LOWER 70’S NOW CHOCK FULL OF WINE & COCKTAIL BARS: RED FROG OPENS, DAKOTA BAR COMING

The low 70’s, particularly around Columbus Avenue, has become a haven for wine and cocktail bars. There are, depending on your definition of “wine bar,” as many as 10 in a six block radius between 69th and 74th Streets from Central Park West to Broadway. (See our explanation of the map below; not every spot is strictly a wine bar.)

The newest entrant to the wine bar scene is Red Frog, a wine bar and charcuterie spot on Broadway and 71st Street that replaced short-lived dessert cafe Choco Bolo. Red Frog has an eclectic menu which includes items like Pierogis, a polish food, as well as Italian prosciutto. An early review on Political Foodie was quite critical: “Originally the cheese was served with packaged pita bread, which I watched the waitress remove from the plastic bag and then proceed to warm it up in the Starbucks style speed-oven. I attempted to eat the cheese on the pita, but it was just wrong.  The cheeses we ordered were from France, Spain and Italy, places where pita bread never graces a menu.” We’ll give Red Frog the benefit of the doubt, however. It’s tough to review a place within a week of its opening.

Dakota Bar will also open soon on the corner of 72nd and Columbus, in the spot formerly occupied by Indian restaurant Earthen Oven. Jennifer Klein, who used to manage Wine & Roses on 74th and Columbus, says the new space  “will blend a whimsical, chic, and romantic decor with upbeat music and unpretentious Upper West Side spirit and cheer.” It’s already got some magnificent chandeliers: they’re made out of musical instruments! It will serve a long wine list and craft beer, as well as a full menu of food. Klein says it’s a “cocktail bar.” Here’s the website.

“The Dakota Bar will be opening our doors and begin celebrating at the end of January serving a limited menu and quickly launch into full party mode during February! Our hours during February will be 4pm to 2am on week days; and from 2pm to 2am on weekends. After our official Grand Opening Celebration in March, we will be open from noon to 2am seven days a week.”

Here are some details on our list of “wine bars”:

Bin 71 — Wine Bar

Sambuca — Family restaurant that recently expanded to include a wine bar in the front

Dakota Bar — Cocktail Bar

Red Frog — Wine Bar

Arte Cafe — Both a cafe and a wine bar

Barcibo Enoteca — Wine Bar

Cafe Ronda — Spanish restaurant known for its wine

Wine & Roses — Wine Bar

Cafe Tallulah — Restaurant and wine bar/cocktail lounge

Riposo 72 — Wine Bar

Photos by Ryan.

We realize some of these are more akin to “cocktail bars” and have made some edits tot he original article, which described them as “wine bars.”