Why Come Here? Some of NYC’s best wings, upscale bar food with decent veggie options, pre-going out group dinner
Right Amount for 2? Wings, another app and an entree
Distilled Wings
Distilled is a “New American Public House” from Shane Lyons. Shane’s previous work includes Momofuku Noodle Bar and stints on Americas Next Top Chef and Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That. And he’s only 25. Fancy that. But just what is a “public house” you may ask. From what I can tell it’s part bar and part trendy restaurant. Isn’t that what they call a gastropub you may say? I don’t know if anyone knows for sure. But here’s what I do know: the place serves some damn fine wings.
Distilled is located in the former Centrico space with its soaring ceilings and walls of windows overlooking West Broadway. As with Centrico, I find this space isn’t that well suited for a restaurant as it’s a little too large to be totally comfortable. Maybe as a result, it’s sort of a confusing mix of things with no singular vibe. The fact it’s dimly without being dark with music playing at a moderate volume feels somewhat downtown intimate. But the size of the place and number of large tables, birthday parties and people clearly preparing for a big night out creates more of a party atmosphere. Maybe trying to please everyone is part of being a “Public House?”
On the food and drink side, things are far more straightforward. There’s the beverage program which is solid, although that seems to be the minimum requirement for opening a bar or restaurant these days. The cocktail list has about a dozen interesting concoctions going for around $14 a pop. There are also small but well selected beer and wine lists.
Fried Duck & Waffles
The food is straight outta the upscale bar playbook, although with restaurant level prices. Any entree other than a burger is gonna cost you over $20. The main reason I decided to come here though is New York Magazine named their wings the best in the city. I’m not sure I’m ready to award that title to wings not of the buffalo varietal, but these are worthy contenders. The rest of the menu has fancy versions of a lot bar staples like onion rings, ribs, and burgers and also some tasty looking vegetarian options and lighter fare like mussels and salmon. So, much like the atmosphere, there’s something to please everyone. This does help make Distilled a good place to bring a large group of friends and is how I would recommend you take it in. Make your own vibe and enjoy some awesome wings and very good bar food. Here’s what we had:
Distilled Wings 
Our waitress warned us these guys were big and at $13 for 5 they should be. The outside is covered in a thick, perfectly crispy batter, but the meat inside is moist and juicy. The thick blue cheese dip is probably the best I’ve had. The biggest thing holding these back from me naming New York’s standard bearer is the sauce. I’m a sucker for hot buffalo wings and this is neither spicy nor buffalo (it’s a fermented Korean sauce.)
Fried Duck and Waffles 
An interesting play on the classic chicken & waffles. The waffle is more like French Toast – sweet and cinnomney. It goes well with the spicy chili maple syrup. The fried shredded duck was fine, but I think I’ll stick to chicken.
Popcorn These tasty little poppers have a dusting of cumin on them and come free with your table. Pro Tip: if you demolish yours in two minutes, you’ll get another one.
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Distilled
211 West Broadway (@ Franklin St.)
New York, NY
