Alice is the kind of place you tuck into your back pocket and casually gatekeep. Perfect for a cozy date night with your favorite fling in the city—or yes, your long-term partner who still knows how to flirt. You descend beneath a historic Greenwich Village brownstone and suddenly feel like you’ve entered a velvet-lined jewelry box of small, glittering pleasures. Low light. Oceanic blues. Candle glow. A hum of conversation that feels conspiratorial rather than loud. The prosecco is marvelous, and it knows it.
Located at 126 W 13th Street, Alice is an “if you know, you know” Italian seafood destination hiding just off the Village grid. The building itself carries history in its bones, having lived a past life as a 1920s jazz bar where musicians lingered long after midnight. That same intimacy remains. Today it is expressed through DJ sets on select nights, a softly buzzing bar scene, and a dining room that feels warm, lived-in, and irresistibly inviting.
Walking inside feels like being let in on a secret. A skylight washes the room with gentle natural light during the day, while evenings turn candlelit and cinematic. Repurposed church pews double as seating. Deep ocean-blue tones mirror the seafood-driven menu. The space strikes a rare balance between rustic charm and European tucked-away elegance. During the week, Alice is romantic and hushed, ideal for lingering conversations and shared plates. Saturdays bring a livelier pulse, with music, movement, and a rhythm that encourages one more drink, then another.
The menu leans confidently into Italian coastal cooking—comforting, unfussy, and grounded in quality. Starters invite sharing: fresh oysters, seasonal crudos, and salumi and formaggi boards that set an effortless tone. Pasta is the heart of the operation, and it shows. The Agnolotti Cacio e Pepe arrives pillowy and indulgent, bursting with a rich, peppery interior. The Brasato Tortellini delivers slow-cooked depth, while the Short Rib Ravioli is unapologetically decadent. Even the Spaghetti Pomodoro refuses to be basic—housemade pasta, imported Italian tomatoes, basil, and olive oil treated with respect and restraint.
Entrées continue the coastal fantasy. The Branzino al Sale, baked whole in a salt crust and carved tableside, is both theater and perfection, while the roasted chicken offers a rustic, grounding counterpoint for those craving comfort.
The bar at Alice deserves its own moment. During the week it feels intimate and welcoming; on weekends it becomes a social nucleus, connecting the front and back rooms with ease. After Valentine’s Day, a new bar menu debuts, designed exclusively for lingering. Expect Mozzarella en Carrozza—crispy, molten, and finished with a caviar flourish—alongside sourdough with Vermont butter and anchovies, gnocco fritto with mortadella, and the Alice Truffle Burger layered with brie, caramelized shallots, and truffle sauce. A refreshed cocktail list ties it all together, tuned perfectly to seafood, pasta, and late nights that stretch.
Alice adapts effortlessly to the rhythm of the neighborhood. It works for first dates, fifth dates, anniversaries, break-up dinners that turn into reconciliation drinks, and spontaneous bar nights that go gloriously off schedule. It is warm without trying, sexy without posturing, and rooted in history without feeling dusty.
Come hungry. Come curious. Come dressed like you might stay longer than planned.
AliceNYC.com
