Bar’rique

Update: Bar’rique changed it’s name to «Bin on Bleecker», with a new chef but same great food. I dined last week and was told that the name was very confusing with a few other restaurants, so they changed it.
Still a super nice staff and very knowledgeable about food and wine. I really enjoy this neighborhood eatery, delicious!
I don’t order chicken that often but well worth ordering it here, amazing!

I would say 5 stars except that there is a big C rating for sanitation on the outside. however, they have a retraction saying they had zero points on their last inspection 11÷4÷11.
Ambiance: soooo cute. It is like a more casual/​cool but still kinda romantic wine bar-​ish place. So it wouldn’t be too overthetop to bring a first date without overwhelming her. They are confusing because they have different names.“Bar’rique” «Bin on Bleeker» «264 Bleecker» whatever variation, its all the same place.
FOODDDDDDDDDD:
–3 items cheese/​meat ($ 15)
–Bottle of wine
–Octopus (OMG…the mosssstttt tenderrrrrr octopus i’ve eveeeeeeeeeeeeeeer hadddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd)
–Porkbelly (also soooooooooo good. comes with 3 pieces)
–truffled white bean crositini (very good… but i’d rather have the other stuff)
–Panna cotta! very refreshing
!!!
YUMMY. If you are a really hungry person then I might not recommend it… the small plates get pretty expensive. the truffled whtie bean crostini alone was 6 bucks. the porkbelly and octopus all around 20 bucks each. but on the first date no girl wants to pig out anyway!

I’m so surprised that this place isn’t busier. It’s in a great location right on bleecker, and has really good food. My friend and I ordered the chicken entrée and the rabbit ragou and both were excellent. The waitress was super friendly, and provided us with wonderful recommendations. The prices were a bit on the high side, with just one entrée and a glass of wine coming to 50 dollars. Oh well, I guess that is standard NYC prices though. The portions were a good size, with leftovers to take home!
How come its so easy to get a table here?

Came here for dinner with a friend. The music was too loud. The portions were very small. The food was priced extremely high, and the quality did not match.
Don’t get me wrong — it was good. And the wine list by the glass was reasonably extensive. But the prices (like the archtypical ‘rent’) were too damn high.

I’ve been here twice for drinks and pre-​dinner snacks with girlfriends. Each time the bottles we ordered were delicious, and the waiters were able to help us choose to best combinations of meats and cheeses. Normally a place like this would inspire a four– or five-​star review.
BUT. The service here has so put me off the place that I doubt I’ll return. We came in relatively early each evening, around 6 or 6:30, and each time the place was pretty empty. There are four of us, which you’d think would make seating us incredibly easy.
The first time we asked to sit at one of the wooden tables by the window. All but one was open, so we expected to be able to sit two across from two. You know, like normal customers often do. Instead the owner (who seems to have a weird control issues) maneuvered us so two of us were on one side, one person was on the end, and one person was sitting alone on the other side. Why?! Just in case other folks came in, he told us, which would be understandable if we were there during a rush. So, though no one ever came in who needed to be seated at our table, we spent several hours in a really awkward seating position that made it hard for one person to hear and was just generally annoying.
The second time was much the same. My friend even asked when she arrived if we could have a wooden table by the window. The owner told her we could. But when all of us had arrived and were moving to a table, they sat us in a long booth so that there was one person on each end and two people in the middle. It was impossible to hear each other and us two in the middle of the booth kept having to swing our heads back and forth like we were at a tennis match.
I don’t think I’m really doing justice to the overbearing, OCD-​type behavior of the owner. He was so strangely controlling. When your restaurant is basically empty, don’t you want people near the front window to let passersby know your restaurant has customers? Don’t you want your customers, who are buying bottles and food, to be comfortable and enjoy themselves?
Like I said, the wine and food were great (though I could find something equally good elsewhere) but the strange rudeness with which we were treated makes me reluctant to give this place any more business.

I stopped by this tapas bar because of all the great reviews.
I thought the crostinis were great but the meatballs left much to be desired. Value for money is ok.
Its not bad but I’m not sure I will return unless I lived in the neighborhood.

