Aria Wine Bar
Italian restaurant · West Village ·
Classic Italian eatery with fresh pasta, seafood, & wine
Classic Italian eatery with fresh pasta, seafood, & wine
"There are a lot of Italian restaurants in the West Village, and many of those restaurants are prohibitively expensive or extremely hard to get into. Aria is neither of those things. This place is dark, cozy, and cute, and everything on the menu costs less than $20. The pastas are somewhat generic, but you might find that comforting—and it's not like you want to wait two hours for a table at Via Carota anyway. Bring a friend or a date. The brick-lined space feels appropriate for any sort of casual dining scenario." - Team Infatuation
"A 15-seat wine bar adjacent to the 40-seat restaurant at 72 Bedford Street (at Commerce Street), confirmed by chef and co-owner Maximé Pradié to Eater, is slated to open in the spring; it will debut as a nighttime-only operation and could later add pastries and coffee service during the day." - Melissa McCart
"Suitable For: Confronting A Cheating Partner Sure, you could do this like a mature adult on the couch in your apartment, or on a park bench or something. But how are you going to get this a**hole to a park bench? Right. So you're going to need a restaurant with a few elements to do this correctly. First, it should be dark and loud, so staring from others will be minimal. Aria in the West Village is both of those things, plus the waiters are very nice, and if you end up at the bar alone here, it won't be so bad. That said, you also want a place where you won't really be that upset if you can never come back here again, and Aria can also fit that bill." - hillary reinsberg
"Word’s been out on Aria for a while now. It’s always packed and for good reason. If you want some affordable Italian in a low-key, low-light atmosphere (and you don’t mind a little noise), check it out. It can get a little cramped, but the pastas are all twelve dollars, and three dishes are usually good for two. Also, everyone seems to be on a romantic outing here, so if your date doesn’t work out, maybe the next one’s sitting a few inches to your left." - bryan kim
"This wine bar from the people behind Cotenna is an ideal first date spot. You can have a few glasses of wine while you get to know each other, then turn drinks into dinner if things are going well. There’s plenty of outdoor seating, a full bar, and a constant Euro Party soundtrack." - matt tervooren, neha talreja
