This Upper West Side sparkler is equally suitable for brunch, dinner, or just drinks that turn into whatever. Its bar is large enough to not run into anybody unless you’re really trying, with decor, drinks and menu items engrossing enough to drive you to distraction.
Anchored by a gleaming, wrap-around bar, there are lovely design details everywhere you look at Dagon. Leafy, cascading vines seem to have sprouted from higher-than-most ceilings, bar stools with leanable backs offer a little hug, and the lovely glassware is cheerful to clink. The food is pretty and tasty, too.
Chef-partner Ari Bokovza’s (formerly of Claudette and The Modern) menu, meant to evoke “somewhere in the Mediterranean,” includes a Jerusalem bagel with smoked salmon, shakshuka and pancakes with seasonal compote at brunch. A chicken liver mousse, flash-fried cauliflower, whole charcoal-grilled branzino, harissa BBQ chicken and crispy roasted lamb are available at dinner. Dagon’s frequently updated drink menu presently includes the Sabra Margarita (with a za’atar salted rim) and the Mediterranean GnT (gin, cucumber, citrus, fresh botanicals, rosemary tonic), as well as beer and wine.
Dagon is located at 2454 Broadway and is open from Monday–Friday from 5pm–10pm and Saturday–Sunday from 10:30am–3pm and 5pm–10pm.