Bar Moga

There aren’t many places in NYC better than this Greenwich Village Japanese bar to grab drinks and food. Other spots try the $20 cocktail and snacks thing, but most are either too serious, or become trendy and impossible to get into. 

At Bar Moga, though, you can drink a $20 cocktail that should be $20, and eat one of the best katsu sandwiches in town next to ornate light fixtures and Japanese art. Or try a flight of high-quality Japanese whiskey and take breaks with bites of omurice with runny egg that’s sliced tableside. And you can pretty much always get a reservation or just walk in.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Cocktails rotate seasonally and typically use ingredients like yuzu and Calpico, and spirits like shochu. But drinks are only half the reason to come. The quality of both the food and beverages put Bar Moga ahead of other NYC izakayas—and other spots where you can stand at a high top with your old boss to trash former coworkers. There’s not a single tough strand of pork in the fried chop that they use for the katsu sando, and the breading always stays intact, keeping all that juicy meat in. And though dishes like croquettes, arancini, and crudo might sound familiar, Bar Moga spruces them up with crab in the croquettes and uni in the arancini.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

The next time you need a relaxed place to hang out with an awkward couple, or maybe sit at a bar to disassociate over a cocktail and some snacks, remember Bar Moga. The location is also handy if you need a spot before or after dinner—you could walk out of here, throw a brick, and hit at least five great restaurants. Which you’ll appreciate after abandoning your early bedtime to score a reservation at nearby Dame or Carbone, some of the toughest spots to book in all of NYC. 

We’ll leave you with two thoughts: First, please don’t throw bricks. And, secondly, after visiting Bar Moga even once, you’ll probably just want to abandon your Super Serious Reservation and hang out here for katsu and drinks instead.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Katsu Sando

This has often been our sole motivation to come to Bar Moga: one of the best katsu sandos in the city. There’s juicy pork. There’s breading that’s always crispy and clings to the meat. And they even cut it up into two-bite pieces so you don’t have an unwieldy sandwich to take down.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

Omu Rice

The other must-order item while you’re here. They have a regular omu rice and garlic version, and while you might be tempted to go garlic, the regular is the move. You’ll get a rich veal demi-glace poured over, along with rice that tastes like it’s been swimming in schmaltz (in a good way). The finishing touch: your waiter coming over to slice that perfectly runny omelet with a very sharp Japanese knife.

Uni Arancini

A great starter that makes us wish we could eat this uni in Hokkaido. Our only gripe: we wish it came with more than two pieces.

Kani Cream Croquette

Another small bite you should snack on over drinks. Beware of the piping hot snow crab cream, which we’ve burned our mouths on one too many times.

Gyutan Curry

This is another really great main. The simmered beef tongue straight up falls apart the second you touch it with a spoon, and the curry poured over the top is the perfect complement to the lean meat.

photo credit: Alex Staniloff

The Cocktails

Pretty much all of the drinks here (including the mocktails) are really delicious and interesting. Both their classics, like the Princess Mononoke with mezcal, yuzu kosho, and ancho pepper, and the seasonal list will never let you down. Or you could just say screw it, and do a rare Japanese whiskey tasting.