23 Unique NYC Restaurants And Bars You Can Still Support During The Pandemic

Get cookie dough delivered, learn how to make mozzarella online, and jazz up your quarantine wardrobe — all while helping small businesses stay afloat.

Restaurants and bars — and their workers — have been some of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with many forced to significantly cut back their offerings or shut up shop altogether.

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They've also shown incredible resilience, creativity, and generosity, with many helping to feed frontline workers fighting the virus, despite struggling to keep their own businesses afloat.

We've rounded up some of our favorite New York City venues we've featured on BuzzFeed Bring Me! over the years and outlined ways you can still support them.

If you're in a position to help these businesses, please do! Because when we get to the other side of this pandemic, we're going to need spaghetti cones, sushi burgers, and boozy ice cream more than ever.

1. S'MAC

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If there was ever a time we needed the comfort of 15 different types of mac 'n' cheese, it's now. Since closing its physical space in the East Village, this restaurant dedicated to everyone's favorite cheesey pasta has been cooking up meals for frontline healthcare workers and is still open for takeout and delivery.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

— Purchase a gift card for future use

— Donate a meal to an NYC healthcare worker by purchasing a gift card of any value and forwarding it on to [e-mail] asking them to donate it

2. The Cauldron

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Tucked away in the Financial District, this fantasy-themed bar teaches aspiring wizards (me) how to brew magical potions (aka cocktails), moving you one step closer towards getting your Hogwarts acceptance letter.

What you can do:

— Purchase a voucher for the potion-making experience (currently 20 percent off) for future use

3. Tipsy Scoop

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Spiked ice cream is always a good idea — even more so during a pandemic. Along with boozy pints and ice cream sandwiches, this barlour is also shipping out DIY kits so you can throw a virtual ice cream cocktail party at any hour of the day.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup (cocktails only available from the Brooklyn location)

— Order nationwide delivery via Goldbelly

— Sign up for a virtual ice cream cocktail-making class

— Purchase merchandise or a gift card for future use

4. Cheeseboat

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Quarantine got you feeling down? It's nothing a boatload of cheese won't fix. This Williamsburg restaurant delivers massive Georgian-style flatbreads stuffed with a "cauldron of mozzarella and feta" (their words, not mine) plus other tasty toppings like crispy bacon, egg, or mushroom.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or takeout

— Order merchandise or a gift card for future use

5. Spaghetti Incident

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Though this place is famous for serving spaghetti in cones (genius) so you can eat it on the street, I promise their pasta will taste just as delicious enjoyed at home on your couch.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or takeout

— Donate to their employee fund

6. DŌ, Cookie Dough Confections

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Good news, cookie lovers — you can get tubs of the world's first edible (and importantly, safe to eat) cookie dough delivered to your door. Choose from classic flavors like choc chip and sugar cookie to gluten-free cake batter and s'mores.

What you can do:

— Order nationwide delivery

— Purchase merchandise or a gift card for future use

7. Seasoned Vegan

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This family-run spot in Harlem cooks up vegan versions of classic soul food dishes, like baked mac 'n' cheese and BBQ "crawfish." They also run an online marketplace that ships vegan products across the US.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

— Shop for groceries at Super Vegan Market (delivered nationwide)

8. Redeye Grill

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Redeye Grill is the home of New York City's first-ever sushi burger: a rice bun loaded with spicy yellowfin tuna, seaweed, avocado, and pickled ginger. Idk if I've just been in quarantine too long but honestly it sounds kinda healthy???

What you can do:

— Order local delivery

— Purchase a gift card for future use

9. Jacob's Pickles

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Famous for their comforting Southern-style food — and their pickles, of course — this Upper West Side staple has been providing meals to West Side Campaign Against Hunger and frontline workers at NYC hospitals. They're still serving the public too and recently pledged to put 10% of all purchases towards an employee relief fund.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or takeout

— Purchase a gift card to future use

10. Big Mozz

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For years Big Mozz has been gracing us with stretchy, gooey, crunchy handmade mozzarella sticks. Forced to temporarily close their permanent store in Chelsea Market, the company has started selling merch and offering virtual mozzarella-making classes in an effort to stay afloat.

What you can do:
— Sign up for an at-home mozzarella-making class

— Purchase merchandise or a gift card

11. Avocaderia

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This Brooklyn-based café usually serves up avocado-laden dishes to satisfy the New York brunch crowd's avo addiction, but when the pandemic hit they quickly transformed their business into an online grocery store. In April they pledged to donate 100% of the month's profits to the NYC restaurant employee relief fund.

