The Rusty Knot

You may feel like you’ve stumbled into a cruise ship’s staff rec room when you set foot in the Rusty Knot, located a stone’s throw from the Hudson River.  It’s a slightly different tack for the Spotted Pig’s Ken Friedman, who co-owns the joint with Taavo Somer (Freemans). Commanding the galley is Joaquin Bacca (David Chang’s partner from Momofuku), who serves up a seafood-heavy menu of oysters, baked mussels and shellfish soup, alongside pretzel dogs, shepherds pie and a bacon chicken liver sandwich. The small space is wood-paneled and dotted with nautical flourishes, such as the brass coat hooks fashioned as boat steering wheels, and ceramic tiki glasses. The music is jukebox eclectic, and there’s a pool table to round out the dive bar theme. All that’s missing, it seems, are the old-timers, hoping to bend your ear with tales about how the neighborhood used to be.

See more: West Village bars, West Village restaurants