Waverly Inn
American restaurant · West Village
16 Bank St, New York, NY 10014
Highlights
Clubby American restaurant serving comfort fare with cocktails
Clubby American restaurant serving comfort fare with cocktails
"Cozied up inside a landmark townhouse, the Waverly Inn is a modern NYC classic, known for celebrity clientele and a no-photographs policy. The American food here is solid (nothing tops the complimentary basket of biscuits), but the candlelit atmosphere is unbeatable, especially if you ensconce yourself in a red leather banquette with a view of the famous Edward Sorel mural." - bryan kim, will hartman, sonal shah, molly fitzpatrick
"The moist, flaky biscuits that grace every table at this West Village institution are delicious on their own, but even better with a slathering of the whipped honey butter that comes on the side. Don’t be shy." - sonal shah, bryan kim, willa moore, will hartman
"A longtime West Village dining room at 16 Bank Street (owner since 2006), known for burgers and chicken pot pie — food that Carter says ranges from good to "a complete disaster." The spot "remains tough to get into — unless you’re with people like Robert De Niro, Gwyneth Paltrow, or Taylor Swift (which also makes it prime for people-watching)." It is praised for excellent waitstaff and a winter fireplace and is described as "home to perhaps the city’s best restaurant mural." Carter recounts the cheeky menu epigraph and explains, "I wouldn’t have put something on the menu if he said something nice," about a Trump quote that reads, "[the restaurant] - worst food in the city." He adds that Trump’s son Eric was recently seated "in the best seats in the house. And I never heard any more of it." Framing his larger views on the city’s dining scene, Carter told Eater that it was "a mistake to tear down the sheds," that without outdoor dining restaurants "lose their beating heart," and that "restaurants are the soul of the city." "I love restaurant people," he also said. "I love the daily theater. Being involved in the place is one of my life’s great joys." - Melissa McCart
"Waverly Inn seems to look about the same as it would have nearly 200 years ago: a brick townhouse with a wood-framed front porch and mullioned windows, and an interior consisting of a barroom, a pair of dining rooms, and a back porch visible from the sidewalk through a vine-covered iron fence. Fireplaces, murals from Edward Sorel, and bric-a-brac grace the interior. Get the burger or the chicken pot pie." - Melissa McCart
"You can choose between a few different vibes at this West Village townhouse, all of them plenty romantic. How does snuggling up beside the fireplace at the bar sound? What if you ensconced yourselves in a red-leather banquette in the low-ceilinged dining room, with its famous Edward Sorel mural for conversation fodder? Or should you head straight for the picturesque, ivy-covered back garden, with a fireplace of its own? Wherever you sit, if your date is really sweet on you, they’ll let you have the last one of those incredible biscuits with whipped honey butter." - neha talreja, bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
