Mother’s Ruin

Though it’s helmed by alums of high-end dining meccas the Breslin and Ma Peche, Mother’s Ruin is a pretension-free hideaway in a neighborhood not exactly notorious for being “low-key.” A daily rotating menu of artisanal cocktails (and, if you’re very lucky, a machine that dispenses alcoholic slushies) is complemented by a selection of gussied-up bar snacks like burgers, French onion soup with grilled cheese, fried curry chickpeas, and, on weekends, brunch.