The Franklin Wine Bar & Bistro

On our lists of the best wine bars and cocktail bars in New York.

Elliot Bey, Alphonse Janvier Jr., and Michael Gittens run Franklin Cellars, the wine shop two doors down in Bed-Stuy, and opened this bar next door in a former bodega, keeping the building's mural of Ol' Dirty Bastard intact on the wall outside. Inside, 28 seats sit under geometric wallpaper and a marble-topped bar with a loose '70s feel. The list leans toward natural wine, with a rotating handful of bottles open by the glass, backed by a short menu of charcuterie, cheeses, olives, and tinned fish rather than a full dinner. The space also books private events and wine tastings for groups of up to fifty.