Virgola

I've been eyeing the Virgola in East Village for a while, but after a few beers at the Standard, we were looking for oysters closer to Meatpacking, and man oh man am I glad that Virgola has a Greenwich Ave location.

The short: this place is super intimate. It's perfect for a date night or small group. The food and drinks are phenomenal.

The longer: I came with two friends on a Monday night. We were surprised by how tiny the space is. It's long, narrow and dimly lit with candles and a handful of small tables. It's so, super dozy.

Our waiter/the manager was awesome. He let us try the reds before we ordered. The Italian red wine selection was incredible. We started with the Tre Saggi bottle.

We shared 18 oysters and an antipasto platter.The oysters were incredible, and we were all SO impressed by how perfectly they were shucked. In fact, my friend said he'd be very disappointed if I didn't give Yelp kudos to Virgola for amazingly shucked oysters.

We had the coppa, bresaola and porchetta from the salumi section; the toma piemontese (my favorite thing on the platter) and robiola fresca from the formaggi section; and we'd ordered the mushrooms, but they accidentally gave us the artichokes -- so we had both. I didn't love the mushrooms, but everything else was fresh and tasty. The platter came with warm bread, honey and strawberries.

The ambiance in this space is incredible. We never felt rushed, it was perfect for conversation, the staff made us feel welcome... and we all can't wait to come back & try that East Village location. Thanks for a great dinner experience, Virgola!

The perfect word to describe this cute tiny oyster and wine bar tucked into a restored 1800 narrow alley in the heart of Greenwich Village, would be "black". Everything here is black: the walls, the ceiling, the furniture, the lamps. They even have a black squid ink cocktail, which is actually as tasty as it is imaginative[1]

We came here for oysters. Montauk Pearl oysters are $1 each every day all day. Not only that: they also have a daily selection of 3 other East Coast oysters at $1.25 each. It's a pretty sweet deal. During our visit we sampled them all. Montauk Pearls are nice and briny, with a clean, almost sweet finish, and dense meat. All oysters were great.

Virgola also produce their own prosecco ($12 a glass) and spumante rosé ($14). They have a choice of 5 white and 5 red wines by the glass, and a very interesting cocktail selection like the Milano-Tornino (Campari, sweet vermouth, prosecco; $12). The beer list is unfortunately uninspired.

The food menu is also seafood-centric, featuring plates like bay scallops and swordfish crudo, 3 types of caviar, plus a series of cold cuts and cheeses.

Perfect for an intimate date or to catch up with an old friend. Not good for more than 2-4 people.
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[1] This is their signature Virgola cocktail. Never had a squid ink cocktail before.

I cannot believe how narrow this place is! Anyway, it was well decorated and cozy.

I was here with my coworker for happy hour oysters. The Montauk oysters that they offered were really clean and fresh!!! I mean none of them were gritty. It was like they took their time to clean each and every one of them before they were served. I was so ecstatic with the oysters.

By the way, I wish they had more beer in their menu. 3 beers? That doesn't cut it.

Well so disappointed. So I have had a pretty high bar set before coming since Virgola has been strongly recommended by multiple of my friends; however multiple things consecutively let me down.

Half an hour of waiting time - not quite sure what took that long to get our single dozen of oysters, given the place was tiny and weren't that many people dining in at that point of time. Oysters were also kind of small - probably I should not be complaining about this, after all, what more could you expect out of happy-hour oysters?!

Hmm I guess I should make a better choice going somewhere else next time, plenty of good ones in this neighborhood for sure.

Love this cute little find. Our waitress was great. I can't remember her name. Sorry.

$1 oyster for Happy Hour from 4-8pm everyday. The HIGHLIGHT was the freshly grated horseradish! I have only been to one other bar that served freshly grated horseradish with their oysters and that was in SF.

I'll definitely be back soon when I'm in NYC.

A bit disappointed with Virgola. My friends and I waited 25mins after ordering to get our oysters.... Plus we waited another 5 minutes after the waitress promised us that it is ready at the counter and would bring us in a sec. Happy hour deal is $15 after tax and tips for a dozen. Not sure if it's a good deal given the oysters are a bit too small.

The highlight is a nice selection of east and west coast oysters for quite reasonable prices. And the great thing is the prices are reasonable all night long (they don't have happy hour prices but always have one type that is $1 and the rest range between $1 and $2.50).

I would only come here for the oysters though. The selection of three tapas (can choose between cheese, cured meats, and vegetables) for $21 was overpriced for what you get. For example, we received five small and thin pieces of salami for $7.

The space was pretty cramped - it is long and narrow with small round tables - only come here in pairs / small groups. Not sure if this is what they were going for with the dark walls and wood planks in the ceiling, but it feels like you're in the underbelly of a ship at Virgola West Village.

If you are looking for super duper cozy joint where you can enjoy $1 oysters to caviar, you want to be here! They have great east & west coast selection of fresh oysters. Seating is very limited and place is literally a hole in the wall. But, do not undermine this place for the size of its location. They have some selection of wine and cocktails. Limited beer selection. Ordered bloody mary which was not bad but not the best I've had. Service is great and nice ambience!

This is probably the tiniest restaurant I've ever been to in NYC so it definitely says a lot about the size of it because we all know there are a ton of hole-in-the-walls here. But don't be fooled! It's narrow, but cozy nonetheless. The interior is very gothic with its black brick walls, chandelier, and locks on the walls -- it really adds to its charm. The owner personally attended to diners in this small space and he was very hospitable and cordial and it improved the experience greatly.

If you're looking for super fresh raw oysters in the Village, definitely check this place out. My boyfriend and I stopped by here for happy hour and we were not disappointed. Their oyster of the day is $1 and they have a variety of east and west coast options as well for $1.50 and $2.50, respectively. They have a pretty sizable selection of both which was great. We opted for the Montauk Pearls (oysters of the day) and an assortment of east coast oysters from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Brunswick and we enjoyed everything. Presentation was also neat and spot on, unlike other places where the oysters are just randomly scattered around.

I had a good time dining at Virgola and I'll definitely be back for more!!

This place is like a typical intimate wine bar but 1/10 the size. This place does not take reservation, and can probably only seat 20 people max. My boyfriend and I got seated at this table that's right by the main entrance, which didn't really bother me.

The waitress Adrianne was very friendly. I couldn't understand the wine menu, so she asked what I like to drink. I gave her my answer and I think she suggested Nero d'Avola "DonnaTa" (second one under the red section on the printed menu). My boyfriend wanted something bolder, and we both got exactly what we wanted. We also ordered a platter, which includes 12 oysters, and 3 other little seafood bowls (cerviche, tuna tartare, and shrimp cocktail). First of all, the portion is perfect for two people. I was hungry going in, and like all others when they're hungry, I just wanted to devour the world.

My tummy was satisfied, and I wasn't too stuffed that I couldn't walk around. The shrimp cocktail and oysters were amazing btw. I went to this highly rated oyster place in SF, and it had a little bit of shell in the oysters, but this little place serves oysters that do not have shell debris in it!!!! I was so happy! The tuna tartare and cerviche were decent; there's a little too much citrus-y flavor in it.