Penny
Seafood restaurant · East Village
90 E 10th St 1st Floor, New York, NY 10003
Highlights
Seafood bar with eclectic wines, known for its ice box platters
Seafood bar with eclectic wines, known for its ice box platters
"This seafood restaurant—from the people who run Claud downstairs—goes way beyond the standard crudos and into fish-you'll-never-forget territory. The short menu ranges from raw bar dishes to whole lobsters, and at least one of which tries to escape from its tank every night. Start with Penny’s version of the seafood tower, an icebox that comes with a luxurious selection of clams, oysters, and some killer red shrimp. Then get the squid stuffed with chard and tuna, and confit oysters. If you don't have a reservation (most of the 31-seat counter is saved for walk-ins), it’s best to arrive around their 5pm opening time. Otherwise, you'll probably have to wait." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, neha talreja
"Every time we get a shrimp cocktail, we’re a little disappointed in ourselves. Those three shrimp were nice, but were they really worth more than a movie ticket? At Penny in the East Village, the Argentinian shrimp are a finger long, a little sweet, cost $4.50 each—and we ordered three more immediately after the first round. The high-quality raw stuff at this 31-seat seafood counter from the Claud team includes oysters, clams, and mussels, and a lot of them can be sampled in the Ice Box—Penny’s take on the seafood tower. But it’s only a teaser. Follow it with a dinner of confit oysters, stuffed squid, and a brioche ice cream sandwich." - bryan kim, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, will hartman
"One of the most talked-about restaurant openings of 2024, Penny is a seafood bar geared towards walk-ins and the after-work crowd (though these days it’s open on the weekends as well). The restaurant is entirely counter-seating, the kind of place to drop in for something spendy. Check out the $39 ice box, which is like a seafood tower for one, or level up with fancier $98 or $185 versions." - Melissa McCart
"Penny entered the small plates scene fully formed, but don’t call just it another wine bar (though they do have exactly 1,000 bottles on their full list). The seafood at this East Village restaurant is exceptional—from the moment we tasted the sweet, red Argentine shrimp in their signature Ice Box, we were on board. The menu is short, but full of delightful surprises, like plump oysters hiding under a cap of puff pastry, or an ice cream sandwich that actually looks like miniature sandwich. Watch from your seat at their long, white marble counter as chefs pluck raw shellfish off ice, pull hot brioche out of the oven, and wrangle live lobsters. In keeping with Penny's breezy, Summer Friday spirit, most seats are reserved for walk-ins, so the earlier you skip out of work to arrive, the better." - bryan kim, molly fitzpatrick, willa moore, will hartman, sonal shah
"The quality of the seafood at this East Village wine bar is so exceptional, we routinely order two rounds of their shrimp cocktail. The 31-seat, low marble bar is deep enough for a full dinner spread, should you choose to follow your Ice Box of assorted, gem-like raw seafood and freshly baked brioche loaf with an elegantly frenched dover sole. Behind it, there’s a stocked-to-the-ceiling wine room. You’ll find a short menu of excellent by-the-glass options and bottles, but if you want to see the complete list of around 1,000 wines, largely from Europe, just ask." - will hartman, bryan kim, willa moore, molly fitzpatrick, sonal shah
