Archive · modern edition Every bar New York on Tap knew, as it stood around 2008, with a 2026 check on each one. This page in the 2008 edition

No photo of this bar survives from the 2008 site.

A New York on Tap pick

Assenzio

Seafood and see people

205 E. 4th St. · btwn A & B
East Village, Manhattan

In 2026

Closed

Later here: Dorian Gray (licensed 2017–19), The Cabin (licensed 2024–26).

Checked October 15, 2026.

Overview

Wild game, rich sauces and dramatic flavors make this rustic, candlelit Sardinian restaurant a place to fill your belly and warm your soul.

Well-manicured Gen-Y couples have found their restaurant of choice for sumptious dining in the East Village; so, too, have we. Wild game, rich sauces and dramatic flavors make this rustic, candlelit Sardinian restaurant a place to fill your belly and warm your soul. The food is top notch, the service very good, and the final tab fairly commensurate with the quality of the meal.

Why you should go

  • Fresh seasonal seafood appetizers are the tops, and the veal rolled with cheese and basil is exquisite.
  • The food neither sits heavy in the stomach nor glistens on the plate; however, it is rich and the eating experience is packed with eons-old pleasure gained from consuming copious fat grams.
  • The virgin fruit drinks are an excellent treat for non-drinkers; the coffee is superb.

What you should know

  • No credit cards accepted; bring cash.
  • Arrive before 9pm. The restaurant will be filled to capacity afterwards.
  • Portions are moderate: make sure to order more than just one course to be satiated.
  • Porcetto Sardo al Mirto tastes just like chicken.

History

Sardinia gave way to Oscar Wilde

Our old review called Assenzio a rustic, candlelit Sardinian restaurant, all wild game, rich sauces and dramatic flavors. By December 2010 it had given way to Cannonau, and Cannonau was already gone, with a new eatery-tavern combo coming soon to the space on East Fourth Street between Avenues A and B1. Then came Dorian Gray, a pub at 205 East Fourth Street opened by the great-grandnephew of Oscar Wilde and named after the novel1, 2.

Sources

  1. evgrieve.com
  2. villagepreservation.org

Researched October 2026.

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