I went here, not super hungry, looking for a pre IFC film center «small nibblin» adventure, and got it. A minimal but quality infused cheese and meat list, (3 for 15 bucks), two craft beers, a crispy, fresh green salad, and some of their outstanding chocolate mousse topped off with a magnificently balanced latte made for a nice night out with the lady. Polished service was a plus.
all for 55 bucks
Next time will need to try their great wine selections, and a sturdy entrée to give this a proper review, but it did the job.

I enjoy places that allow a lot of sunlight to pour in during these days that aren’t too humid.
Walking by this place, the reserved décor, and clean lines of this place drew me in as a «stand out» on Bleeker street.
I knew it was new, and I knew I had to have it.
Noticing it was Impeccably clean, I asked my friendly bartender if they had any sangria, not noticing the big pitcher at the end of the bar that she said she had just prepared, it was almost too perfect.
Really tasty, wine, and friendly and helpful bartenders.
This is a serious wine bar, that has slightly upscale prices.
I would love to return for dinner. Such a centrally located spot, I’m anxious to get back to check out the food.

After gay pride, what do you do? You need to eat. With all the hot bodies and nakedness everywhere, it’s no wonder I worked up an appetite.
Date night got moved this week to Sunday and we were roaming the streets which was a scene of rainbows and beautiful people. God may have made you queer, but God also made you cute as Hell.
We finally settled on here on a busy strip of Bleecker. It looked invited and it was only half-​filled. Our date nights tend to have substance. We like to talk, catch up and bond.
The place is elegant with high tables and plenty of candles to set the mood. Definitely a great date spot.
We weren’t that hungry so we decided to share a few small plates. We ordered up the PEI Mussels with ramps and heirloom tomatoes, grilled octopus with beans, chorizo and frisee and also the pork belly with pickled peach. The mussel dish was as big as my face. They were of mediocre grade, very decent and gives you a run for your money. I really liked the octopus. It was tender, well flavored and went extremely well with the morsels of chorizo and beans. The prok belly was also delicious, but if you want some orgasmic pork belly, head to Macao Trading Co.
I read a few reviews on here and it seems that everyone is griping about the price. Let me just say that the starters are LARGE LARGE portions. You will get your money’s worth and then some.
We finished the night with some gelati which was fig flavored. I couldn’t quite figure out the flavor until my date told me it was fig and then a lightbulb went off in my head. It was Fig Newton in ice cream form, Paul Newman would be proud.
Great date spot. Order up starters as the plates are ginormous and they have an impressive wine list. Gruner Vetliner won my heart and soul.

I came here randomly after dinner with a friend of mine. Bar’rique is a really great place and I would love to come back.
I am not used to wine bars being as loud as a sports bar so I was a little irked about that but as the night moved forward it calmed down a bit.
We shared a bottled of Pino Noir which was pretty good… you can really go wrong with a Pino Noir, and it was $ 35, not bad for a wine bar. The waiter was so nice and really friendly. He kept hurrying over to fill up our glasses. Being the klutz I am and after a couple glasses of course, I managed to spill over my wine. I was so embarrassed when a woman hurried over to wipe up my mess, also ended up being the GM. I told her I was sooo sorry and she casually said, «noooo problem, people do it all the time.» «The main thing was that it didn’t get on your close.» This was after we finished our bottle and when we asked for another glass… yes I was pretty wasted. The waiter came over and gave me another glass. I love these people!
At that point I was in love with this place. I did not come here for food but everything looked really really good. Seriously, if your looking for some place to go that is casual, to hang out on a Friday night with a bunch of friends and have a good conversation then this is it. I highly recommend it!
P. S., Wine; after being drunk makes you feel like shit. Its not like beer or liquer. Its a whole other kind of drunk.

Came here for dinner on a Friday night with a large party consisting of my boyfriend and his friends. The table had already ordered a few bottles of wine and the waitress got a bit confused about the wines being poured into each glass (which is okay).
My boyfriend and I ordered the pork belly to share (SOOO yummy). He ordered the scallops which I thought were just OK. And I ordered the short rib which was also very good.
I would definitely come back, even if just for the pork belly (reason for the 5 star rating)! It’s that yummy!

