TEN minutes after I ordered a pint of Yuengling, something other than my beer appeared in front of me. Something I hadn’t ordered. It was – get this – a full-size pizza, fresh from the brick oven, and it was free. Yes. Free, with any drink.
At an unassuming bar called The Crocodile Lounge (325 E. 14th St.; [212] 477-7747), I’d just discovered my own personal nirvana.
But The Crocodile is only one of the many bars around the city turning free snacks into gratis meals, practically shaming establishments serving anything as pedestrian as nuts or Chex Mix.
Free pizza is also served at its sister restaurant in Brooklyn, The Alligator (600 Metropolitan Avenue; [718] 599-4440), and at several other East Village haunts. On Monday nights, Professor Thoms’ (219 Second Ave.; [212] 260-9480) hands out free thin- crust pizzas – usually $8.95 – with any pitcher of beer, while Standings (43 E. Seventh St.; [212] 420-0671) serves saucy, cheesy pies every Friday night.
And there’s even more than pizza in the freebie mix. A veritable bar mitzvah buffet awaits at Ama (48 MacDougal St.; [212] 358-1707), a hidden gem in SoHo featuring the cuisine of Puglia.
Every weekday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., chef Turibio Girardi serves “L’ora dell’Aperitivo” – an Italian-style happy hour complete with cocktails ($10) and a farmhouse-table buffet overflowing with prosciutto, salami, cheeses and more, alongside hot appetizers such as spinach frittatas and potato croquettes.
At Tarallucci e Vino (15 E. 18th St.; [212] 228-5400), you’re served a complimentary assortment of mini pizzettes, frittatas, olives and fresh-baked savory spinach and cheese pastries.
Many bars are also serving seriously addictive higher-end snack foods, such as truffled popcorn and spiced gaufrettes (waffle potato chips) at HQ (90 Thompson St.; [212] 966-2755), homemade caramel corn at Amalia, (204 W. 55th St.; [212] 245-1234), and platters of Parmesan- and smoked paprika-dusted malfatti chips – fried pieces of misshapen pasta dough – at Dani (333 Hudson St.; [212] 633-9333).
Other restaurateurs see food freebies as a way to show their customers what the kitchen can do.
At Pair of 8s (568 Amsterdam Ave.; [212] 874-2742), a new two-for-one themed happy hour (5:30-7:30 p.m.) offers a pair of signature cocktails for just $8. Chef Matt Hamilton also serves free house-made potato chips and a daily freebie from the bar menu such as shrimp fritters with ginger and chili.
At European Union (235 E. Fourth St.; [212] 254-2900), chef Akhtar Nawab stocks his bar with beer-swilling eats such as cazuelas of fried pancetta dusted with chili powder and chunks of German hunter’s sausages.
“We were roasting chestnuts at the bar in the winter, so we’re always changing it up,” says owner Jason Hennings. “We’re trying to get people hungry.”
Mission accomplished.