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Penny

New York

A pristine seafood counter in a slim space with a 6,000 bottle wine list

The story: Chef Joshua Pinsky and wine expert Chase Sinzer, alumni of New York's most influential kitchens including Momofuku Ko and The Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare, opened Claud in 2022 – a cosy, wine-focused restaurant that quickly captured citywide acclaim. Two years later, they took things to new heights – literally – by transforming the bright second-floor space above Claud into Penny.

What's on the plate: The menu is a love letter to the ocean. The Ice Box is lined with items like oysters, clams and mussels escabeche, while specials might feature stuffed squid with swiss chard and tuna in a harissa-like sauce, or dover sole finished with bone marrow. Signature starters – an excellent sesame brioche crowned with Cantabrian anchovies and a paper-thin tuna carpaccio accented with Manzanilla olives and cipollini onions – flip humble ideas into requisite dishes.

The seating situation: Penny is all bar, giving diners a front-row view as each ingredient is shucked, sliced and assembled to order.

To drink: Wine is as integral to Penny as the seafood itself. Sinzer's deep French-focused cellar offers an edited by-the-glass selection alongside a master list of roughly 6,000 bottles, ranging from up-and-coming producers to icons, with a mix of current and older vintages. Pro tip: make sure to ask for the full wine list.

A note on sourcing: While Penny's seafood spans both coasts and beyond, the ethos is rooted in seasonality and responsible sourcing, with many items arriving daily from small-scale purveyors.

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