Cozy, dim lighting… the décor is done right, high-​top tables upfront and generous bar space… the interior reminds me of Jeffrey’s Grocery, but a little sexier. A cheese, meat, and wine haven, grab a seat at the bar and you’ll never want to leave.
In a great location in the West Village, the perfect place to go after running errands or just cozying up in the neighborhood. The bartender Josh, is gregarious and welcoming. Larger variety of wines or helpful service to decide what you want.
Next time, I’ll go in for the food… the burger looked amazing!

Had SUCH a lovely late night dinner here last Saturday night after seeing a show at the Barrow Theater.
We were sat in the back with our FABULOUS waitress, Sarah, who naturally became our best friend.
We ordered the crostini, which were fine, but nothing special. LOVED the Mizuna Salad and the Arancini was a treat for me since they were vegetarian. My boyfriend LOVED LOVED LOVED the lasagna… said probably one of the best he has ever had and certainly was a generous portion. I would ask that they add some vegetarian items to the main menu or at least think about what could be modified for a vegetarian dish. I ended up ordering the Beets and Broccoli Rabe which were certainly enough and satisfying.
They have a GREAT moderately attainable wine menu. We had a lovely red from Argentina — a blend and winery I had not heard of before — for under $ 40/​bottle.
Some words of advice… and agreement with other people’s comments below… sitting in the back of the restaurant is VERY warm. We sat by the kitchen and halfway through the meal ended up moving to the front of the restaurant for cooler experience.
Kudos to Andrea, the GM (I think), and Esteban, our bus boy for great customer service. They were right on point, accomodating and made our experience lovely.
All in all a GREAt experience and would go back again.

I’ve never written a review before but this place I had to share. It’s not so easy to find a great, unpretentious, reasonably priced wine bar with food to match and great service. A village jewel.
A special someone brought me here for a birthday dinner and the experience from start to end was nothing short of excellent. Our waitress, Sarah, who was certainly a big part of this experience, recommended an organic malbec that was simply luscious and mouth-​filling. It was so approachable that we of course ordered another by the time the entrée was served.
We started our meal with the glazed pork belly app which set the tone for the rest of the night. It was to die for, perfectly cooked with thin slices of granny apples around it. We also ordered the king prawns with Israeli couscous that was equally brilliant. Our main course was roasted organic chicken with mushroom ragout and the Rabbit ragout. Both were fantastically prepared! We just picked out of each others plates because the facial expressions after each bite called for it. We also tried 3 desserts; the Valrhona & cinnamon pot de crème, sour cherry trifle with sherry custard and passion-​fruit crème brulée. At this point I was a bit inebriated (oh and did I mention how awesome the organic wine was?)
but I can’t forget that sensual-​palate-​feeling.
This place is newly opened but you couldn’t tell. It seemed already very comfortable in its character and so did Sarah. I hope it maintains this level of quality and personality. I highly recommend it for both locals and out-​of-​towners.

meat coma [meet koh-​mah] –noun. A state of prolonged unconsciousness induced by consuming too much meat.
This place is a hidden wine bar nestled between Murray’s Cheese Shop and Risotteria on Bleeker Street (look for the blue awning with no name). They have a $ 32 bottle of Pinot Noir on the menu (which is like finding a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the frame of a painting at a yard sale). My mouth is watering just thinking of their pork belly appetizer which has a perfect crust on top of fatty perfection (it comes with a julienned pickled granny smith apple, mustard seeds, and sage). I followed that up with braised short ribs (with white grits) and I was asleep by 10:30 that night…

I went to Bar’rique this past friday. I really like this place.
First time I came here, it was just for the wine bar. This time I had full course meal. The place is narrow and long with exposed kitchen in the back. I really like the dim lighting and atmosphere. Décor is very nice too — nice long bar and high wooden tables with shiny leather seats. There are couple of beautiful booths for larger parties. I have been told by the waitress that the place is new and been open since january. The owner has another two restaurants on the upper west side I believe. The staff is very friendly.
I think this place is hidden gem. The enterance is small so I couldn’t have found it on my own — my coworker recommended this place. It’s great for a date or double date or just to have few glasses of wine with your friends.
So we ordered few things:
Goat cheese soufflé /​spinach /​Peekytoe crab velouté: Very nice and light — crab and spinach in creamy sauce is very good combination
Cider glazed pork belly /​pickled granny smith apple /​mustard seeds /​sage: Delicious — Perfect crusty skin — Must try!
Rabbit ragout /​ricotta cavatelli /​mirepoix /​juniper: Very good — there is a lot of rabbit on the plate, not tiny pieces as most places have it
Braised short rib /​honey glazed turnip /​Anson Mills white grits: Was also good but was a bit much after all the other meat dishes we had… (served inside of smoky hot cast iron dish)
Of course no room for dessert… but always room for a little espresso to settle your stomach
I really enjoyed my meal at Bar’rique and would go back to try some other delicious dishes.
PS «Location is great too. It’s in the middle of everything. We took a nice walk around the neighborhood after the meal. The waitress said they are going to have outside seating soon so I’m excited to go back for that.»

