Claudette on Fifth Avenue is the perfect place for an outdoor weekend brunch. Located just off of Washington Square Park, Claudette serves Mediterranean inspired French dishes, you can’t go wrong from choosing anything between the strawberry babka to vegetable tagine or gateau au chocolat (a chocolate cake with berries and almonds). In the 1920s, Claudette’s location was the Brevoort Mansion.

Just a quick stroll from Washington Square Park is La Lanterna di Vittorio on MacDougal Street, where you can enjoy a delicious Italian meal and live jazz. One of La Lanterna di Vittorio’s main selling points is their lantern-lit garden, where all guests can enjoy their meals. From pizza to paninis to lasagna dishes, you can’t go wrong with an authentic Italian meal at La Lanterna di Vittorio.

Start here if you want a great place to people watch the wonders of MacDougal Street or enjoy a nice cappuccino and apple crumb cake. Open until 4am, Caffe Reggio has everything from pasta dishes, paninis, a number of desserts, and of course, coffee! Caffe Reggio was founded in 1927 and still has the original cappuccino maker that was made in 1902 when founder Domenico Parisi founded the café.

After a meal at one of these signature Greenwich Village restaurants, be sure to check out Cafe Wha, one of Manhattan’s most iconic live music venues. Also located on MacDougal Street, Cafe Wha used to be frequented by cultural legends like Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, and Bob Dylan at the height of the counterculture movement in the 1960s.

Located on MacDougal Street, the Minetta Tavern Restaurant is another perfect slice of New York City and Greenwich Village’s history. The Minetta Tavern was founded in 1937 and was originally named after the Minetta Brook, which ran from 23rd Street to the Hudson at the time. Currently, the Minetta Tavern is a charming and bustling place for classic American and French food.

Located on Hudson Street and 11th Street, the White Horse Tavern was known for being a meeting space for artists and writers during the 1950s and 1960s during the height of the counterculture movement. The White Horse Tavern is New York City’s second-oldest pub, tracing its roots back to 1880 when the bar opened. Today, the White Horse Tavern is a great place to grab a meal and learn more about the poets and artists who found this place so influential.

Look no further than Sevilla, located on Charles Street and West 4th Street if you’re looking for a bustling Greenwich Village staple for paella and other delicious Spanish dishes. In 1979, Valerie Perrine filmed Can’t Stop the Music in front of Sevilla.

Located on Cornelia Street in between Bleecker and West 4th Streets, the Cornelia Street Café served the local community for over 40 years until it closed in 2018. When it opened in 1977, the Cornelia Street Café was an art gallery and performance space with a cappuccino machine, toaster oven, and a refrigerator. As the Café became successful, it expanded into a full-fledged restaurant with two kitchens, two bars, three dining rooms, and a full-day menu. Jazz singers, writers, and artists all flocked to the Cornelia Street Café in its heyday. Singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega performed and rose to fame here, while Eve Ensler first read “The Vagina Monologues” here. When it closed in 2018, many of Cornelia Street Café's paid tribute and bid farewell to this esteemed establishment on social media.

Le Figaro Café, located on Bleecker Street and MacDougal Street, served the Greenwich Village community from 1957 to 2008. During the counterculture movement in New York City, Le Figaro Café was a fixture for iconic Beats figures like Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, and later famed figures like Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, and Al Pacino in the 1960s. Though Le Figaro Café served coffee, pastries, and classic American breakfast, Le Figaro Café's main selling point that kept drawing in customers was its longstanding legacy in Greenwich Village. \*Le Figaro Cafe was located at 184 Bleecker Street.