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13 BYOB Restaurants in NYC

Bring your own beer, wine, and sake to one of these gems

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Cheers to that.
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New York City is filled with impressive wine lists curated by thoughtful sommeliers and beverage directors. But let’s be real: there’s nothing more fun than drinking something that’s BYOB. Here are 13 restaurants that allow guests to bring their own bottles, most of which are as casual and inviting as their policies.

Health experts consider dining out to be a high-risk activity for the unvaccinated; it may pose a risk for the vaccinated, especially in areas with substantial COVID transmission.

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Astoria Seafood

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The worst-kept secret among BYO-goers, Astoria Seafood is all charm and warmth in a space that isn’t trying for either. It’s a seafood market, where customers first grab all the mussels, shrimp, whole red snappers, and squid they want. Staff charges by the pound and asks how diners want each selection cooked. Be prepared to drink out of plastic.

This charming Jersey City Italian restaurant is worth a trip across the water. The open kitchen serves up some of the Tri-State area's better pasta dishes, but what really makes it special is that it feels like you’re in the owner’s home. And by that extension, Corto is BYOB. There’s a wine shop, Riverview, just down the street with a great selection that’s as much of a draw as the restaurant.

Hug Esan

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When Hug Esan opened in Elmhurst in 2019, Eater critic Robert Sietsema declared the restaurant a funky “jolt” to the city’s Thai scene. And what better to pair with offal-y dishes than equally funky natural wine? Hug Esan charges a $5 per bottle corkage fee, and $1 per beer can.

At peak times, tiny Hug Esan is often filled up.
The colorful dining room at Hug Esan.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Panna II Garden

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Large groups of customers, many of them rookie NYU freshmen, file up the stairs to Panna II — most of them celebrating something in the cash-only East Village Indian restaurant — to a room lit by strings of Christmas lights.

Men stand on the stoop of a colorful restaurant entrance
Follow the lights upstairs to Panna II.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Casa Adela

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Puerto Rican classics like pernil are well-seasoned with garlic, oregano, and pepper, so it’s a good idea to bring some beer (a lager or porter) when trying Casa Adela’s expert version — served with rice and beans. Don’t skip the mofongo, a top version in the city, or the roast chicken. Bringing beer is free, but wine is $5 corkage. No credit cards

Spicy Village

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Stop by with a group for the most-talked-about dish at Spicy Village, the big tray chicken. Note: Spicy Village is BYO with the condition that each guest spends at least $10.

A big metal bowl with stewed chicken and noodles, topped with a pile of cilantro
The big tray chicken.
Eater NY

Peking Duck House

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A meal at Chinatown classic Peking Duck House is part theater, part full-blown feast, where whole ducks with ultra-crisp skins are carved tableside. No matter the occasion, it’s one of the more reliable BYOB spots in town. There’s also a Midtown location.

Wu's Wonton King

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Wu’s Wonton King has made a name for itself as one of the best spots in the city for a group dinner that’s BYOB and one where industry folks like to flex which bottle of natural wine they brought. Order the Peking duck — served on soft buns instead of thin wrappers, and if you’re really looking to ball out: the crab dinner. While wine is permitted for BYOB, no outside beer is allowed (the restaurant sells it).

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
The exterior of Wu’s.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Los Hermanos

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Los Hermanos in Bushwick is part taqueria and part tortilla factory, where outside wine and beer is most welcome. There are no cups or glasses so definitely bring those, too, or stick to bottles like Pacifico and Tecate.

Al Badawi

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Family-style Palestinian restaurant Al Badawi is in a lot of ways similar to its Bay Ridge sibling Ayat. The restaurant is at least twice as big, but has many of the same dishes, such as the crowd favorite mansaf (a fermented yogurt-based lamb dish). Unlike Ayat, Al Badawi allows BYOB.

beef, yellow rice, almond slices and a herb garnish are served in a terracotta bowl on a wood table.
Al Badawi and Fatta Mano are both BYOB.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

Dept. of Culture

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Save for select counter seats, there is only one table at Dept of Culture and it’s communal: which means, at this Nigerian fine dining restaurant, you’re bound to make some new friends. What better way than over a shared bottle? Despite the nearly $100 prix fixe, the restaurant is incredibly casual and sharing is allowed (and preferred).

An octopus tentacle on a bed of thin cucumber slices on a white plate.
There is only one table at Dept. of Culture and its communal.
Clay Williams/Eater NY

More than a decade in, Lucali still pulls in long lines for its fine pizza and calzones in a wonderfully cozy space. It’s a restaurant that believes in few frills, where servers greet tables with ease and a wine key, and the menu boasts no more than five options. Bring wine and arrive before 5 p.m. for a chance at snagging a table. Note that, at least at one point, the restaurant only allowed one bottle of wine per five people to speed things along.

A man making pizza
The dining room at Lucali.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

Fatta Mano

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New York’s halal food scene is as diverse as ever, case in point: Fatta Mano, an Italian restaurant from the team behind Palestinian spots Ayat and Al Badawi. And while halal restaurants usually don’t serve alcohol, BYOB is allowed at this establishment.

