Caffé Dante New York

Negronis in the Village

Nick from New York

About me I grew up in a supermarket family that created a “fantasy food store” on Long Island and in South Florida. Since 2011, I’ve been a copywriter, publicist, and social media manager for brands including Atlas Obscura, Booking.com, Cuba Travel Network, EDITION Hotels, Life House Hotels, and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. Why New York? I'm a fourth-generation New ...
""Caffé Dante" (est. 1915) is the closest we have to European caffes in New York City. I like coming here for aperitivo and pretending I'm in Rome!"

Many spots in New York have "cafe" in the name, but they don't look like their European counterparts: little tables on the sidewalk outside, a clattering of plates inside. The original Caffé Dante is the closest we have to the real thing. It opened in 1915, back when the Village was home to a large Italian immigrant community. Around this time, my ancestors arrived from Italy and lived two blocks away on Thompson Street. I don't know for sure, but I like to think they went at least once for an espresso and a reminder of home.

The Italians have since moved on, but their beloved cafe remains. While most New Yorkers head to happy hour, I go to Dante for aperitivo. Every day from 15:00–18:00, they have a selection of 13 different negronis for US$10 (an excellent deal for the city). I get the original, which is on tap. If you're more adventurous than me, you can try yours with chocolate, coffee, or mezcal.

I like to go on the earlier side when the sun is high in the sky, and it's easy to pretend I'm in Rome, at least until I finish my negroni.

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New York Spotter Nick

About me I grew up in a supermarket family that created a “fantasy food store” on Long Island and in South Florida. Since 2011, I’ve been a copywriter, publicist, and social media manager for brands including Atlas Obscura, Booking.com, Cuba Travel Network, EDITION Hotels, Life House Hotels, and Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. Why New York? I'm a fourth-generation New Yorker on my mom's side and third-generation Brooklynite on my dad's side. Every corner of the city feels like home, but you're most likely to find me in South Brooklyn. Where can you fin...

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MacDougal Street 79-81

Cocktail:

US$

10

2129825275

Oct 4, 2025

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