Fedora: The Below-Stairs West Village Room, Back Again
Fedora is the West Village basement that refuses to stay closed — a restaurant space since 1917, Fedora Dorato’s namesake for half a century, and reopened in 2025 as a seasonal, low-intervention-wine dinner spot. There’s no happy hour here; there’s a $20 house Negroni and one of the prettiest stair-drops in the Village.
Fedora doesn’t currently run a happy hour — the current menu carries no discounted window, and dinner service starts at 5:30pm.
Cocktails run $19-22, wines by the glass $17-30, and a Guinness “for Justin” pours at $12 — the closest thing to a deal on the list. Old mentions of a daily happy hour trace to the previous ownership’s era; ignore them.
About Fedora
Down the iconic stoop at 239 W 4th, this room has fed the Village continuously since 1917 and carried Fedora Dorato’s name from the 1950s until 2010. The latest incarnation reopened in March 2025: seasonal cooking, a tight low-intervention wine list, and a bar program that treats the martini as a main course.
What to Expect at the Bar
No happy hour, and honestly no pretense of one — this is a $20-Negroni, $22-martini room where the value is the room itself. The wine list leans natural and changes often; glasses run $17-30. If you’re deal-hunting on W 4th Street, Barrow Street Ale House is three blocks east; if you’re romancing someone, you’re already in the right basement.
What to Order
The house Negroni ($20) or Our Martini ($22) to start, the Guinness ($12) if you’re keeping it modest. Reviewers keep coming back to the caesar, the pierogis — a nod to the room’s old-guard menu — and the chocolate cake. The wine list is the reason to linger: ask for whatever low-intervention bottle the room is excited about.
The Space & Vibe
Below street level, candle-lit, and intimate in the way only old Village basements manage — The Infatuation called it “as chic and impractical as the West Village itself,” which is exactly right. The crowd runs fashion-adjacent and gets louder as the night goes; early seats are the quiet ones.
The West Village Angle
239 W 4th between Charles and W 10th, a few blocks from Christopher Park and Stonewall — 1 at Christopher St-Sheridan Sq, PATH at Christopher St, W 4th St hub within five minutes. Dinner nightly 5:30-10pm. The team’s wine bar St Jardim is nearby if the night needs a second act.
Who It’s For
| Best for | Why |
|---|---|
| Date night, closing argument | candlelight, a 1917 basement, and a wine list with opinions |
| Low-intervention wine people | one of the Village’s better natural lists, poured seriously |
| A proper martini | Our Martini at $22 is built, not poured |
| History drinkers | the same below-stairs room Fedora Dorato ran for fifty years |
FAQ
Does Fedora have a happy hour?
No — the current menu carries no happy-hour window. Older mentions of one belong to the previous ownership’s era.
Where is Fedora?
239 W 4th St between Charles and W 10th Sts in the West Village — down the stoop stairs.
When is Fedora open?
Dinner nightly, 5:30-10pm. Reservations via Resy; the bar takes walk-ins.
What is Fedora known for?
A century-old basement room, seasonal cooking, low-intervention wines, and a $20 house Negroni.
Details checked July 2026. If Fedora launches a happy hour, we’ll update this page — confirm with the venue.