8th Street Winecellar — Restaurant in New York

Insanely Loud & Uncomfortably Overcrowded!!!

My best friend and I were meeting for our annual birthday dinner. We originally were supposed to be going to Amelie but since she couldn't be bothered with the effort of deciding earlier where she wanted to eat, I couldn't make a reservation. We ended up at 8th Street Wine Cellar. (I'm a wine lover so I thought, why not?) It was about 7pm on a Friday night and the place was incredibly overcrowded and insanely loud. It was a very uncomfortable atmosphere (literally like the E train during rush hour!) And there was no hope for carrying on a conversation with anyone. Totally insane! Needless to say, after being on our feet for well over 2 hours crushed up against a corner at the end of the bar, 2 guys finally had had enough and gave us their 2 chairs at the bar. (Of course we never got a table because people were drinking bottle after bottle of wine without ordering any food or bothering to move on. We left a few hours later and no one had vacated any of the tables.) At the bar we were finally able to order our birthday "dinner"; pate', bacon & figs and the tortilla. They all "sounded" delicious. Well, the pate turned out to be OK but the rest of the food especially the bacon & figs was awful. The bartenders however were very nice and my wine wasn't bad. Overall unfortunately it was not a good experience for me and I don't believe I will be returning...

I came here with a friend for their amazing $20 bottle of wine Happy Hour on a Wednesday and had a fantastic time! The selection of bottles is broad enough that there is something for everyone and the ambiance and vibe is classy but chill. While the space isn't very big, it manages to never feel overwhelmingly crowded, still, if you are planning on snagging a seat or two during their happy hour I would advise getting there early as it certainly does fill up. Our bartender was knowledgeable and service was quick.

Aside from the (two) bottles my companion and I ended up sharing, we also opted for a few selections from their menu as well: the meatballs in red sauce were flavorful and rich and the hearty crusty bread served was a fantastic addition, allowing you to sop up every last delicious bite! The mushroom toast was crammed with mushrooms, as someone who tolerates mushrooms but doesn't love them, I found these to be my least favorite, however, my friend seemed to enjoy them quite a bit for the record. Lastly, we tried the chicken panini and white it was more of a toasted sandwich overall, I must admit it was delightful. All three dishes seemed to be the perfect amount of food as well as a great accompaniment to the lovely sangiovese we ordered. I will definitely be returning here in the near future! It's too great a...

The space is intimate, but lively; came here on Halloween with some girlfriends and waited at least a half hour for a table. It took one of my friends 2 hours to make it to the cellar because the parade was happening in the area. Now that's dedication and a true test of patience- I'm still impressed.. mostly because she didn't end up tackling a policeman out of sheer frustration.

Note to self: never be in the area on that day ever again.

The happy hour is great; just keep in mind that the $18 bottles are only good for a few pre-selected options. We chose a Riesling and a bottle of red AND made sure to order before the hh was up.

The pork sliders were a big hit; I believe we got 4 plates of those; I would say that you can split it between two people if you're just looking for a snack to accompany your main course of alcohol. The rest of the food was ok, nothing else we got was worth mentioning.

I'd definitely come back with more friends on a...