Hot Girls Read Outside (With Wine, Obviously)
A guide to the best NYC spots for sipping, sunning, and reading like the effortlessly chic literary icon you are.
Warm weather in New York means one thing: we’re all feral for outdoor seating. Suddenly, every park bench is a runway, and every curb becomes a café. This season, we’re trading sweaty subway rides for sun-soaked pages, reading like we’ve got a book deal and sipping like we don’t have rent due. Here are the best spots to flaunt your TBR and taste in natural wine.
Book Club Bar
97 East 3rd St, New York, NY
Book Club Bar is the spot if you're looking to sip a perfectly crafted cocktail, dive into your current read, and wonder how anyone can miss the magic of indie bookstores. The patio is perfect for pretending you’re working on your next literary masterpiece (or manifesting your bookstore meet-cute). Bonus: the bartenders serve up drinks that’ll make you forget about your ex, the bookshop staff have spot-on recs, and the events calendar is stacked with singles nights to keep your social life as well-curated as your bookshelf.
Abraço
81 E 7th St, New York, NY
This East Village gem is where you go when you want your espresso strong, your wine natural, and your Sunday scaries softened by a warm breeze. The sidewalk seating is prime real estate for people-watching, book-flipping, and pretending your vintage Coach bag isn’t just hiding a half-melted lip balm, last night’s eye makeup, and the dramatic novella you claim you’re “just getting into.”
Le Dive
37 Canal St, New York, NY
Le Dive on the Lower East Side is where the city’s effortlessly cool come to sip on orange wine and pretend they’re not judging you for ordering a cocktail. Outdoor seating? Check. Pretentious lit? Absolutely! The more obscure, the better. Order the fries and olives, but it's all about the vibes here, darling! Whether you're ignoring the handsome stranger across the table or giving him just enough attention to seem mysterious, Le Dive is where you go to not try too hard, but still look like you do.
Kaia Wine Bar
1614 3rd Ave, New York, NY
Tucked away on the tamer side of town, Kaia is proof the Upper East Side isn’t just for trust funds and tiny dogs. The staff? As warm and witty as your group chat after one too many. The pours? Let’s just say you’ll learn everything you need to know about someone by their second glass. Come for the happy hour, stay for the South African wine, chaotic life chats, and the kind of gossip that pairs best with a full-bodied red and a main character complex.
Stafili Wine Cafe
796 Greenwich St, New York, NY
Stafili is the kind of West Village wine bar that makes you feel like your situationship could inspire a short story. The charcuterie board has just the right amount of bougie to make you feel special without needing a mortgage, and the wine list is more extensive than your list of “people I’m too lazy to text back.” It’s a perfect spot to bring your bestie, plop down with your latest “I’m a complicated woman” novel, and pretend you’ve got it all figured out.
Sullaluna Bookshop + Bistro
41 Carmine St, New York, NY
Channeling the Amalfi Coast in the heart of the West Village, Sullaluna makes you feel like you’re vacationing in Europe without the long-haul flight. With windows that open to the street and sidewalk seating, this bookshop and bistro serves up literary gems and Italian wine with equal flair. Whether you’re debriefing the latest love triangle with your book club or pretending you’re a literary tourist, it’s the perfect place for some sunshine, people-watching, and effortlessly chic Prosecco sips.
You’ve got the book, the wine, and the attitude—now go be someone’s literary fever dream!