Blaue Gans
139 Duane St., nr. W. Broadway; 212-571-8880
A fresh bowl of almonds is presented to anyone who orders a round, and fist-size hard pretzels line the bar. Plus, the bartender will spoon sugared hazelnuts right into your hands, if you ask nicely.
Tailor
525 Broome St., nr. Thompson St.; 212-334-5182
Bar guru Eben Freeman pairs curried popcorn with inventive cocktails like beet sangria. Piquant popcorn tossed in Poppin’ Spice is also served at Tabla’s Bread Bar (11 Madison Ave., at 25th St.; 212-889-0667), where you can wash it down with a tamarind margarita or the seasonal Rye Smile made with ginger-infused Old Overholt Rye.
Kellari Taverna
19 W. 44th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-221-0144
Quartered wheels of Greek kasseri cheese rest on the bar, so you can slice unlimited slabs at your leisure. Plus, the bowls of Kalamata olives are bottomless. The salty bites match well with the notable selection of Greek varietals here like Moschofilero and Savatiano.
Maremma
228 W. 10th St., nr. Bleecker St.; 212-645-0200
A friend of Grub Street claims to have once taken down two entire servings of Cesare Casella’s house-made bread sticks. After a couple of Modenas—Tanqueray with balsamic reduction and fresh lemon—reserves of the deep-fried pasta of the day go down easy, too.
Tarallucci e Vino
15 E. 18th St., nr. Broadway; 212-228-5400
Probably the most filling bites come out of the kitchen of this Union Square Italian spot, whose name means cookies and wine. The bar snacks favor savory over sweet, however, and you might get passed a round of mini-quiches one hour and ham-and-cheese croissants the next.