Jadis

"If you try learning about wine at home, after a couple glasses you’ll probably decide educational Youtube videos are a lot less appealing than Netflix. So if you live near the Lower East Side, go to Jadis, a wine bar that feels like an apartment. Sit at the bar and taste your way around the 30 wines by the glass, including natural ones from Eastern Europe and plenty of options that cost less than $10." - matt tervooren

"Your apartment would be a good place to have a conversation with someone, if your roommates hadn’t decided to host a Mario Kart tournament in your living room. Get out and go to Jadis, which basically looks like an apartment that was turned into a wine bar. The all-brick space has a lounge area with bookshelves and leather couches, plus some small candlelit tables. And there are 30 wines available by the glass, all of which are more appetizing than the half-empty Red Bull cans currently decorating your coffee table." - bryan kim, matt tervooren

"When the cute owner of that even cuter yellow lab from the dog park asks you if you want to continue your conversation about the pros and cons of high-protein dog diets over a drink, suggest Jadis. This Eastern European wine bar on the LES is a good option whenever you’re not sure if a meet-up is a date. Take advantage of the daily Happy Hour specials at the bar up front, and if it turns out that you have more in common than a shared vet, move to a couch in the back room (which feels like a common room in an old Austrian bed and breakfast)." - matt tervooren

"Jadis is a wine bar in a basement on the Lower East Side, and it’s perfect when you don’t want anything that feels too stiff or formal. Just get a glass of wine - there are plenty of options around $10 - then find a few seats on a couch in the back where you can dole out nuggets of wisdom you rehearsed at your desk three hours ago." - Bryan Kim