I’m a “trend’s victim”, I confess. If a restaurant is cute and instagrammable, is enough for me to go there and check out. Joking aside, I appreciate good food, but if the atmosphere of the restaurant is cool, the place earns points. But you can not be cute, but ordinary – no matter how Instagram shows us the opposite. Well, these cute restaurants are so New York! There’s always a new spot here. While We Were Young is one of them. Raquel and I were there some weeks ago to have lunch and I’ve decided to share our experience with you here.
While We Were Young is located in the West Village, a super charming area of the city. The owner, Bradford Dunigan, born and raised in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, grew up in a home where details have always been important. His mother, a former model, covered the house with flowers. This explains why the bar is covered in petals. The atmosphere is intimate and small, and the restaurant was planned to provide an experience to customers. While We Were Young usually gets busy late in the afternoon when it becomes a perfect Happy Hour spot. Incidentally, the drinks are house specialty – especially the While We Were Young, made with vodka, vanilla, and sparkling wine.
Although the place stands out for the bar, its food menu is very neat. The kitchen offers contemporary American cuisine. Appetizers include burrata, tuna tartar, and salads. On the main dishes, the options range from avocado toast to burger (with vegan version), fish, pasta, lobster, and chicken. Raquel and I ordered a burrata and a burger, to share. Burrata ($18) was one of the most delicious I have ever eaten – served with pears, cherries and hazelnuts (I love the mix of sweet and savory). The burger ($22), came with fries and was great. Very, very tasty, with a chipotle aioli, along with crispy onions. Yes, the prices are a little high, but everything was so well prepared and yummy that it was worth every penny.
And when we were leaving, the waiter surprises us with a courtesy: a dessert. A carrot cake served as a sandwich, with delicious icing filling and topping, plus walnuts, which gave a perfect taste. Seriously, this dessert was delicious! We left there happy and satisfied (with food and service).
While We Were Young is open every day from 11 am – and serves brunch on weekends. You can click here to see the full menu. The place does not accept reservations and is perfect for groups of up to 4 people.
Address: 183 W 10th St
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
