Le Botaniste

Natural wines got a boost in 2015, with Brooklyn bar openings like June in Cobble Hill and the Four Horsemen in Williamsburg and vin-focused restaurants like Wildair and Rebelle. Now the Upper East Side gets in on the trend, from a surprising source: Bread-loving Belgian megachain Le Pain Quotidien is behind this apothecary-inspired wine bar, a sister to the Ghent, Belgium original. From a marble countertop—fixed to resemble a 19th-century pharmacy—lab coat-clad bar staff pour unfiltered, biodynamic wines curated by Le Pain Quotidien founder Alain Coumont, including a sparkling Grolleau Cuvée La Danseuse from the Loire Valley and a ruby-red Les Cliquets from Grenache in Languedoc, France, along with Peak Organic beers (pilsner, IPA) and a selection of house-made juices (lemonade, detox). The food menu is similarly organic and boasts no animal products. Instead expect chefly “prescriptions” such as the Tibetan Mama (brown rice, steamed greens and spicy kimchi in a peanut-curry sauce) and Dirty Noodle Soup (tofu, steamed leeks, garlic).