Immaculate Infatuation

Wilfie & Nell is a cozy little bar situated right on the edge of that part of the West Village that you might also know as “the vortex”. We’ve lived in New York City for almost eight years and even with Google Maps, Hopstop and a few orienteering courses, we still get turned around down here. Luckily, there are plenty of good reasons to find yourself lost in the neighborhood, and this place is one of them.

Seeing as how we’re writing about it on this site, you would be right to assume that Wilfie & Nell is a restaurant – they serve not only dinner but now brunch, and the menu was originally curated by Momofuku alumni and Brooklyn Star owner Joaquin Baca. But it is first and foremost a place you come to drink, rather than a place you come to eat. Consider it an added bonus that the bar food you’ll likely be eating while standing near a tiny ledge is pretty good. Tables fill up quickly, as do the bar seats, and thirty people can make the place feel crowded thanks to low cielings and strange layout. Nonetheless, it’s a vibey bar that will get you cool points on a date, or maybe even land you one for later in the week. Just try not to spill mustard on your pants while you eat in the corner.

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Nope, that’s not the sound of your iPod skipping, that’s just us reiterating the fact that finding solid pub grub in this town isn’t as easy as it should be. We all get cravings for wings, cheesesteaks and waffle fries sometimes, and when we need to take care of that situation, Wogies is there for us. The inside of this sports den looks no different from the one you probably frequent back in your hometown, and it’s a play on the owner’s favorite local Philadelphia hangs. Décor is pretty standard – dark wood booths, a nice sized bar, flat screens and a small outdoor area in front. It’s a shame there aren’t more sports bars around town like Wogies that manage to maintain a solid middle ground between the cheese of Mercury Bar and the filth of your typical dirty old-man dive. Points earned for good food, but points deducted for the large presence of loud, obnoxious Philly fans, the most annoying breed of sports fan that exists.

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Fanelli Cafe is one of those New York City gems still standing from a time when horse and buggies were bringing people there to drink. The space has been there since the mid nineteenth century, and they proudly hang their salon licenses in the back, mementos from an era long before Soho filled with European models and Midwestern tourists. The menu at Fanelli’s is essentially bar food, but it’s quality stuff. You won’t find frozen death disc hamburgers in this kitchen. The standouts are the chicken club sandwich, the steak sandwich, and the burger. Don’t expect the staff to be friendly, or for that matter, to give a damn that you have been waiting for your check for twenty minutes. Embrace the atmosphere, drink a Stella from the tap, and imagine that you’re about to head off for a sweet vacation aboard the Titanic.

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It should be pretty apparent at this point that the Infatuation meter skews higher any time a decent burger is mentioned on this site. That said, we have our favorites in this town (see Burger Joint, Shake Shack) and will not hesitate to take a verbal dump on those that don’t make the cut. Black Iron Burger is a new player on the scene, and definitely has promise. It’s a simple place, with a handful of high tables and hole in the wall charm. The burger here holds up (adding grilled onions to the burger is recommended), and though it’s not at the top of the heap, it’s a well spent seven dollars. The beer list is solid, and the fries are dead ringers for McDonalds’. The onion rings were not particularly impressive. Black Iron Burger is open late, so it’s a great option for that late night last stop on the way home.

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At first glance, this Hell’s Kitchen hole in the wall is as easy to overlook as any average midtown bodega. Inside, it’s actually not much different; a tiny dive of a space with condiments on the table and Bob Marley on the wall. Instead of peddling beer and cigarettes however, this joint deals in beef and poultry. The menu is insane – there are close to 40 different burger and chicken sandwich options, which generally makes us nervous. Places that dress their meat up every which way are usually trying to shield you from the truth – that the meat by itself is questionable. We’re not shocked at all to find that the burgers are just that.

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