Restaurant in New York City, United States
The raw bar counter that earns repeat visits.
Penny is the East Village raw bar that makes the case for restraint: pristine seafood, a 6,000-bottle wine list, and counter seats that put you inside the kitchen. Featured on Opinionated About Dining's Casual list for North America (2025) and awarded three stars by The New York Times, it books easier than its reputation warrants. Walk in at opening or grab one of the limited reservations.
Penny earns a confident return visit. If you went once for the novelty of a raw bar counter in the East Village, go back because the execution has proven it's not a one-season story. Featured in the Opinionated About Dining Casual list for North America (2025) and earning three-star notice from The New York Times, this is a restaurant that has settled into its identity with conviction. For seafood-focused diners who want depth in both the food and the wine, Penny is the clearest answer in its price tier in downtown Manhattan.
Two years after Chase Sinzer and Joshua Pinsky opened Claud in the East Village basement below, they turned the bright second-floor space into Penny. That context matters: this is not a standalone project with something to prove, it's a follow-up from a team that already had the neighbourhood's attention. What's notable on a return visit is how little has changed in premise, and how much that discipline pays off.
The room is narrow and spare, built almost entirely around two marble counters that run parallel to each other along the length of the bar and kitchen. The energy here leans lively without tipping into loud. In the early evening there's a focused, counter-service rhythm to the room, the kind of ambient hum that comes from a kitchen operating without drama. Later sittings get louder as the wine list does its work, but the format keeps things conversational until well past 9 PM. For a food and wine enthusiast who wants to watch technique up close, the counter format is the experience, not just a seating arrangement.
The food is built around an Ice Box: a mound of pebble ice presenting oysters, razor clams, scallop crudo, mussels escabeche, and whatever the day's sourcing allows. A live Maine lobster is poached to order and finished in brown butter. The sesame brioche with Cantabrian anchovies and the tuna carpaccio with Manzanilla olives and cipollini onions have both developed reputations as requisite orders. The kitchen works with a binchotan grill and a refrigerator as its primary tools, and the point is exactly that constraint: pristine sourcing, minimal intervention, precise seasoning. Dover sole in bordelaise is available for those who want something more substantial.
Wine is not an afterthought. Wine Director Ellis Srubas-Giammanco oversees a list of roughly 6,000 bottles, with particular depth in Burgundy, Champagne, Loire, and the Rhône. The pricing sits at $$$, and corkage runs $55 if you bring your own. The by-the-glass selection is edited, but ask for the full list and the range opens up considerably. For an explorer who tracks producers and vintages, this is a wine destination as much as a seafood one.
The East Village location is doing real work here. Penny is not a Midtown power-lunch operation or a tourist-circuit landmark. It occupies a stretch of East 10th Street where the neighbourhood has supported independent restaurants with genuine staying power, and the walk-in format keeps it connected to that local rhythm. Most seats are held for walk-ins; a small number of reservations are available. Arrive just before doors open if you want to guarantee a spot without booking.
Booking difficulty is easy relative to what the quality level suggests. That gap between quality and access is the most practical reason to go soon, before walk-in habits shift.
Quick reference: Walk-ins preferred; arrive at opening for leading access. Small number of reservations available. Cuisine pricing $$$. Wine list $$$, corkage $55. Dinner only. East Village, Manhattan.
| Venue | Price | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Penny | Easy | — | |
| Le Bernardin | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Atomix | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Eleven Madison Park | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Masa | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
| Per Se | $$$$ | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Penny's menu is built almost entirely around seafood, so pescatarians are well served. The format is a raw bar counter with a short, market-driven menu, which limits flexibility for guests avoiding shellfish or fish altogether. If someone in your party doesn't eat seafood at all, Claud downstairs — the same team's Euro bistro — offers more range. Call ahead if restrictions are significant, as the menu offers few land-based alternatives based on current documentation.
Penny is a slim, counter-only space, so large groups are a poor fit. The bar seating format works best for two to four people. Most seats are held for walk-ins rather than reservations, which makes coordinating a group arrival harder. For a party of six or more, the counter dynamic breaks down — consider Claud below, which has conventional table seating.
Penny is a casual seafood counter in the East Village — think clean and comfortable rather than dressed up. The venue is described across multiple editorial sources as relaxed and friendly in tone. Jeans are fine. There is no indication of a dress code, and the walk-in format reinforces the low-key atmosphere.
Yes, with the right expectations. Penny earned recognition from Opinionated About Dining's Casual North America 2025 list, and reviewers have noted that shrimp cocktail and razor clams here reset the baseline for what the format can achieve. The 6,000-bottle wine list with Burgundy and Champagne depth gives it occasion-worthy drinking at $$$ pricing. It works better for a celebratory dinner for two than a milestone group event — the counter seating is intimate, not ceremonial.
For a comparable casual seafood counter experience in NYC, Penny sits in a category with few direct peers at this execution level. Le Bernardin covers premium seafood at a formal register and a significantly higher price point. If you want the raw bar format with less commitment, Maison Premiere in Brooklyn is a reasonable comparison, though it leans more cocktail bar than focused kitchen. Penny is the sharper choice if you want counter dining, a serious wine list, and chef-driven simplicity without a tasting menu price tag.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
