Vol de Nuit

Vol de Nuit: Belgian beer bar in the west/​greenwhich village that feels 100% like a dive bar. Super dark lighting, with a red-​ish tint. Smells like beer in here, they only have french fries to order but that was fine by me. tried a large with the mayo and ketchup sides which were pretty good.
I came here on a Tuesday, seemed to be a lot of locals, kind of empty, lots of places to sit. Not sure how this is on the weekend but I probably will check it out.
Need a relaxed dark divey bar feel, come here.

The first time I ever salivated for a beer was at Vol de Nuit. I often talk about my «gateway beer» from this bar.
The Upsides: They serve La Chouffe, which is a really crisp, slightly sweet, floral Belgian beer. I rarely find this on tap elsewhere. Trendy yet laid back crowd. Dark red lighting which makes everyone feel kind of cooler. Serve Belgian fries w/​various sauces — nothing really unique about these but they’re a welcome accompaniment to the beer.
The Catch: Too small for a group larger than 3 – 4. Cramped bathroom area & there’s always a line.

I love this bar, have been here for business, friendship, and love, and it’s suitable for all. Great selection of Belgian beers, and pretty okay prices for the neighborhood. I love Duchess de Bourgogne, and the last time I checked, they didn’t have it (a wish for me!) but they do have a host of others. A sweet inside garden area for those who like the feel of being outside but in a bar. I just love the two levels in the bar itself, it helps with the noise levels, although it’s never been super loud when I’m there. Check this place out!

Vol De Nuit Belgian Beer Bar plays coy as it hides in the nook of 4^th street between the vegetarian restaurants, Washington square park, and 6^th Ave. This sexy Belgian beer bar and their yummy Belgian beer gets 5 stars.

I am a huge Belgian beer fan. I’ve probably tried a few dozen and I have yet to run into one I don’t like. So this place seemed like an easy decision. I stopped in with a friend on a random Tuesday night after a show at the Comedy Cellar. the beer list was amazing and I happily sampled some brews I hadn’t tried before. The service was amazing and I would love to go back for a second round.

Cool bar with chill atmosphere.
Service was good !
There is have a backyard that is enjoyable for warm evenings !

Best spot in the village! I never knew it had a name, we always just called it «the Belgian bar». NO TVs, no techno music and no groups of carousing idiots. I used to come here all the time as a grad student (too many years ago to care to mention) and well over a decade later it is still the same.
Prices haven’t changed much, which is rare for the village. Can still get a 6 dollar imported pilsner, all the other yummy beers are 8 or 9 each and a glass of wine only set me back 10 bucks, not the usual 13 or 14.
The only food offerings are Belgian style fries that come with mayo and ketchup or extra sauce to order (a buck each — love that garlic stuff) so don’t expect to be able to order dinner. But the fries are hand cut and home made so they’re certainly worth the trip.
If you want to go to the village and not be completely overstimulated by nonsense and get a sense of what NYC was like back in the day go to «the Belgian bar». Nothing flashy, just old school, simple goodness.

Stopped in last night to get out of the cold. Seems like an odd place with a dive bar vibe but in a good way.
Seemed to have a decent Belgium beer selection– if this is not your thing go elsewhere. My beer was good. Not sure if they have an extensive food menu but they do have these great French fry options– try the garlic dip.
I recommend as a good place to meet up for a drink and an appetizer. Didn’t strike me as a place to get dinner though.

I found a receipt from here dated December 2014, so apparently I was here one year ago. I remember the place being pretty friggin’ empty, but they did have LaChouffe on tap if I’m remembering correctly, so 4 stars for them. Five stars if the place was packed with beautiful women. You can’t have it all, I guess.

Came back here for the first time in over 10 years, and the place hasn’t changed much since then. Great beer selection, great divey bar feel, but altogether fantastic.
Pity it moved from the 1 bathroom to 2 … the graffiti is missed by the current boring look, but oh well.
And bartenders are super cool!!!

During a recent trip to NYC, my girlfriend and I were revisiting some old haunts. We used to stop into this bar all the time, it was great for a low key drink. Low key is the perfect way to describe Vol de Nuit, I honestly didn’t even know its name until I went to check in on Unilocal,we always called it the «Belgian Beer Bar.» It’s very dim inside and it nails that hole in the wall European bar feel well. It’s kinda small though, and seating can be hard to find at times. The beer pricing is a little high, even by NYC standards, but the options are top notch. Vol de Nuit is definitely worth stopping in for a quick drink, I miss having a bar like this nearby.

Strange looking bar with a sort of half outside, half inside set up. Ended up here to grab a late night drink. I didn’t even realize at the time that it was a Belgian bar but that was just fine for me. I like Duvel and of course they had it so I was set. The place was a little crowded but never too packed, and the service was incredibly sweet and friendly. With its Halloween decorations, the whole place seriously looked like a witches coven (in a good way).

Vol de Nuit is one of those bars that if you walk in with your backpack right off the Wide Eyed Express to Penn Station when you’re 22, for your first drink as a citizen of New York City, it will probably hold a special place in your heart. I know that for me, it was a haven for good beer at a time when you couldn’t just walk into any mediocre bar in the city and order a world-​class Belgian ale – a feat that, these days, seems more and more banal. I don’t think you have to be an NYU grad student to enjoy it, but I do think that’s when VdN will leave the deepest dent in your memory.
More the a decade later, this dark bar still holds up and is somewhat of a throwback, serving the same fine Belgian ales and tasty fries it did 15 years ago. Girls still giggle in dark corners, recounting their weekend exploits, and groups still huddle at that big table just off the entrance, enjoying the halcyon days of youth. You can’t smoke indoors anymore, but it still feels like it can. And, best of all, it’s still just hard enough to find to keep it from being overrun by objectionable types.
To the steadfast Village institutions like Vol de Nuit and Old Rabbit Club, I salute you.

