Where to eat in the West Village? It’s an overwhelming question for such a jam-packed area, but we’ve got your go-to place. La Ventura serves excellent, crowd-pleasing food and drink every day of the week, no matter the occasion. Read on for the best of La Ventura, the sunny, hip dining room open all day on Hudson Street.

Dinner

Come to La Ventura’s dining room, decked with hanging plants, and discover the magic of olives and peanuts. That’s right: these are two of their specialties and can be ordered from the all-day snack menu, whether with drinks or as part of a meal. Chef Peter Lipson makes his own marinade with Maggi, a Swiss liquid seasoning, and lets the olives sit for that perfect briny flavor. You can also start your feast with fried peanuts, the classic baseball stadium snack. 

Dinner entrees feature global flavors from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the American steakhouse. Enjoy the Hot Chicken Sandwich topped with dill pickles and labneh, or go full fusion with Jerk Sunchoke Kebabs. These vegetarian kebabs deliver on spice and fill you up with accompaniments like Navajo bread and refried lentils. You can also munch on small plates like spare ribs marinated in mezcal and sweet chili, a butternut squash salad with pistachio and mint, and salt cod croquettes with chipotle mayo. 

Brunch

If the Hot Chicken Sandwich caught your eye, fear not: you can have it for brunch as well as dinner. Come to La Ventura for your weekend feast, as filling entrees like Pumpkin Spice Waffles and biscuits and gravy await. Coffee and cocktails are on hand as well, with creative picks like the Bull Shot: Tito’s, bone broth, lemon, and spices (!). There are also wines, local beers, and tasty mocktails as well.  

Breakfast & Lunch

It’s an all-day hang at La Ventura. Come in the morning to meet or study, drinking coffee from City of Saints. Breakfast picks include house pastries, overnight oats with Greek yogurt, and the egg and cheddar sandwich with garlic aioli. Starting at 11am, lunch is served. That means you can take a bite of Butternut Squash Salad with proteins like baked eggs or crispy swordfish. Or have the lamb burger with smoked cheddar and pepperoncini peppers. 

Drinks

If you’ve visited midtown’s popular The Rum House, you’ve experienced the excellent instincts of Ryan Burke and Kenneth McCoy, two members of the La Ventura team. At this new project, the drink program riffs on the rum theme as well as other flavor combinations. The Charlie Don’t Surf has LemonHart rum and spiced rum in addition to Vida mezcal, vermouth, and bitters. Go tropical with Do the Daryl, a rum concoction made with pineapple and banana liqueurs. Get your probiotic on with the Scorpion, made with mezcal, aperol, and kombucha, or go bright and sparkly with the gin cocktail Vitti. 

Also on the menu is a curated list of white, red, rose, and sparkling wines. The wines by the glass come from La Ventura’s neighbor, MCF Rare Wine, located on West 13th Street. La Ventura also serves bottles and cans of beer on their all-day drink menu. 

The best news of all, La Ventura invites you to happy hour every day! Come between 3 and 7pm for discounted wine, palomas, olives, peanuts, and more.