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A West Village bistro that surprised me with a small-town feel and reinvigorated my faith in humanity.

[April 2023]

A few weeks ago, I finished work in my apartment and headed out for a walk across Washington Square Park and into the West Village. It was about 5:30, and after a long day of learning that several of my dear co-workers had been laid off due to the tough economic environment most tech companies are trudging through, I was hungry, and of course, I wanted a fat glass of wine.

I popped into Joseph Leonard, which I had heard about from a friend who recently moved here, and it caught my eye because of its charm at the street corner where I was walking. Still so early in the evening, there was plenty of room at the bar, so I walked in and took a seat. Amanda, the bartender, was making a new purple cocktail that the rest of the staff was tasting and kindly critiquing. They were all jovial and seemed to thoroughly enjoy working together. I ordered a kale salad (one of the best I’ve ever had) and a rosé and sat back to observe. They talked about birthdays and hugged their clearly-loyal-repeat customers as they sat at tables or picked up to-go orders, and then a neighbor from down the street walked in. After a few moments, I understood that he was a friend of theirs with intellectual disabilities that they saw every day, maybe even three times a day. He introduced himself to me and talked me through all the best menu items for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When his order was ready, the staff all stopped what they were doing, gave him a hug, and waved goodbye. The affection these folks had for their customers, neighbors, and co-workers was blowing up my heart.

The affection these folks had for their customers, neighbors, and co-workers was blowing up my heart.

As I finished my salad and rosé, I asked for the check and made small talk, letting Amanda know that I had just moved here. Thinking that she would next return with my receipt, to my surprise, she brought the receipt AND four small glasses with bubbly. I got to toast to a new adventure in their favorite city with my now-favorite restaurant staff to end my first meal there with them. Again, with the heart bursting!!

Long story short, I’ll be back at Joseph Leonard. And I’m bringing all my friends because they’ve got something super-duper special that I haven’t experienced anywhere else.