wine & dine in Harlem: our top 4 picks

Incase you’ve been living in a bubble; Liesbeth and I are currently parading around New York. May-Britt will be heading our way on Friday, but until then, we are located in the coolest apartment in all of Harlem. A neighborhood where you won’t be bombarded with all the Fashion Week prepping craze, or run into Olivia or Kimmy K, but that doesn’t make it any less cool. Drop us off at any random terrace and we’ll be in awe of anything or anyone we see as if we were situated on the Gansevoort rooftop. And a little bonus on our end, we feel pretty as a picture when we’re here rather than strutting around Soho in the overbearing heat. Messy hair, sticky clothes, sweaty shoes; I blame all the picture perfect models wandering around Soho. In Harlem no one gives a rat’s a**. Around here you run into cute kids with mom’s dressed in the most colorful frocks and the cafés and restaurants are amazing. Heading to New York anytime soon? Go to Harlem. These are our 4 favorite places to wine and dine.

Your go-to place if you are looking for comfort food. Perfect if you’ve just had a long flight – this is where we went to too. The portions are gigantic, so the dishes are easy to share. They have an open kitchen so you can have a quick peek to see if your burger or chicken have been thrown onto the grill yet. The menu consists of traditional American meals like the triple-double burger, chicken & waffles, mac & greens and the coconut grilled chicken. We went for the chicken wings with (a very hot) hot sauce. And the funky crispy fish and watermelon salad. They also have a cocktail menu and don’t be afraid to order something cause the Red Rooster has it’s own shaker boys behind their bar to make ‘em for you. You can either sit by a high table, or a regular low one, either option works just fine. This place is beaming, all ages present and the service is devised of the hippest people from all of Harlem.

This place is about a 100 meter walk from our apartment. Thank God by the way, since it is probably our favorite place. It’s a wine bar and their menu is filled with dishes such as tuna tartar, muscles, chicken breast, ceviche, and a ton of other mouth-watering delicacies. They’ve got a petit little patio, which is great to do a bit of people watching. The waitresses are two really sweet girls who are actually French, but speak fluent English. Our favorite beverages are the rosé champagne and Pinot Grigio and Liesbeth is thrilled that she’s able to smoke a cigarette on the terrace. Which is an oddity here in New York.

This is a really cool and fun Italian located on the corner of Columbus State University, so you are guaranteed to run into a couple of college kids ordering a plate of spaghetti. Or better yet, a bowl of pasta that you can share. This place is popular amongst kids to bring their parents to for a bit of nourishing since the dishes are huge. But we expect nothing less from Americans. Pisticci is a very cozy restaurant and also has a great cocktail bar, ideal for a bit of pre-gaming before a night out in the town.

You can find this fun French joint across from Barawine. Out of all four of these places, this one is by far the most chic and romantic, with linen covered tables, cozy corners, a fire place (for when the temperatures drop of course) and a “romantic garden” as they like to call it. You can also sit on the street side, which I find the most enjoyable. Until the evening starts rolling in. Then they have live music being performed inside. Just a piano and some incredible vocals. And perhaps a few tears running down your face.