Neighborhood: West Village, Manhattan
Go for: an aperitif or two accompanied by ample aperitivo snacks
The destiny of the third baby tends to be doubtful. After the inheritor and the spare comes… what? Dante Aperitivo, junior sibling to Dante (famously “est. 1915”) and Dante West Village (the pandemic baby, born June 2020), got here alongside in October 2025. (Well, technically it’s the fourth: Dante Beverly Hills opened in 2023 atop The Maybourne lodge, however Los Angeles, in my e book, doesn’t depend.) Where its seniors put a highlight on the consuming expertise (the eldest and center kids are recognized for his or her negroni and martini menus, respectively), child Aperitivo does what it says on the tin—and does it very properly. Negronis, being an aperitif, are additionally closely current right here—I drink their negroni bianco 2.0, made particular by a wholesome dose of savoia orancio, after which the pear negroni which actually reinvents the wheel by mixing reposado with Grey Goose. The aperitivi-focused bites right here proceed to lean on seafood: lime ginger granita on the crudo of tuna, scallops, and striped jack; shrimp with a superbly tangy horseradish cocktail sauce; caviar tarts topped with oyster cream and Champagne pearls; bucatini with lobster from Maine. Vegetarians needn’t fret—the salads and the agnolotti with fall squash and brown butter are decadent. Meat lovers ought to get the steak tartare, the bolognese pasta, and the fried rooster. The house is far slimmer than its forebears, however there’s a stunning consolation to a eating room in New York you can see unexpectedly—like a three-dimensional portray. —Matt Ortile
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Go for: an NA equal for each single cocktail
The workforce behind spots like Brooklyn’s beloved wine bar Places des Fêtes and all-day Café Mado has opened a bar, and it’s not like all the different bars. The minimalist house referred to as Golden Ratio sits on a residential nook in the middle of Clinton Hill, only a few doorways away from PDF (hi there, drinks-then-dinner plan), and its idea may be very 2026 in the proper approach: Every single cocktail, all of that are named after the pure substances they draw on—Nasturtium, Pine, Mandarin—might be made boozy or alcohol-free. And the NA variations don’t simply hit delete on the spirits, however are rebalanced cocktails that stand fully by itself; one model of the Purple Shiso comes in a coupe, with a Sweet Annie distillate and notes of citrus, whereas the different is bubbly, boasting hints of bread and lemon verbena, in a brief glass with rocks. The menu doesn’t ask you to sift via any of this. Just let your finger land on an ingredient, then select alc or none. The mixology motion of the 2010s has come and gone, however this appears like one thing way more helpful—and rewarding. A drink that hits, whether or not you’re consuming or not. —Megan Spurrell