New York City: The Skinny (May 2017)

The SKINnY - Average Drinks and Bar Food

My spouse and I stopped at The SKINnY Bar and Lounge for drinks on a Saturday afternoon in early May 2017. We were on our way back to the Indigo Lower East Side next door, and the entrance to this bar is adjacent to the secondary (rear) hotel entrance on Orchard Street. We were looking for a place to watch the Kentucky Derby, and we could see the SKINnY’s large projection TV from the sidewalk. (The bar has two additional smaller TVs positioned on the back bar.)

The SKINnY’s space is long and narrow with high ceilings and a second-floor back mezzanine area (accessible by a long set of stairs, this area was unused when we visited). A bar occupies one side of the room, with tables arranged along the other side. (Most of the tables share one of two long upholstered banquettes on one side, but we sat at a rolling high-top table on backless stools. A semi-circular padded booth (without a table) was positioned near the door, where bouncers checked IDs and monitored admittance. A ping-pong table was located in the back of the bar, although instead of being used for its original purpose, it served as a table surrounded by chairs on which patrons placed their drinks. The bar was empty when we arrived, but an hour later when we departed, every chair was occupied and there wasn’t much standing room left.

Because we visited during the late afternoon, we only intended to order drinks and a small snack. We first requested the corn dog appetizer, but our server thought (and then confirmed with the kitchen) that they were unavailable. Instead, we shared a pulled pork and Gouda pizza topped with jalapeno peppers. Our server warned us that it would take about 20 minutes for the pizza to arrive because it was made fresh (not frozen). She was correct about the timing, but the pizza was tasty (except for the pickled jalapeno pepper overload), so we did not mind the wait.

Although the SKINnY Bar and Lounge fit our needs for a drink and a snack, with so many competitors just steps away, we might try another establishment next time.