New York: Grey Lady (February 2017, May 2017)

Grey Lady – Pleasant Attractive Environment

My spouse and I visited the Grey Lady twice for drinks, first on a Sunday afternoon in mid-February 2017 and again on a Saturday afternoon in early May 2017. The Grey Lady is open for lunch/brunch and dinner (however, on Tuesdays, it serves only dinner but not lunch). You can reserve a table online using the Open Table reservation system, but walk-ins are also accepted. Other Grey Lady locations include Montauk, Nantucket, and Aspen. The owners also once owned the adjacent takeout shop called the Downeast Clam Shack (now closed).

The “Grey Lady” is a nickname for the fog on Nantucket, the summer home of the owners. (The name is not a reference to the “Gray Lady” nickname for the New York Times.) The Manhattan outpost of the Grey Lady opened in May 2012 at the intersection of Delancey and Allen Streets on the Lower East Side. Because the restaurant occupies a corner location, it offers large floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides (some of which can be opened). The Delancey Street side of the building offers a tiny alfresco dining area on the sidewalk where pets are permitted to join their owners. Indoors, you can sit on a backless metal stool at the long marble-topped L-shaped bar, at closely arranged regular-height tables and chairs, or in the front at the small lounge area that offers a comfortable leather sofa, a coffee table, and a few low backless stools. (You must serve yourself if you sit on the sofa in the lounge area.) Décor features high ceilings, sea-glass bottles, mismatched mirrors, and black-and-white photos. 

The Grey Lady specializes in seafood, although it offers land-based options as well. We saw plates of fish and chips and lobster rolls that looked tasty, and oysters appear to be a customer favorite. (In fact, the “Oysters” sign over their front marquee is even more prominent than its “Grey Lady” sign.)

Although we visited the Grey Lady for drinks because of its proximity to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum next door, we might return for a bite to eat sometime because of its unhurried, attractive atmosphere and appealing menu.