Flame123

We love to drink a good wine with our dinners when we are on vacation especially. But am abhorred at the terribly inflated prices that restaurants still charge for a bottle. Is there any way that I can know beforehand where and whether there are restaurants in NYC which allow bringing your own wine for dinner? I understand they would charge a corkage fee but how do I know which ones do it?

Thanks in advance for any info.

Aduchamp1

Call.

K_brklyn

It actually a violation to bring your own wine to NYC restaurants. But some do allow it, esp those without a liquor license or with one pending.

Here's the law: http://www.abc.state.ny.us/bring-your-own-bottle-byob

nytraveler

The only ones (very few) that I know that allow it have been new and awaiting a liquor license. If you want to do it at any other you can call and ask - but if they do allow it expect to pay a corkage fee similar to the cost of one of their less expensive bottles of wine (unless it is a VERY special bottle they don;t have for a special occasion). Why would they want to give away one of their main sources of profit?

Aduchamp1

A recommendation, if you will.

The phrase, "But am abhorred.." means that the writer is detested. I assume you mean, "I abhor the practice of inflated wines prices," or "The practice of inflated wine prices is aborrent."

travelbuff

I can recommend a good restaurant where your bottle of wine is welcome for lunch or dinner the restaurant is Tonelli located at 150th and Broadway. The #1 train to 145th St and walk up to the restaurant middle of the block. Good Italian and even better good prices.

nytraveler

Yes - but quite a bit out of the way for most people. Can't comment on if the food is worth the trip.

nytraveler

Actually it appears to be called Tonalli- and you can find a menu and info on menupages.com.

Aduchamp1

That is a long way to travel to avoid a corkage charge.

Many of the cheaper Chinese and Thai restaurants do not have liquor licenses.

otto

"ivo and lulu" on varick is a bring your own new-french place, and it was enjoyable.

NeoPatrick

I've never really understood this concept at all. Possibly the exception would be taking a special bottle given to you at your wedding for an anniversary dinner or something like that.

But to walk in to a restaurant which has a huge source of profit based on wine or liquor sales? Would you walk into that restaurant with your own precooked steak and sit down and eat it while ordering a drink from them? What's the difference really? The steak is marked up as much as the wine would be, so seems to make the same sense. Restaurants are as much in business for wine sales as they are for food.

Of course it has a mark up. What part of "business" do you not understand? What do you think pays for that ambiance you want in the restaurant? If you don't want to pay for that ambiance, then by all means stay home or in your hotel room and drink your wine.

jroth

Neo - I don't think you have to be needlessly harsh to the OP who asked a reasonable question. There are a number of places that do not have liquor licenses or have one pending who invite you to bring your own. And there are wine serving restaurants who do accommodate (with corkage) - in those cases don't bring a bottle of $10 wine - it's expected that you have something special or on the higher end. And - re - they are operating a business - yes -- but does that give them the right to charge utterly exorbitant prices? - I've seen wines selling at $15 retail for like $60 on menus. This is my pet peeve about NY restaurants - their over priced wines - and wine lists. some places (moderate priced restaurants) will have one or two in the 3o's or 40's then instantly leap to upper two digits and into three digits. Landmarc made its reputation by pricing their wines very fairly and they drew a clientele that appreciated that.

tom42

Neo seems to think there is something wrong with doing this. Restaurants that allow it have made a business decision to do so. It is not like the OP is trying to sneak in a bottle of wine without the restaurant's knowledge.

travelbuff

Hey my neighborhood is not all that far away, 15 minutes from 59th St on the #1 train. After dinner take the group to St. Nicks Pub for some GREAT jazz. (St. Nicholas and 149th St), one of the best Jazz spots in the city.

NeoPatrick

I apologize. I was not trying to be "needlessly" harsh to the OP. We all have opinions and we are all entitled to them, aren't we? I was merely expressing how I feel about the situation. I maintain that it is just as justifiable for me to believe it is "cheap" to take your own wine (unless it is really something special) to a restaurant that makes its profit on selling wine -- as it is for someone to think doing so is fine. And let's not forget, the OP DID say she was "abhorred" at the inflated prices. Unless she runs a restaurant and fully understands how the wine business in restaurant works -- I think the OP was the one being unnecessarily "harsh".

Of course, it's less of a problem if the restaurant charges a corkage fee to help them make up their lost profits, but from my experience, most people then "whine" about the high corkage fee -- sometimes now $ 20 or more -- when they are trying to save money by bringing their own wine.

NeoPatrick

Oh, and jroth, no offense, but did you notice I was clearly NOT talking about restaurants without licenses or pending ones who INVITE you to bring your own. As to "it's OK if they overprice wines" the answer is simple -- if you think a wine is overpriced needlessly then don't go there. That's like saying "this steak house charges way more than others and it is unfair so I refuse to pay their prices and I'll take my own steak". The answer is much simpler, don't patronize places that overprice things according to your own standards and you feel are too expensive for you, and then try to circumvent their prices. It's their business -- they have a right to say how it operates. If the restaurant is successful, then clearly there are plenty of people who feel the ambiance or service of the restaurant warrants paying those prices.

emd3

Not too many BYOBs in NYC that I know of. As previously stated, it is usually limited to new restaurants that don't yet have their liquor license, from what I have experienced. So unless you get their in the first few wks after they open, it will not be BYOB once they get their license.

How about an alternative, like half price wine nights? Here some good ones being advertised this summer:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-0...accademia.html

http://www.invino-ny.com/news/show/13

Also some good ones mentioned in this current list, like half priced wine nights at Circle Rouge, dinner on Sun. night at Aureole w/unlimited free wine our for $49, etc.:
http://www.novusvinum.com/winedinners/new_york.html

emd3

More:

No corkage fee at Apiary on Monday nights: http://www.apiarynyc.com/main.asp?page=information

http://leshalles.net/brasserie/specials-events

http://vinovino.net/ (click on "specials")

http://www.jadisnyc.com/ (click on "what's new?")

http://www.10degreesbar.com/specials.html

emd3

Oh gosh, I almost forgot this one! I LOVE this place. Great food, really great, but it is small. It is BYOB with NO CORKAGE FEE (always) and if you don't have time to bring a bottle, you can call Spring St. Wines or Hudson Wines from the restaurant and they will bring a bottle of your choice right over in 5 min. with no extra charge ! We've done that a few times, works great. The restaurants philosophy is that they want you to spend on the food and be able to enjoy the wine you want to have with it.

La Sirene
http://www.lasirenenyc.com/about.htm

emd3

Here is a little gem for those who like BYOBs.

Put in a zip code and get all the BYOBs in the area for NYC.

But I would call to verify at particular restaurants as BYOB status can change day to day sometimes...

http://www.gobyo.com/index.php