On any given day restaurateur Linden Pride can typically be found bopping between his West Village home and his ventures, Caffè Dante, Dante West Village, and Dante Aperitivo with his wife and business partner, Nathalie Hudson, and their two young daughters.
An Aussie transplant, Pride took over Caffè Dante in 2015 and has spent the last several months working on the build-out of the brand-new Dante Elizabeth Street in Nolita.
“[Nolita] is the first big opening we’ve done since the West Village (which opened during COVID) so arguably, this is really our first big one,” Pride said, with a good-natured and roll-with-the-punches sort of vibe. “We haven’t done a proper opening in New York really, ever.”
Pride spent the summer in the city prepping the new restaurant, which just opened last week. He remarked on the blissful emptiness he found in Manhattan during this time. He recently shared all the places he likes to dine on his off days, plus his go-to date-night spot, and his favorite place for a Vesper Martini.
Family Dinner Downtown
Perry Street Restaurant
“Recently I was going out to eat with my oldest daughter (who’s 10-years-old) and she said she was sick of going to Dante [laughs], so we went down to Perry Street by Jean-Georges.
We were able to walk in and we got two seats at the bar and had the most wonderful meal and the most wonderful experience. I forgot how much I loved that restaurant. It was busy but not overfilled and it felt fantastic.” 176 Perry St., West Village, perrystrestaurant.com
Apollo Bagels
“We love Apollo Bagels–especially my girls. They love to bop around and get Apollo Bagels.” Multiple locations; apollobagels.com
Sant Ambroeus
“In these days of reservation wars, choosing a restaurant comes down to convenience and quality. We love going to Sant Ambroeus in the West Village. It’s right near Dante West Village and Dante Aperitivo and often we’ll rendezvous there when we’re leaving one restaurant and on the way to another.
We’ll have a quick bowl of pasta with the kids and maybe a fish. We can always get a table and it feels like a local Italian. Convenience and quality wins when it comes to dinner with the kids.” 259 W. Fourth St., West Village, santambroeus.com
Date Night in NYC
Marcel
“The last couple of date nights we’ve gotten out of the West Village and went uptown to have dinner at Marcel at Sotheby’s. It’s such a New York restaurant. Going uptown, putting on a jacket, and walking into that room is so special.
I think sometimes we need that shift of energy. Our restaurants are in the West Village, the kids are in the West Village, our day-to-day is in the West Village. So to get out and go uptown has been amazing.” Inside of Sotheby’s, 945 Madison Ave., Upper East Side, sothebys.com
Bistrot Ha
“Nathalie and I had another date night this summer at Bistrot Ha on the Lower East Side. It made me feel like we were young again. It took me back to our early years. It was awesome. [And] the flavors there were incredible! The French technique with the Vietnamese freshness…it was sublime.” 137 Eldridge St., Lower East Side, no website
Drinking Out On the Town
Mixteca
“I had a wonderful drink at Mixteca on West Fourth and Cornelia Street—Jeff Bell’s new spot. They serve great drinks with wonderful service. It’s just a great neighborhood bar. I had a mezcal margarita and really enjoyed my time there.” 1 Cornelia St., West Village, cocteleriamixteca.com
Martiny’s
“I really love Martiny’s, Takuma Watanabe’s [Japanese-style bar] near Flatiron. I’m such a fan of Vesper Martinis and I love Takuma’s wonderfully cold, beautifully plain, Vesper Martini.” 121 E. 17th St., Gramercy Park, martinys.com
Old Mates Pub
“I like taking friends [from out of town] to [Australian bar] Old Mates at the South Street Seaport. When I first moved to New York, there were a handful of other Australian pubs and many closed during COVID. But Old Mates is still around; it’s a great spot.” 170 John St., Financial District, oldmates.com
