Since opening in late 2025, Stars is an intimate wine bar earring acclaim as a destination for serious wine enthusiasts and casual sippers alike. The 450-square-foot space in New York City’s East Village, designed by Studio Valle de Valle, is wrapped in brushed cedar panels, cast under the warm glow of a skylight-like ceiling light fixture with matte marbled floors. Anchoring the jewel box space is a hand finished, horseshoe-shaped zinc bar outfitted with custom mahogany stools. Stars is brought to you from the team behind the award-winning Claud and Penny. Since Claud’s debut in 2022, proprietor Chase Sinzer has built an ambitious cellar that has become a cornerstone of the experience at both the downtown bistro and Penny, its sister seafood counter upstairs. With the opening of Stars, Sinzer and team introduce a dedicated nook for guests to convene over wine and access additional rare finds and cellar gems.
Sinzer (named Michelin Guide’s New York Sommelier of the Year in 2024), wine director Julia Schwartz and the sommeliers work collaboratively to curate Stars’ encyclopedic wine program. The 1000+ reference book opens with 88 wines $88 and under, curated daily, by up-and-coming winemakers from around the world including central Spain, California’s Central Coast and the Mosel. By-the-glass offerings similarly seek to provide an inclusive range of fashions and price points with more than 20 options spanning sparkling, red, white, sherry, sake and oxidized wines that start at $11 and cap at $19. A delicious assortment of small bites such as deviled eggs with pommes soufflées, marinated vegetables with chorizo and a griddled shrimp toast are not to be missed—as is the butterscotch pudding for dessert.
