have to speak in whispered voices. The wine menu is designed for the casual drinker (separated by how it sits in the mouth rather than type), but a great variety to keep an experienced drinker entertained. The little bites are perfect; don’t expect to fill up on the food here.
Great date spot, and a great place to go when you don’t expect to be out drinking too late.

I haven’t tried the food here, but the wine list is amazing. It has great varieties of everything from bubbly to red, and I was personally surprised of their variety of Old World wines (especially the GSM blend, which I highly recommend.) The ambience is dim lit and romantic, with vintage posters all over the walls and an old movie playing in the background. I especially love it as a stopover after a movie in the movie theatre next door.
The bartender there is also very friendly, letting us sample wines that we have never tried before. Glasses range from $ 10 to $ 17, so it can be pricey. However, it is a very non-​pretentious and enjoyable post-​date location overall.

Saturday night, slightly tipsy, walked into this bar before movie. It was not too crowded or too empty, the lights are dim and the conversation just the right volume. Ordered a bottle of Syrah, caviar trio, and cheese plate. Now we are half drunk. The TV was playing Amelie, which is my favorite movie. The caviar trio was much smaller than I expected, but the cheese plate was good portioned. None of the foods were too advanced, just basic and ok. What made me like this place is not the food, but the just right atmosphere, the friendly bartenders, and the nice wine. They don’t have too extensive a collection on wine, but got most of the basics and I agree it is more of a beginner wine bar. Will I come back? Maybe. If I happen to be in the area and want to stay in somewhere pleasant and quiet.

An ideal date spot with a unique menu and wonderful service.
I came here for a date on a Friday night and the place was far emptier than I expected. The vibe is intimate, but more laid back than other wine bars I have been to in the city (a good thing). You order at the bar and the bartender brought our bottle to us and made several great recommendations in terms of what we should drink next and which food items would work best for the two of us to share. We are looking forward to coming back!

Why treating customers like shit as if they are responsible for wanting to leave after waiting 1 hour for a cheese plate?!
I have come to this place a couple of time. Usually it’s fine, not wonderful but ok and close to my place.
Tonight I came after having a cocktail in another bar. I wanted some wine and food (it was 8:30pm). We arrived, seated on our own and ordered a glass of wine, a cheese plate and a flat bread. we waited an hour drinking our wine but as you can imagine after an hour, we were hungry! We were sitting in front of the cook so we knew what he was doing. Didn’t know when our order would even start I asked the waitress that seems to be the owner the check saying its been too long. She was pissed even though the cook had not even start our food (and we knew it) and left the check without saying a word. «Sorry we were busy» would have been enough (we saw the poor cook on its own doing his best but when its crowded it’s crowded…). No she just considered us as shit because I asked the check for what we got served AND they hadn’t even started the food for us… And btw, a cheese plate do not take that long to prepare…
I came a few time before and of course the owner wasn’t the very best welcomer but damn, are customer just nothing that you don’t even apologies when things go wrong because of you!?!
Food looked good but never tasted. Cheese plate pricey for what they serve.
Wine ok but expensive for what it is.
Avoid this place and her, that’s probably for the best!

This place is charming, intimate and not pretentious which can often happen at an NYC wine bar. The bar tender is friendly and helpful in guiding you to select a wine. He’ll give you tastes until you find your perfect glass! I’ve never had a probably finding a seat and it’s not too loud or crowded. No drink specials, but it’s not too expensive – they also have kir royales for $ 10 which I’m a big fan of!

Met up with an old friend here and had a wonderful time! The noise level is reasonable for having a conversation, and there are plenty tables and bar seating to accommodate its mid-​week crowd. The bar tender was very knowledgeable and friendly. She made several great suggestions. I just wish they had a happy hour so I could try more of their wines!
The meat and cheese platter was also delicious, with a nice selection of cheeses. I would absolutely recommend this place for a casual get together or a first-​date!

I’ve walked past this place a million times because I live right next door — and although I’ve peeked into the window a bunch, the inside is not what I expected from looking in from the outside. It’s very intimate inside and has a neighborhood feel. Great bar seating and also high tops that are like little coves with pillows. It was a perfect date spot for me. When they’re not busy the bartender will come around to the tables, but for the most part you order up front at the bar (both drinks and food). I’d come here again — likely when they are serving their $ 30 bottles.

Not bad. Went with my girlfriends before a movie one evening… they were doing $ 30 bottles of wine, so we got a sparkling Rose and enjoyed at the front table.
The wine was GREAT. The décor and the ambiance so very European and old school, it was just perfect. My type of place.
I cannot give it five stars because the help was SLOW and I mean SLOW. They just didn’t move and we were grabbing a quick drink before the movie, so we needed service to be a little speedy.
Also, the glasses were dirty also… :(
To get $ 30 bottles in a cute place… with great ambiance is totally worth it.

On the TV above the bar they had Midnight in Paris playing. So fitting…
When you walk into the bar you feel like you are transported back to the 1940’s in Paris from the music to the subway tiles on the wall. It is both romantic and lively, in a mature sort of way that doesn’t exist anywhere else in Gramercy. They have a nice wine selection with glasses around $ 10 and bottles in the $ 40 range.
If you need a great post date spot for a drink and are tying to impress your date, come here.