A new wine bar that’s actually not a wine bar at all just opened up in Greenwich Village. In fact, it’s not even a new wine bar, but rather the offshoot of a successful wine bar and online retailer in Chinatown. In a neighborhood where you always need to get a drink, it could be a new go-to spot. This is the first-look review of Parcelle Greenwich Village.
Atmosphere
The moment I walked up to the new Parcelle in Greenwich Village, I recognized it as the old Babs. Though, the room is more open than the old Babs and there’s a lot more seating both inside and out. However, there are clear remnants of Babs still there as the distinct green floors and the polished wood columns still set the tone for the new Parcelle Greenwich Village.
Unlike the original in Chinatown which is more lounge-y bar, Parcelle Greenwich Village is a restaurant. The space feels Deco with sleek wood chairs and metal tables. There’s a small nook with a settee couch and tiny coffee table, but the space isn’t where you’d drop in to eat at the bar or socialize with new people.
Parcelle NYC is known for its unique bottles of wine that bring with them a certain wine-obsessed crowd. Currently, it’s a local crowd of young New Yorkers and not the wine-industry people that I would have expected. On my two visits, I don’t know if the other guests really cared that much about the wine experience at this outpost. I know that it’s summer so the crowd can be completely different in the fall. However, maybe the wine aficionado group isn’t the point of Parcelle in Greenwich Village.
Wine
I am friends with a number of people in the Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux, and Champagne societies in New York. I’ve heard a few people refer to Parcelle so I was bullish on the new Parcelle Greenwich Village. My expectation, given the reputation of Parcelle, was that I would be blown away by the wine-by-the-glass list. I would have liked to see some interesting tasting flights. Maybe a cool Coravin program with premium unique wines. It is a wine bar, after all.
However, this wasn’t what I encountered at Parcelle. We were there for wine only, and not food, which will be my next visit. Both times I dropped by, both early and late, it was a stop for a drink crowd. Hopefully, as they have some time under their belt, the wine-by-the-glass list will also evolve.
The Bottles Shine
By the bottle, Parcelle shines. I didn’t know 75% of the Champagnes on their list, which to me meant that they were bringing in the really special producers. Every segment – Bordeaux, White Burgundy, Old & Rare – was just impressive. The pricing was unheard of as well. I guess they don’t need to invest in the wine-by-the-glass program when their bottles are mostly around the $85-150 mark. There’s a Raveneau that tops the list at $1,500, but even that’s a magnum and a good value. On my next trip, I plan to come back with my wine crew to do some exploratory damage on the bottle list.
Service
My first impression of Parcelle Greenwich Village is that the service is green. I dropped by two times without a reservation. The first was later in the evening, and they kindly accommodated us. The server was lovely; not very knowledgeable about wine but had good energy. We had a few other people as the team was getting off shifts, and everyone was nice, yet young. We didn’t order a bottle so we never interacted with the somm, so I’ll reserve judgment until my next visit.
On my second visit, we wanted to grab a quick drink before our table nearby was ready. Once again my impression was that the service, in this case the maitre’d, was green. He gave off passive-aggressive vibes and was a bit condescending when we asked to have a quick drink. Initially, he gave us the impression he could squeeze us in but then informed us it would be a 1-hour wait. His delivery was that of an old school snotty French maitre’d, even though he was in his twenties.
Half of the dining room was empty and all the tables on the street and half the outdoor tables were empty. I normally would have worked it out with him, but there were other spots nearby for a quick drink. I didn’t love Parcelle so much on my first visit that I needed to bother with the host. I get there could have been reservations at 8:45 pm during the summer for all those tables, but it’s doubtful. Likely they didn’t have enough staff to manage the full capacity of the tables at Parcelle. However, if you want to make it in a more upscale neighborhood than Chinatown, who you have at the front door is everything. I’ll reserve full judgment on Parcelle Greenwich Village though until my next visit with my wine friends.
Overall: 7/10
This is the first rating, where on my scale, 7 is the point where I would go back. I look forward to the next visit with food and doing some damage to the wine-by-the-bottle list at Parcelle Greenwich Village.
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FAQs
Q: Where is Parcelle Greenwich Village located?
A: Parcelle Greenwich Village is located at 72 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012.
Q: What are the hours of operation of Parcelle Greenwich Village?
A: The hours of operation of Parcelle Greenwich Village are as follows:
| Friday | 5–10 PM |
| Saturday | 5–10 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 5–10 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–10 PM |
| Thursday | 5–10 PM |
Q: Does Parcelle Greenwich Village serve food?
A: Parcelle Greenwich Village has a seasoned chef in the kitchen and a full menu of food.
