Dante, Macdougal St, New York

Nestled on a block of Greenwich Village, cosy with multicoloured townhouses, Dante dates back to 1915, when it was known as Caffe Dante.

Now, the all-day bar is one of few spots in New York City where you can feast on a banquette for breakfast (avocado toast on sourdough paired with a flat white… yes please!), return for a Wi-Fi-equipped working lunch (handmade pasta with a side of rosé on tap), hang out during aperitivo hour and devour the list of exotic Negronis, stay for a full dinner and drink sophisticated cocktails or beer on tap past midnight. Dante is the excellent all-day one stop shop downtown Manhattan deserves.

While the ambiance changes as the sun sets, Dante is generally full of in-the-know New Yorkers, simultaneously longing for the historic city of days of cocktail’s past but also up-to-date on the trendy hangouts. Behind the bar, carafes of pre-batched cocktails await the post-work rush, to be stirred or shaken with spirits and garnished before making their way into the stylishly appointed restaurant, renovated in 2014.

Known for its highly curated and detailed lists, Dante focuses on different styles of cocktails each season. Warm beverages for winter and spritzes to be sipped on the sidewalk seating during summertime. The most iconic facet of Dante’s menu may be the negroni, which is served on tap as well as in several more iterations. We loved the chocolate negroni made with crème de cacao and chocolate bitters and the “Unlikely Negroni” made with pineapple shrub, chili and sesame. Any time of day, The Garibaldi, a simple Italian concoction of orange juice and Campari, served with an orange wedge on top, as a nice intro into the European drinking culture Dante offers.