Description
This East Village bar has a small kitchen that turns out adventurous, eye-catching dishes, like a quinoa salad with cured and dried scallop roe, crisp duck tongues on beets, and fried pigs’ ears served in lettuce cups. Love it or hate it, the crowd and stink of the East Village is all part of the charming mix at this sometimes kitschy barbecue spot. Before making your decision, try kicking back with a beer and a pile of ribs, or chicken wings with their crispy tips still attached. Chat with owner and executive chef Will Horowitz, who is regularly seen greeting groups like they’re walking into his house party. And it often feels like one at Ducks, with sweet cocktails flowing and the room loud enough to make you shout. But if you don’t take this restaurant—or yourself—too seriously, you might remember what it is you love so much about a night out in New York. --Tejal Rao
