Have & Meyer

The editorial take

Have & Meyer treats by-the-glass wine as the main event, not a short audition for the bottle list. Independent coverage describes more than 90 natural wines open at once, an irrationally generous range that lets a guest compare grapes, regions, and cellar decisions without buying three bottles. Italy supplies the program's center of gravity, while the restaurant calls the selection its Emotional Wine List - a slightly theatrical name for a genuinely useful idea. Service is crucial here. The breadth would be noise if staff could not translate it, but the room is repeatedly distinguished by guidance that remains welcoming when a guest lacks the vocabulary. Ask for contrast: a clean, mineral white beside a skin-contact wine, or two reds from different Italian regions. That makes the open-bottle commitment legible. The Slow Food-inspired kitchen supports the exercise with pasta, cheese, charcuterie, and richer dishes, though independent criticism correctly treats the food as supporting cast rather than the reason to cross Brooklyn. The deduction is transparency. The current website offers an image-led wine presentation rather than a searchable, priced list, so vintages, pour sizes, preservation, and value cannot be audited before arrival. A program this broad should make budgeting easier, not require blind trust. Still, few New York wine bars make experimentation so low-risk. Have & Meyer earns its score by converting cellar variety into glasses a curious drinker can actually order.

What should I order?

Ask for a three-glass progression rather than a familiar bottle: begin with a mineral Italian white, move to a skin-contact pour, and finish with a lighter red from another region. Give the server a price ceiling and request contrasting styles, not labels.

Who will enjoy this place?

Curious drinkers, natural-wine newcomers, Italian-wine students, and dates who want several tastes will benefit most. Guests who need a complete priced list before arriving, or who prefer classic benchmark estates over low-intervention discovery, may find the format frustrating.

When should I go?

Go early enough to discuss the open bottles before the small room becomes loud. A first visit works best as drinks with charcuterie or pasta; return visits are justified because a glass program this broad can support a different regional route each time.

What should I expect to spend?

Current bottle and glass prices are not transparently published on the venue's website. State a per-glass or total budget before the staff builds a flight, and confirm pour size and price as each selection is proposed.

What makes the beverage program distinctive?

More than 90 reported natural wines by the glass turn an Italian-focused cellar into a tasting format with unusually little commitment. Accessible guidance keeps that breadth from becoming a wall of obscure producers.

Beverage categories

We only score what a venue sets out to do. Categories a venue doesn't attempt are left unscored rather than penalized.

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