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Lunch in a Stunning Grape Arbor in New York City - The Cloister Cafe
 The Cloister Cafe features three dining areas: Grape arbor, a covered patio, and a medieval cathedral.
The grape arbor garden, which covers a city lot, is the 8th Wonder of the World and provides a must-experience pleasure for visitors and residents alike.
During the summer and fall, you dine, sip drinks (wine, cappuccino, etc.), and perhaps smoke a hookah (flavored tobacco steamed in a water pipe) under a garden-wide canape of grape vines, complete with hanging bunches of grapes.
Is the food good? Yes, but who cares? Frankly, I'd pay to just sit at a table with nothing else before me than my thoughts or a conversation with a friend.
But let's talk about food. During the lunch period, you can buy a half-pound burger that comes with tomato, fries, fresh salad, unique dressing, and black olives for $6. That's right, I said s-i-x and it's large enough to feed two.
Items on their current lunch menu are all priced under $10, with a wide variety between $6 and $8. Service is leisurely. You won't be pushed out of the garden and, in fact, you probably won't want to leave anyway.
Now, if you want to turn relaxation into an art form, then prior to lunch, visit Keisy, which is across the street. This is a large, clean, and delightful Japanese nature center where you can get a perfect Shiatsu or foot massage. 229 E. 9th Street. 212 253-6171
Call The Cloister Cafe before coming, especially on weekends, as they host private parties. 238 E. 9th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. 212 777-9128
Questions? Just ask!
Karen Little
Article and photo by Karen Little. First published on 7/14/2007. All rights reserved by www.Littleviews.com.
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