House fries are good here.
The waiter who served us was really friendly and personable. I really liked him.
Bar’rique would be just as good a place to meet up for a drink or have dinner.
I had the risotto, and it was good, but it didn’t knock my socks off. I think I’m going to have to come back to Bar’rique to give it a fair review.

Its crazy giving a place 5 stars when all you’ve tried is a burger, but I think that when you can make something normal taste exceptional, you deserve mad props.
The house fries are to die for. They’re fried in such a way that the outside stays nice and firm and crispy while the inside stays warm and mushy. What’s outstanding is not the complexity of the ingredients, I don’t think there was any truffle oil or duck fat involved in the frying process, but the technique is magical and the chef enhances the taste by sprinkling a dusting of sugar over them.
And the burger… well. I think it ranks in the top 3 burgers ever eaten for me. It was so damn good! The patty itself was fine… cooked medium, but it was nestled in between two pieces of artisian bread that were nice and chewy, topped with tomato, pickled beet, and pickles. and it comes with… MORE FRIES! Go GET IT!!!

I’m not sure why more people haven’t commented on the food, as it was great!
We happened on this place by accident as we wanted to dine at Las Ramblas last night but it was packed, so we walked around the block and took a chance at Bar’rique after checking out the menu.
The wine list is huge. I thought it was a bit pricey ($ 12 – 18 avg. per glass) but what we ordered was good. (Granache and Pinot Blanc). A lot of their wines seem to be from organic /​sustainable vineyards.
The food was the highlight for us. We ordered:
Goat Cheese Soufflé
House Mixed Green Salad
Rabbit Ragout
Carnaroli Risotto
a side of Brussel Sprouts with bacon
Trio of Gelato
I thought the goat cheese soufflé was great. It was light and tasty with crumbles of goat cheese on top, sitting on sauteed spinach. A lot of flavor but not too rich. I would order this again but I’d want to sample other apps first.
Mixed green salad was a good size and the vinaigrette was really good. No exotic vegetables in it, just fresh greens and a delicious vinaigrette. Better than your average garden salad you’d find at this price level. I would order this again.
Risotto had great flavor with the smokey peppers but the rice grains were a bit harder than what I’m usually used to. I’m not a risotto connoisseur so I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be that way. Even though it tasted great I would try something else on the menu before trying this again.
The star of the night was the Rabbit Ragout. It’s all about the rabbit and we were talking about it the whole way home. I don’t know what they put in it but it’s one of those dishes that will make you come back time and again for it. The flavor was off the hook.
Brussel sprouts. What can I say? If you love roasted little baby brussel sprouts with bacon than you won’t be disappointed.
Gelato Trio: we had the Mascarpone, Salted Caramel and Dark chocolate. They were all good but the salted caramel was the star.
The wait staff was very friendly and knowledgeable, service was swift.
Need to try more on the menu before I give it a full 5 stars.
We’ll be back.

Like the other Unilocalers, I hesitate to share my review…
THIS PLACE IS GREAT!
I absolutely loved the atmosphere — from the chic black couches by the window to the welcoming farm table and long sleek bar, Bar’rique is perfection. Even on a Tuesday night there was a lively buzz!
The large selection of wine and nibbles kept us happy all night.
We loved sharing 2 cheese & meat plates, the goat cheese soufflé and the mushroom balls! Everything was delicious!
Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable. Service was truly spot-​on. He offered samples of each wine before we selected it and he provided perfect recommendations.
There is not much to add to what the others have said — 5 stars! and I will be back!