Review: Sip & Guzzle: A Bi-Level Craft Cocktail Bar in the West Village

Housed in the former Cornelia Street Cafe, the once Greenwich Village hangout from 1977 with all-day dining live performances, now resides the latest cocktail bar and ideal date spot Sip & Guzzle.

The exterior with fully covered windows and only a small sign on the door gives off a speakeasy-type vibe, while the interior bi-level space offers two different bars to choose from. 

Guzzle is upstairs and brings cocktails from Steve Schneider (Employees Only Singapore). It features a bustling bar when you first walk in and then a small dining room to the right where you can try food from Chef Mike Bagale (three-Michelin-starred Alinea), which includes the perfectly crispy and crunchy Mochi French Fry with nacho powder, dried aged beef tartare with black truffle that is delicious and gorgeous but can be hard to take a bite as it sits on thick Texas-style toast, and macaroni and cheese topped with caviar. 

If you order the Electric Chicken, it should come with a warning as you’ll need to cut it yourself with scissors and latex gloves. Heads up: this chicken is hot out of the oven and should be left to cool on the table before you try to tackle it.

Downstairs is where you’ll find Sip: a cozy little nook of a bar from mixologist Shingo Gokan from the Tokyo bar, The SG Club with limited space that is quaint and welcoming, dotted with warm candlelight. 

Whichever space you choose to try — or can get in — you’ll enjoy an atmosphere that is decked out in brick, dark accents, and velvet curtains for a cozy but cool vibe. 

Sip & Guzzle is indeed a good spot for cocktails. At Guzzle, you can a classic Lychee Martini, while at Sip, there is a gin-focused Tomato Tree. 

Reservations are needed as both spots can fill up fast. Keep in mind, since they are packed, you may also have only a two-hour limit at your table.

Sip & Guzzle is located at 29 Cornelia Street, New York, NY 10014. For menus, hours of operation, and contact, please visit https://www.sipandguzzlenyc.com/.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Carissa Chesanek