Frog — Restaurant in New York

We live close. We’ve been in somewhere around 10 times. It used to be great to bring friends in from out of town. Lately, but also kind of a lot this past year, bartenders don’t have much to say about the wine. “Glasses up here - bottles over there.” That’s as good as it gets recently. Best of all? The bartender(s) lately will rush you out an hour before posted closing time so there’s no point in getting a bottle of wine after 10pm unless you want to chug it. Want food with that? The ‘kitchen’ closes whenever lol, so tough luck; maybe come before 8:30? And if you’re fortunate to be able to buy food, which may be begrudgingly made, be ready for the bartender to permit smoking cigs inside as a little digestif. We could tolerate the consistently inconsistent wine programming built seemingly around a smoker’s palate; but now feels more like a gross sheepshead bay dive than a fun wine bar. What happened...

I love a good vibes bar and this checks off all the boxes. Mood lighting, cool visual art, entertainment (pool table in back), good music and snacks. This is def a gentrified bar based on the crowd, but if you're looking for a low key place for a date or catching up, this is an option. However it's not great for big parties, at most 5 ppl.

I will say, the reason this doesn't have 5 stars is the French woman bartender. I'd expect someone specifically working at a wine bar to be more knowledgeable about wine. She gave the bare minimum and her attitude was off putting. Also, some of the other staff felt like they didn't want to be there honestly. Luckily I wasn't...

Wanted to give this place a try given all the hype.

The good:

Service: bartenders were friendly and knowledgeable Wine selection: they carry natural wine which is my preference. Backyard space. Love that they partner with local vendors for pop ups.

Not so good:

Vibe: music is definitely louder than I’ve experienced at other wine bars. Makes conversation difficult. Felt more like a dive bar than a wine bar. The crowd skews younger. We went early hoping to miss the evening rush but that didn’t help.

All in all, it’s a solid place for some wine but wouldn’t return unless there was a pop up I was...