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.