A blue bowl of wide noodles with an orange colored meat sauce.
Pasta at Fatta Mano is all halal.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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Astoria Seafood

The worst-kept secret among BYO-goers, Astoria Seafood is all charm and warmth in a space that isn’t trying for either. It’s a seafood market, where customers first grab all the mussels, shrimp, whole red snappers, and squid they want. Staff charges by the pound and asks how diners want each selection cooked. Be prepared to drink out of plastic.

Corto

This charming Jersey City Italian restaurant is worth a trip across the water. The open kitchen serves up some of the Tri-State area's better pasta dishes, but what really makes it special is that it feels like you’re in the owner’s home. And by that extension, Corto is BYOB. There’s a wine shop, Riverview, just down the street with a great selection that’s as much of a draw as the restaurant.

Hug Esan

When Hug Esan opened in Elmhurst in 2019, Eater critic Robert Sietsema declared the restaurant a funky “jolt” to the city’s Thai scene. And what better to pair with offal-y dishes than equally funky natural wine? Hug Esan charges a $5 per bottle corkage fee, and $1 per beer can.

At peak times, tiny Hug Esan is often filled up.
The colorful dining room at Hug Esan.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Panna II Garden

Large groups of customers, many of them rookie NYU freshmen, file up the stairs to Panna II — most of them celebrating something in the cash-only East Village Indian restaurant — to a room lit by strings of Christmas lights.

Men stand on the stoop of a colorful restaurant entrance
Follow the lights upstairs to Panna II.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Casa Adela

Puerto Rican classics like pernil are well-seasoned with garlic, oregano, and pepper, so it’s a good idea to bring some beer (a lager or porter) when trying Casa Adela’s expert version — served with rice and beans. Don’t skip the mofongo, a top version in the city, or the roast chicken. Bringing beer is free, but wine is $5 corkage. No credit cards

Spicy Village

Stop by with a group for the most-talked-about dish at Spicy Village, the big tray chicken. Note: Spicy Village is BYO with the condition that each guest spends at least $10.

A big metal bowl with stewed chicken and noodles, topped with a pile of cilantro
The big tray chicken.
Eater NY

Peking Duck House

A meal at Chinatown classic Peking Duck House is part theater, part full-blown feast, where whole ducks with ultra-crisp skins are carved tableside. No matter the occasion, it’s one of the more reliable BYOB spots in town. There’s also a Midtown location.

Wu's Wonton King

Wu’s Wonton King has made a name for itself as one of the best spots in the city for a group dinner that’s BYOB and one where industry folks like to flex which bottle of natural wine they brought. Order the Peking duck — served on soft buns instead of thin wrappers, and if you’re really looking to ball out: the crab dinner. While wine is permitted for BYOB, no outside beer is allowed (the restaurant sells it).

A corner restaurant has brightly lit, block font signs saying Wu’s Wonton King.
The exterior of Wu’s.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

Los Hermanos

Los Hermanos in Bushwick is part taqueria and part tortilla factory, where outside wine and beer is most welcome. There are no cups or glasses so definitely bring those, too, or stick to bottles like Pacifico and Tecate.

Al Badawi

Family-style Palestinian restaurant Al Badawi is in a lot of ways similar to its Bay Ridge sibling Ayat. The restaurant is at least twice as big, but has many of the same dishes, such as the crowd favorite mansaf (a fermented yogurt-based lamb dish). Unlike Ayat, Al Badawi allows BYOB.

beef, yellow rice, almond slices and a herb garnish are served in a terracotta bowl on a wood table.
Al Badawi and Fatta Mano are both BYOB.
Adam Friedlander/Eater NY

Dept. of Culture

Save for select counter seats, there is only one table at Dept of Culture and it’s communal: which means, at this Nigerian fine dining restaurant, you’re bound to make some new friends. What better way than over a shared bottle? Despite the nearly $100 prix fixe, the restaurant is incredibly casual and sharing is allowed (and preferred).

An octopus tentacle on a bed of thin cucumber slices on a white plate.
There is only one table at Dept. of Culture and its communal.
Clay Williams/Eater NY

Lucali

More than a decade in, Lucali still pulls in long lines for its fine pizza and calzones in a wonderfully cozy space. It’s a restaurant that believes in few frills, where servers greet tables with ease and a wine key, and the menu boasts no more than five options. Bring wine and arrive before 5 p.m. for a chance at snagging a table. Note that, at least at one point, the restaurant only allowed one bottle of wine per five people to speed things along.

A man making pizza
The dining room at Lucali.
Daniel Krieger/Eater

Fatta Mano

New York’s halal food scene is as diverse as ever, case in point: Fatta Mano, an Italian restaurant from the team behind Palestinian spots Ayat and Al Badawi. And while halal restaurants usually don’t serve alcohol, BYOB is allowed at this establishment.

A blue bowl of wide noodles with an orange colored meat sauce.
Pasta at Fatta Mano is all halal.
Robert Sietsema/Eater NY

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