What you can do:

— Order groceries online from the Friendly Bodega

12. Round K Coffee

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Modeled after traditional Korean coffee shops, Round K Coffee is known for their ~inventive~ (ok, 'gram-worthy) drinks like the above black coffee which is about as dark as my soul right now.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

13. Supermoon Bakehouse

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Nothing says "it's the weekend" like a basket full of baked goods. Treat yourself to a care pack from Supermoon Bakehouse in the Lower East Side (it's arguably one of the coolest pastry shops going around). But be quick — they sell out fast.

What you can do:

— Order a weekend care pack for local delivery or pickup (on sale every Monday at 6 p.m. for delivery on the weekend)

— Purchase a gift card for future use (currently 20 percent off)

14. Thursday Kitchen

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Pining for the simpler days of yesteryear? You can relive your childhood with the added bonus of alcohol thanks to Thursday Kitchen's capri sun cocktails. Throw in some crispy chicken and truffle mac 'n' cheese for good measure too.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

— Purchase merchandise

15. The Nugget Spot

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Unable to stay open due to the crisis, this restaurant donated 800 pounds of chicken nuggets to City Harvest NYC. While you'll have to wait until post-pandemic to get your Nugget Spot fix, there's a beanie in their online store with your name on it (okay, I'm lying, it says "NUGS").

What you can do:

— Purchase merchandise

16. Madame Vo BBQ

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East Village sister restaurants Madame Vo and Madame Vo BBQ are donating home-cooked Vietnamese meals to first responders and frontline workers at NYC hospitals. They're accepting donations via Venmo to support the cause (every $10 = one meal) and local delivery is also available.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

— Donate a meal to a frontline worker via Venmo @Madam-Vo-19

17. Murray's Cheese Bar

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Bleecker Street's famous cheese bar is sadly closed for the time being, but they recently launched Murray's Cheese & Wine Shop, offering trios of expertly picked wines (plus a snack pairing) available for pick up .

What you can do:

— Order local pickup of wine and snacks

— Shop online for cheese and produce (delivered nationwide)

— Sign up for a virtual cheese tasting class

— Purchase a gift card for future use

18. The Meatball Shop

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Since March 20, The Meatball Shop has been dishing up meals for NYC healthcare workers. You can support the cause too — every $15 donation will feed one healthcare worker, and the shop has pledged to match every donation to feed an additional worker.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

— Donate a meal to a frontline healthcare worker via Go Fund Me

— Purchase merchandise or a gift card for future use (25 percent of gift card sales are being put aside to help employees hit hard by the crisis)

19. Rosé Mansion

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This event space dedicated to everyone's favorite pink drink might be closed, but they're keeping the rosé vibes alive with weekly events hosted on Zoom.

What you can do:

— Tune in to a (free) virtual happy hour, hosted every Friday at 5:30 p.m.

20. Ice & Vice

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One of NYC's most inventive ice cream shops, Ice & Vice is shipping out their ice cream sandwiches, pies, and pints, as well as colorful waffle cones, so you can build your own stacked ice cream creations at home.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery

— Order nationwide delivery via Goldbelly

— Purchase a gift card for future use

— Donate to help Ice & Vice deliver ice cream to first responders

21. Gnoccheria by Luzzo’s

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Take a trip to Italy by way of Gnoccheria by Luzzo's in Manhattan. You can't go past the soft, pillowy, cloud-like gnocchi with your choice of sauce, but if you did, you'd find eggplant parm, caprese salad, and homemade lasagna right there waiting for you.

What you can do:

— Order local delivery or pickup

22. Randolph Beer

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Currently closed for business, this self-serve Brooklyn bar became popular thanks to its 24 self-serve taps that allow patrons to be their own bartender (once a novelty, but something we're all going to be experts at after quarantine).

What you can do:

— Purchase merchandise or a gift card for future use

23. Nitehawk Cinema

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With locations in Williamsburg and Prospect Park, this indie cinema/restaurant/bar has become a cult fave amongst Brooklyn locals. They usually screen a mix of old-school classics, arthouse films, and selected new releases, and often have special food and drink pairings to match the movie.

What you can do:

— Purchase a gift card for future use

— Donate to the staff relief fund

Don't forget to check out Bring Me! for all of BuzzFeed's best travel tips and hacks, vacation inspiration, and more!

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