Ruffian
125 E 7th St btw 1st Ave and Ave A, East Village
The Place: A tiny, minimalist wine bar that’s an OG of the genre in a town full of tiny, minimalist wine bars.
The Time: Tuesday June 3, 5:45pm. I’m meeting a friend (my creative partner Olivia, co-author of SPIRITED WOMEN!) for a special pop-up dinner at HAGS by Chef Rasika Venkatesa, a fan favorite chef-testant from season 21 of Top Chef. We could only get a 9pm reservation for this one-night-only feast, so we’re grabbing drinks in the neighborhood once Olivia gets off work. I, however, have the day off, so I head to the East Village and decide to pop into Ruffian for a glass of wine to get my night going a little early.
A glass of Joannes ‘Božja Oha’ Riesling from Slovenia
The Vibe: Back in 2020, I visited Kindred, the now-closed sister wine bar to Ruffian, and loved it. Ruffian has been on my radar ever since, and I’m just now paying them a visit. The space is physically divided in two: one narrow area with a bar, and an adjacent, slightly larger space with tables, both inside and out. (Ruffian was a pioneer of the natural wine bar movement in New York when it opened in 2016, and they took over the spot next door in 2021.) It’s a beautiful day, so I naturally wander into the second space that has folks dining at the outdoor tables. A host quickly tracks me down and leads me to where I actually want to be–the bar. He walks me to the very end of the long, concrete bar, beside a painting of a very stately horse wearing a lei. It’s ultimate wine bar vibes, with nothin’ but concrete in sight, a minuscule open kitchen, dim lighting, and loud upbeat indie music. Besides my new horse friend, there is no one else here. I love it, it’s such a nice contrast to having to wait in line to get into a bar.
The Bartender: There isn’t a bartender per se, but the staff outnumbers me 5:1. There’s the host, whose job is to hang outside the door, catching people like me who wander into the dining room and are like “uhhhh hi?” There’s a server, two guys in the kitchen, and a manager. This “kitchen” really is so makeshift that I’m surprised their food menu is as large as it is. Do they have to walk the dishes next door? What if it’s raining or freezing!? I have questions. The staff I see is all dudes, wearing T-shirts and hats, except the host, who’s in a button-down and is hat-less. It becomes clear that one of the kitchen guys is training: “now grab the black plate, transfer the cheese to the plate.” It’s easy to tune them out when I want to read, but I also love kitchen talk.
Mariana cheese, kumquat honey, nuts & seeds
The Drank: Their menu is focused on Eastern European wines, which I adore. Happy hour is from 4pm-6pm, so I’m just in time, and it’s an insane deal: everything is $5 off, all wines by-the-glass and food. I’m also obsessed with their playful menu, which includes helpful tasting notes, as well as descriptions like: “so easy you will be forgiven for not realizing you were drinking.” I choose the Slovenian Riesling (normally $16, now $11), and it does indeed taste like “ripe peaches, sharpened with lemon juice and flaked with maldon,” as promised. The by-the-bottle list is separated into fun categories, like “beach sipping” and “stoop sipping” for the rosés. Cheeky notes like this make the big world of wine begin to feel more accessible to the non-somms of the city. Since dinner’s not til 9, I also get the mariana cheese, served with kumquat honey, nuts, seeds, and berries. It’s delightful and surprising, way more interesting and cheffy than the sweaty cheese plates at your average wine bar. Their food menu is veggie-focused, and everything looks so good that I’d love to come back for a proper meal soon.
Was I Hit On?: Not a single other guest comes in the entire hour I’m here. (However, when I leave, there are a number of folks sitting at tables outside. No one else wanted to sit indoors at the bar on this gorgeous sunny day, shocker.) At one point, every other employee is watching this poor trainee put together my cheese plate, I guess because there’s nothing else to do. “You can get creative with this, as long as it’s the same concept,” says the veteran to the newbie. “I usually do an odd number of strawberries.” Ah yes, the height of creativity—a paint-by-numbers cheese plate!
Should You Drink Here Alone?: Wow yes. If you want to be left alone to enjoy a gorgeous glass of wine, yummy food, and no one’s company but that Hawaiian horse, Ruffian is your place.