EN
We could have simply told you about this new Italian restaurant that opened in Greenwich Village. A loft-style restaurant in a 19th century townhouse located on a charming tree-lined street in the village. Ceilings so high they could make you dizzy, along with starburst chandeliers, a glass roof, a roaring fireplace. With its trendy atmosphere and gourmet cuisine, it is easy to be seduced by Casa Apicii.
But there’s more than meets the eye. It’s actually not about the restaurant we want to talk but about the small cocktail annex fashioned out of Casa Apicii’s second floor chambers: discreet, posh and, above all, hidden! The hostess will suggest you wait at the bar of the restaurant but we have a way better option for you! When you enter, go around the reception on the left and engulf yourself in a semi-obscured staircase up to the second floor. You’ll soon come face to face with a red door marked only by a rabbit-shaped knocker. Push open the door and discover a still secret cocktail bar. You step in feeling like a privileged guest. Inside, the space is intimate and dimly lit. The hushed conversations mingle with jazz tunes, whiskey bottles stand alongside old books on the shelves. Take a seat by the fireplace on the velvet benches or at the backgammon table. You’re on Italian turf so think la dolce vita: order small bites, a cocktail and enjoy the aperitivo.
The bar’s motto, printed on each menu, is “fortuna gli aiuta audaci” meaning: fortune favors the bold. So be brave and rush to this clandestine bar. It is the perfect spot for a date or to cozy up during the chillier months.
Bar Fortuna
On the second floor of Casa Apicii
62 W 9th street, Greenwich Village
212-353-8400