Minetta Tavern Minetta Tavern

Minetta Tavern Awards

Keith McNally resurrects a Village relic and injects some meatiness into its menu.
Openings: Lunch Thurs.-Fri., Dinner nightly, Brunch Sat.-Sun.

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Minetta Tavern, New York, NY


Minetta Tavern Restaurant Review:


This 85-seat eatery smack in the center of Greenwich Village has had history on its side; since the 1930s, the bistro-like restaurant has been home to many a poet and writer, sports stars and celebrities. Its Italian menu was simply an afterthought. But then restaurateur Keith McNally (Morandi, Cherche Midi, Balthazar) took over. After a loving restoration of the place, he revamped the menu too, turning it into an old-school palace of meat. Not that non A-listers can easily get a reservation. But if you’re one of the privileged few, you’re in for a good meal. Enjoy a juicy caramelized onion-topped Black Label burger (thanks to meat master Pat LaFrieda) and two steaks --- a côte de boeuf and a strip --- that could rival those at some of the city’s better steakhouses. Menu standouts also include a filet of trout meunière, roasted lamb loin, and prawns with celery root rémoulade. Weekend brunch, which offers egg dishes, the burger and a steak, among other entrées, is a slightly easier time to nab a table. The wine list spans the globe and cocktails, as one would expect, stick to the classics.