Sometimes we go down to Greenwich Village in search of something fresh and interesting to eat. More often than not, we will find ourselves on 8^th Street,

Between Sixth Avenue and Broadway are a Chipotle, a Dunkin’ Donuts’, and a Domino’s Pizza. While quite popular, these are not the only eateries there. There are a lot of decent Indie restaurants hidden in between. 

The biggest problem with good indie restaurants is that they don’t always stay open long term. As soon as you find a good Persian restaurant, they close up and you find a Japanese restaurant in its place. Or the nice bakery you just started frequenting is suddenly replaced by a Sushi place. 

The Cafedelia is a deceptively simple Georgian restaurant with just 12 seats. Cafedelia just set up shop at the Sunshine Hummus kitchen. 

The little café offers all the hearty meals and cheesy breads you would expect to find in a New York Georgian restaurant. 

Owners Zurab Kikiani and Ramaz KIknadze partnered to create a fast-casual take on their traditional Georgian takeout shop Georgian Deli and Bakery, located in Bath Beach.

We were cognizant of the fact that Indie restaurants on 8^th Street are transient, and we took the precaution of ordering everything on the menu of the Cafedelia. After all, tomorrow never comes.

We were not disappointed. Everything on the menu was either good or really good. We found the chicken meatball soup luxurious and skilfully enhanced with herbs. 

We found their chashushuli (spicy beef soup) to die for. It was served with mashed potatoes, salad, and pickle sides.

We were particularly pleased with the adjaruli khachapuri which is a bread they bake on order. It is a canoe-shaped and stuffed with melted cheese and topped with egg yolk. 

We also ordered khinkali – some juicy dumplings stuffed with meat and pleated. They definitely give xiao long bao soup dumplings some stiff competition. 

Their honey-caramel cake was so good that it proved just how underrated Georgian sweets are. All in all, we were completely satisfied and impressed with everything. Cafedelia is now one of our favourite 8^th Street indie restaurants. And we hope that it stays open for a long time to come so that we can remain happy patrons.

The Upper West Side is not exactly well known for Vietnamese food.  Now, the Banh Vietnamese Shop House is working to change that. 

Most tables at the restaurant are busy, and diners wait patiently outside to order carryout meals. The soups, fresh cha gio spring rolls, sandwiches, summer rolls, grilled beef, pho, rice and noodle dishes, and pork dishes are just what you would find at a Hanoi street banquet. Toppings include rolled rice, bánh mì, and sesame crackers. 

Parking spaces can be hard to find on a busy night. 

Any lover of Vietnamese cuisine will instantly recognize these classics. And people who want to familiarize themselves with Vietnamese food will do well to pay the restaurant a visit. 

Owners Nhu Ton and John Nguyen first began their venture as a pop-up restaurant. But when the response from customers was too overwhelming, they realized they just had to open up a restaurant. 

Banh opened its doors in mid-January, and has been busy ever since. Ton and Nguyen are not new to the restaurant business. They are the owners of Com Tam Ninh-Kieu and worked at Hanoi House in the East village. 

Their specialty is a more traditional take on Vietnamese food. More like what you would find in a traditional kitchen in Vietnam.

Think pork belly delicately caramelized, rice, beef pho, and bone broth with clove and cinnamon. 

Banh offers a true taste of Vietnam. Their bánh mì comes with barbecue pork – char-fired of course – or sometimes stuffed with ham wheels and pâté.

Guests should be warned that the grilled pork runs out quickly. The grilled steak sandwich is exquisite. Marinated in soy and lemongrass and sizzled in butter. 

The pho dac biet is also immensely popular and runs out quickly. Even the dessert screams Vietnam: the restaurant serves Vietnamese cassava cake garnished with a scoop of yoghurt. 

Typical Vietnamese fare consists of noodles, spring rolls, and bread rolls. As well as wholesome soups. Every dish comes with fresh herbs and vegetables that make Vietnamese food so healthy and delicious. You will find coriander, mint, and other herbs and spices in your meal at the Banh Vietnamese restaurant. 

‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!’ wrote editor Susan Chumsky under a photo of a desolate-looking Eisenberg’s Sandwich shop with a “FOR LEASE” sign displayed on its window. 

One of only a few surviving old fashioned New York diners is now closed indefinitely. News articles reported that even though the space is on the market, the landlord would still prefer to see the iconic restaurant reopened.

Warren Chiu who owns Eisenberg has been unable to pay rent since the beginning of the pandemic.  The restaurant was already witnessing diminished revenues even before the pandemic, and things only became worse with the onset of the pandemic. 

Chiu’s father established the Warwick Hotels 41 years ago. He purchased the Eisenberg Sandwich shop 5 years ago hoping to maintain the tradition of Eisenberg. Last year, he even introduced the Eisenberg menu to the Warwick hotel in San Francisco. He was clearly committed to the menu. 

Even before it became official, there had been rumors of its impending closure. Now, the chances of the restaurant surviving long term are slim to none. 

Long-time customers of Eisenberg are disappointed. But in a development that might turn out to be a blessing in disguise, Chiu does not have intellectual property rights over the menu. This means that one of these days someone might offer the characteristic Eisenberg tuna melt.