As so many stories go, my trip to Vol de Nuit was a product of circumstance. Having encountered a potential hourlong wait at our intended destination, we stumbled upon the hidden gem that is Vol de Nuit.
You don’t really know you’ve entered Belgium once you step into the courtyard filled with small benches and small tables. The menu has exclusively Belgian beers and the only food on offer are Belgian fries. But don’t worry, you don’t need to speak the language.
As it so happens, Belgians are some of my favorite beers, and both that I tried were just what I needed after a day of work. I am definitely a fan, and will return to try the moules frites that I will, of course, wash down with a beer.

Don’t ask why I went to a Belgium Beer Lounge if I don’t drink beer. It was more like a peer pressure. But I am glad I did. Like the rest, they did have wine for the non beer drinkers, but they also had a beer for the non beer drinkers. :)
When I was offered the ‘Framboise’, I did not know what to expect. This rasberry flavored, non beer like beer was the perfect safe heaven. I drank a glass of that with some delicious Belgium fries and garlic sauce and fit right in with rest of the beer drinking crowd.

Vol de Nuit is a Belgian beer bar that’s a little bit on the divey side. It’s easy to miss as the entrance is pretty nondescript. Look for the wooden sign shaped like a coat of arms or a shield. You walk in, and you’re still outside, but keep walking and you get to the inside area (reminds me of Mission Dolores bar in Brooklyn).
There’s a long communal table as well as some high tops. There’s table service, but it’s best to just go up to the bar. Bartender is soft-​spoken, but he’ll have a cure for what ails you (sobriety).
Good amount of beers on tap and in bottles (though no prices on the menu). I went with their house saison, which was as refreshing as I expected. Of course, they also have Delirium Tremens, which has been the cause of many a rough morning, as well as La Chouffe. Several Duvel’s and Chimay’s as well.
Definitely worth stopping in for a lowkey drink, though it can get loud.

Came here for DINNER AND BEER with my boyfriend. When I sat down, ordered, they only had frites. Where the bleep are the mussels??? I was very disappointed.
We ordered a medium size Frite. It was 7pm, and a waitress came over and said that she charged us for a small because it was the last of the batch, wasn’t close to a medium. I thought this was DISGUSTING. We didn’t even have strips of fries. It was the cold ends. We shouldn’t have even paid for this.
Very hot inside and outside. A lot of flies inside and outside (can’t be a good sign).
I decided to order a beer out of my comfort zone. It tasted like an EMERGEN-​C packet you pick up in a pharmacy.
We asked to close out, and added a drink to have the check with the beer. Our waiter brought the beer and asked us if he should send the bill. I felt like this was really strange.
Not a pleasant place.

Vol de Nuit was actually the first bar I went to when I first moved to Manhattan 5 years ago. After my first visit, I kept thinking «Wow, I really hope all bars in NYC are like this.» Unfortunately, Vol de Nuit set a very high expectation that would not be met by many of the bars in this city.
The place can be a little hard to find, but once you see the crest at the top of the doorway, just make your way in. The chill vibe and divey atmosphere is something very hard to find in the West Village. What’s even more difficult is finding a place that always has a decent amount of people but never feels «crowded.» Vol de Nuit manages to achieve this time and time again during every visit. There’s usually seating available, and it’s never shoulder-​to-​shoulder near the bar. Such excellence should not be taken for granted.
They have an outdoor and indoor space, which is great for those summer nights. You might not want to bring a huge group here, but you can always try your luck. Best party size would probably be 4 – 6.
Prices are a bit higher than you might expect for a divey place, but they have a decent selection of beers and the service is always pretty attentive, but not in your face. I haven’t tried the pomme frites or any of the food in that matter, but whenever they bring out the dishes, it always looks really good. So, yeah, I really do have to try it one of these nights. Overall, definitely a great place for low-​key nights.
Note: they don’t have liquor, but they do have Belgian beer. So that’s good.

I’ve been here twice – once on a first date, the other with a group of friends. Vol de Nuit provided a great atmosphere and selection of Belgian style beers each time – making it a great destination if you enjoy that type of beer as much as I do.
Date: Wednesday night, 8:30. My date and I sat in a counter inside overlooking the patio. When it comes to first date venues, it’s less impressive and elegant than I’d normally like, but if your love interest is a beer buff, you can’t go wrong.
Friends: Saturday night, 9ish, a little more happening, but our group was able to find a table large enough to fit our party of 5. We stayed drinking for about 2 hours, ordering different beers each round.
The interior is pretty bare-​bones but the patio (which is right by the entrance) makes the bar stand out. I appreciate that the bar has waitresses service that area too, so you don’t need to navigate an entire bar to drink outside.

Place is very easy to miss. I passed by it and had to double back to find it.
Decent spot for beers. They mainly have belgian.
I was hopin for a bigger selection but its still pretty decent.
I didnt get to try any of the food.
Overall im more of a craft beer kinda guy, but this was still a cool place to check it.