What to Order at Dante

Dante is New York's famous aperitivo bar, winner of World's Best Bar in 2019, and the honest order at either location starts with a negroni, not an entrée.

What should you order at Dante?

Order from the negroni menu first and build the food around it. The Infatuation's Bryan Kim reviewed the MacDougal Street original in 2025, scored it an 8.1, and put the thesis in one line: respectfully, the best dinner at Dante is a Negroni. The West Village location on Hudson Street runs the same negroni-first identity with a fuller dining room.

1. The house negroni. Kept on tap at the original with a strong bitter kick, per Kim's review. It is the drink the whole brand stands on.

2. The chocolate negroni. Topped with grated Valrhona per the review, and the menu's best argument that a negroni list deserves the plural.

3. The vermouth service. Chilled vermouth with sparkling water and frozen grapes, per the review. The lightest way to do aperitivo hour properly.

4. The Garibaldi. Campari under frothy orange juice, the daytime order that made brunch at Dante a category of its own.

5. The veal parmigiana. Kim's review lists a 12 ounce veal parm at $60 at the original, splittable with minimal tomato sauce. If the table graduates from snacks to dinner, this is the anchor.

6. The orecchiette. Steaming and dusted with cheese, with crunchy broccolini and sausage crumbles per the review, the pasta that best survives sharing a table with cocktails.

What should you skip at Dante?

Skip planning it as a pure dinner reservation. Kim's review is direct that the drinks outrank the food, and the room agrees: reserved tables commit to ordering food per Dante's site, while bar seats pour the full cocktail list first come, first served. If you mainly want the negronis, the bar is the better seat and needs no reservation.

How do you get into Dante West Village?

Dante suggests reservations and welcomes walk-ins, per its site. Reserved tables order food, the bar runs first come, and prime aperitivo and dinner hours fill fast on Hudson Street. Book for a proper dinner, walk in early for the bar, or watch for a dropped table on the day.

Frequently asked questions

Is Dante West Village the same as the MacDougal Street Dante?

Same team and same negroni-first identity, two rooms. The MacDougal Street original is the 1915 cafe that won World's Best Bar in 2019, and Dante West Village on Hudson Street is the larger follow-up with a fuller dining menu.

What is Dante famous for?

Negronis, first and always. The bar keeps a dedicated negroni menu, and its Garibaldi is one of the most copied brunch drinks in New York. The World's Best Bar title in 2019 made it a global destination.

How expensive is Dante?

Cocktail-bar prices with a dinner ceiling: the veal parm listed at $60 at the original per The Infatuation's 2025 review is the top of the menu, and a negroni-and-snacks visit costs a fraction of that.

Getting the table is the harder half of the plan. DinnerElite tracks when Dante West Village releases reservations and how far ahead it books, and it emails you the moment a cancellation opens up. Start from DinnerElite's Dante West Village page.