The Smile Café / Market / Restaurant

Greenwich Village / NoHo, New York –

An underground blend of coffee shop, restaurant, and specialty market pedaling everything from mopeds to shaving kits, The Smile attracts hordes of seasoned screenwriters and wannabe Oscar nominees in need of a place to dish over brie baguettes and café au lait.

Tucked away beneath Bond Street, the venue features a rustic décor that kindles a cool cabin feel. Everything is antique, from the vintage coffee machine and bulbous cookie jars plopped on the wooden counter to the wagon-wheel chandelier and the cans of old-fashioned tomato sauce lining the shelves in the brick-walled dining room.

Daytime hours find Noho’s hipcats escaping the nearby insanity of Broadway by taking shelter at the worn wooden tables, where they relish the small menu of Nouveau American food like ham Gruyère sandwiches, roasted chicken, and baked eggs with crushed tomatoes.

Various sundries strewn about the front of the room are all for sale, though the date-night couples and chill groups of creative pals who pack in for dinner aren’t there to shop, but rather to feast on lamb meatballs or roasted eggplant caponata, and more than likely to sip French wine before venturing out to rowdier prospects.

A staple for artsy types, The Smile makes for a pleasant destination to catch up with friends, meet a special someone, or write the next great American novel, preferably all over a plate of warm chocolate brownies for dessert.