Ruffian
Wine bar · East Village
125 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009
![Ruffian by Ruffian [Official]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68512122/ChristmasDinner.0.jpg "Ruffian by Ruffian [Official]")
Highlights
Intimate wine bar with global plates, natural wines & expert staff
Intimate wine bar with global plates, natural wines & expert staff
"Ruffian has been open since 2016, and was a part of the early wave of cool wine bars serving good food that’s now ubiquitous in NYC. They came out of the gate by describing different champagnes as “Central Park” or “Tompkins Park,” and have recently graduated to calling a Greek orange wine “Sprite that 2 Chainz sips.” But they balance those descriptions with some helpful details, too. For instance, you’ll learn that Greek orange has also been fermented with local pine resin as the Mycenaeans did 3,000 ago. “Honeyed ambrosia; nectar of the gods. Sun-dried grapes from the home of Odysseus. Firm on the palate but very light on its feet: Sporting Rizz like the Trickster King himself.” Scalvos, Muscadet de Cephalonie from Cephalonie, Greece" - carlo mantuano
"No matter how much you know about wine, you’ll have a good time at Ruffian. This tiny East Village wine bar has over 250 natural wines, mostly from small producers in Southern and Eastern Europe, and the knowledgeable staff is always happy to go into detail while pouring tastes of obscure orange wines from Greece or oxidized options from the Jura. You could also have a great time just sitting on their patio with a date, eating some excellent Mediterranean food, and drinking rosé from the “Beach Sipping” section of the menu." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
"The people behind Ruffian and Kindred, two natural wine bars in the East Village, are now offering pick up and delivery." - nikko duren
"Calling Ruffian a wine bar feels misleading considering we’d absolutely go just for their constantly changing menu of Eastern Mediterranean dishes. But not calling Ruffian a wine bar also feels inaccurate considering their wine list, which includes more than 250 bottles from small producers around the world, could keep us occupied for a very long time. Semantics aside, you should go to Ruffian, which is currently offering a $30 three-course tasting menu for the first time ever. You can reserve a table or walk-in from 4-11pm any day except Tuesday." - hannah albertine, matt tervooren
"Ruffian is a 19-seat wine bar, but it has as much going on as places 10 times its size. All of the food on the rotating Mediterranean menu is cooked behind the bar in full view of everyone, and the small room quickly fills up with smells of toasting bread and frying bacon. They also blast old-school hip-hop from the speakers, making the usually-packed space even louder. You can’t make reservations, so this place is great for last-second dates, or a solo meal where you break the ice with strangers by asking which of the 250 natural wines they’re currently drinking." - matt tervooren
