A date plan

Perch and Pours on the Upper East Side

Date · Upper East Side

Kick off the evening underground at a Franco-charming wine bar, then migrate to one of the UES's most romantically-lit small plates spots for dinner — a two-stop night that feels effortlessly local and genuinely intimate.

01Drinks

Madame Bonté Wine Bar

Upper East Side · $$ · Wine bar · Bistro

Descend below street level and let your eyes adjust — Madame Bonté's 84th Street wine bar is dim, French-leaning, and blissfully quiet enough to hold a real conversation. Start with a glass from their Old World–forward list and share a charcuterie board loaded with three cheeses (add the prosciutto, you won't regret it). When the weather plays nice, there's a covered back patio that makes the whole thing feel like you've stumbled into a side street in Lyon.

318 E 84th St Lower Level, New York, NY 10028

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~1.2 mi — consider a cab or the subway. Walking from Madame Bonté on 84th toward Perch on Lexington, you'll pass some of the UES's quieter brownstone blocks — look up at the townhouse stoops and window boxes. It's one of those stretches of the neighborhood that still feels like old New York.

02Dinner

Perch

Upper East Side · $$$ · Cocktail bar · Small plates restaurant

Perch is exactly what its name promises — a cozy, candlelit perch for two, tucked into Lexington Ave with a small-plates menu built for sharing and lingering. The cocktails are well-constructed and the wine list keeps pace nicely with the food. Order a few plates as they come out, slow down, and let the night stretch.

1693 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10029

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