upstate craft beer & oyster bar

"When: Daily (except Monday), 5-7pm The Deal: Half-dozen oysters & a beer for $12 or $16 with wine Upstate has the best oyster deal in the East Village, if not the entire city. Memorize the fact that they’re closed on Mondays, and come to their covered outdoor dining tables whenever the mollusc mood strikes." - hannah albertine

"On paper, Upstate sounds pretty nondescript - a tiny neighborhood seafood spot with about six menu items - but we’ve probably gone on more dates here than anywhere else in the neighborhood. It calls itself a beer and oyster bar, and while they carry unusual beers and about 20 different types of oysters, you could just as easily treat this place as a wine bar. They have some great local wines along with some ridiculously good linguine with clams." - matt tervooren

"Like Barney Greengrass on the Upper West Side or The Pigeon Man in Washington Square Park, Upstate is such a neighborhood stronghold that it feels like the East Village would cease to exist without it. Yes, the waits for their insanely fresh seafood can get crazy. But once you get a seat and there’s a friendly guy feeding you craft beer and fresh oysters and clam fettucine, this is simply the kind of welcoming, cozy spot where you’d kill to be every day after work." - katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg

"Upstate’s only pasta dish is fettuccine with clams. But if that’s something you find even remotely exciting, you should make this place a priority. (We’ve been coming back for this pasta for years.) Just know that you’ll probably be tempted by some oysters. This East Village spot can get pretty packed during the early evenings, but after Happy Hour, when things quiet down a bit, it’s usually not too hard to squeeze in a party of one at the bar. Plus, they give you a little piece of pound cake at the end of your meal." - hannah albertine

"It’s not uncommon to see people start milling about outside of Upstate before its 5 p.m. opening time. They’re trying to snag a seat for the daily happy hour, which runs until 7 p.m. and features six oysters plus a beer for $12." - Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Serena Dai