Champers Social Club

39 ½ Crosby St at Broome St, SoHo

The Place: A Champagne bar and all-day cafe that feels made for SoHo influencers.

The Time: Saturday May 3, 5:45pm. I have one glorious, free day with zero plans except for watching Game 7 of the first round of the NBA playoffs between the Nuggets and the Clippers at 7:30*. There’s something so luxurious about having a whole day entirely to myself, a thing that’s becoming increasingly more rare as life’s responsibilities and obligations stack up like Jenga pieces–and I don’t even have children!! It’s also a perfect spring day, and we New Yorkers know how fleeting those are, so around 4pm I decide to just take the train into Manhattan and see where the early evening takes me. 

Blackberry & Thyme and a pile of (free!) chips

The Vibe: I get off the F train at Delancey-Essex and just wander west. Turns out everyone else in this city wants to walk around on a beautiful sunshine-y afternoon so the streets are packed. By the time I end up in SoHo, I’m ready for a drink. A few places I peek into are jammed, but when I stop into Champers, it is wonderfully calm. The host leads me to the small bar in the back and I settle into a large, cushy bar seat. Everything in here feels lush, which makes sense for a Champagne bar, filled with marble and velvet and light wood and varying shades of green. Even though it’s a lovely aesthetic, the words “Instagram chic” instantly pop into my brain as how to describe this place, and it makes me wonder if this entire bar exists solely for the likes. (In fact, Champers’ website describes the space as “infinitely photographable,” so they clearly know what they’re doing.) To add to that vibe, most of the folks in here are well-dressed women in their late 20s in groups of three or more. I’m next to two couples at the bar, though, and I find it striking that there are only five bar stools, instead of six. It’s like they anticipated having someone like me who wants to sit alone and drink a glass of bubbles, alongside couples and friends, and for that, I feel grateful. Could I be reading into this too much? Probably!

The Bartender: A guy in glasses who wears a pink shirt and floral pants. This is not a uniform, but he obviously understands the assignment of working in a place like this. More importantly, though, he cards me, which is the first time I’ve been ID’d in ages! He hands my ID back with a: “Fellow Pisces?” (Alas, I am an Aries.)

The Drank: I know I’m getting bubbles, obviously, but I decide to start with a spritz, the Blackberry & Thyme, one of the “sparkling cocktails” on the menu. (Proving my earlier point, the first cocktail listed is legit called the “Fancy Schmancy TikTok Mimosa.”) Champers’ motto is “Champagne for the people,” which is a noble sentiment. But when your by-the-glass options START at $18–and the actual Champagne BTG start at $25–it’s glaringly obvious just what kind of people you’re referring to. I’m all for making Champagne and its ilk more accessible, but that inherently is diametrically opposed with a swanky bar in SoHo that can charge these kinds of prices. It’s a tough sell for me when you have a socialist slogan for a clearly capitalist endeavor. There’s a literal shoppy-shop connected to the bar for cryin’ out loud!! Frankly, I’d rather they just be honest and not try to be something they aren’t.

ANYWAY. The spritz is fine, if a little sweet, so I follow it up with a glass of brut rosé, which is what I should’ve gone with in the first place. But the best thing is that everyone gets free potato chips!! Notoriously the best snack to pair with bubbles!! (Wow I can’t believe I just demanded more free bar snacks and here it is. Ask and ye shall receive.) Their tagline really should be “chips for the people!”

Was I Hit On?: No, unless you count the Pisces comment? BUT the bartender does NOT card the couple next to me which means that I am still youthful!!!!!! 

Should You Drink Here Alone?: Champers gave me exactly what I wanted–a reprieve from the busy streets of SoHo to sit and drink something yummy while reading my book. Would I seek it out again? No. But then again, I’m not a TikTok influencer, so I’m probably not their target audience.

* Not that anyone reading this probably cares, but my Nug boyz took a commanding lead and won, moving onto the Western Conference semi-finals where they take on OKC. Wish us all luck!