31 Bars And Restaurants Where New York's Coolest Tech People Schmooze
There are a few coffee hangouts where everyone in tech takes meetings. Any of the Grey Dogs (Chelsea, Soho or Union Square) are sure things.
Tarallucci e Vino on 18th is popular with the Flatiron/General Assembly crowd. This picture was taken by Spark Capital's Bijan Sabet, who tweeted about a business meeting here during a trip to New York.
Coffee Shop in Union Square is definitely not a place to go if you want to be discreet. Every booth is full, and most of them are full of tech people.
If you're in Meatpacking, a few tech people frequent Kava Coffee in the mornings.
Prodigy Coffee on Carmine and Bleeker is a good bet if you're downtown.
Peels is a quaint, sunbathed spot on Bowery that's great for breakfast meetings. You can find investors like Rick Webb and RRE's Adam Ludwin here. It serves breakfast until 4 and has build-a-biscuit egg sandwiches.
The Smile NYC is also a hot spot. One VC tells us, "It's the best place ever and I've done many a deal there."
Friend of a Farmer and 71 Irving are great for coffee and breakfast meetings in Flatiron. Tech people like Contently's Shane Snow, investor Charlie O'Donnell, and Business Insider staffers have all been spotted here.
Also nearby is Maialino. Its breakfast is amazing, but if you go for dinner, get the crispy pig (pictured). "It's good for a long VC pitch meeting -- and poached eggs," we're told.
Now onto lunch. On a sunny day, the biergarten on top of Eataly in Flat Iron, Birreria, can't be beat. It has more than 23,000 check-ins on Foursquare.
For the health-conscious techie, Gilt's CTO recommends the vegetarian and vegan Pure Food and Wine on Irving.
Parm is a really great lunch spot too, just steps from Grey Dog and Union Square. "It's a spot in my 'heavy' rotation," a VC tells us.
If you need an afternoon caffeine boost, head to La Colombe Torrefaction on 4th and Lafayette. AOL Ventures and TechStars people frequent here.
B Bar at 4th and Bowery has more than 23,000 check-ins on Foursquare and is a lunch hotspot for the Thunderclap team.
Or if you're near Union Square, head to City Bakery. It's never a bad time for the amazing cookies, pretzel croissants, or hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows.
With a lovely back-porch and a courtyard, DBA is a great place for an outdoor interview.
Ace Hotel is a good food and drink spot. It's one Alex Taub's favorites. He's Dwolla's New York Biz Dev head.
On weekends you can forget SoHo House. But during the week, it's a favorite happy hour spot for the New York tech crowd. "It is fast becoming THE place for cool tech/media people since they have redone it - it is gorgeous," says one regular.
If you want to run into Business Insider, stroll into Barfly on any given weeknight. It's our bar of choice.
For dinner and drinks, Lure Fishbar has a nautical feel, nearly 16,000 Foursquare check-ins, and tech people like WeWorkLabs cofounder Jesse Middleton hanging around.
Rye House on 17th and 5th is good for lots of different whiskey, so naturally it attracts tech guys, especially those in the Flatiron neighborhood.
The Scratcher is the "official after-work bar of team Foursquare," Dennis Crowley writes. "If both bathrooms do not have foursquare stickers on the doors/mirrors/toilets, someone's getting fired... #justsaying." And indeed, the toilets have been branded.
The Village Tavern is the bar of choice for WeWork Labs and the 200 entrepreneurs who work there.
An exec from Lux Capital recommended Graffiti Food & Wine bar in the East Village for unique food and atmosphere.
The Lower East Side's Gallery Bar is a fun, artsy place to run into NYC techies on Thursday nights.
One tech person told us Spotted Pig is the most requested meeting joint, especially for out of towners. "It is the must go to place for Silicon Valley peeps for sure," we're told.
Corsino's Italian wine bar in the West Village is a great spot for tech happy hour meet-ups.
The Wren in the East Village is a favorite night spot.
Multiple investors say they like Cafe Select in Soho for drinks and dinner too. "Eclectic Swiss backyard theme in the back room," says one.
The Bowery Hotel is another popular drink spot where tech people congregate.
And of course, no hotspot list would be complete without Tom & Jerry's. With more than 20,000 Foursquare check-ins, it's a favorite of the New York social king himself, Dennis Crowley. It's also a second home for many media folks.
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