The Italian Wine Bar in Hell's Kitchen That Actually Earns the Title

Most places that call themselves an Italian wine bar have a decent Barolo on the list and a plate of charcuterie. Sesamo has that too. But it also has a somm who hand-picks underserved Italian producers, cocktails built around yuzu and housemade amaro, and a kitchen turning out lardo-stuffed dumplings and tamarind bolognese to go alongside whatever you are pouring. This is what an Italian wine bar in Hell's Kitchen looks like when someone actually cares.

The bar at Sesamo sits at the corner of 10th Avenue and 52nd Street, and it is open every night of the week. No reservation required. Sit down, look at the wine list, and tell them what kind of night you want to have.

The Wine Program: Italian at Its Core, Global in Its Curiosity

Sabrina Gao, the owner and house sommelier, built the wine list from the ground up with one guiding principle: choose bottles that have a point of view. The list skews heavily Italian, with natural and low-intervention wines from regions that do not always get enough attention in New York. Think Piedmont producers beyond the obvious labels. Campania grapes that do not make it onto most lists. Sicilian reds that drink like they are from somewhere much more expensive.

But Italian does not mean limited. The list moves through France, Spain, and beyond when the bottle is worth it. By-the-glass pours rotate, which means the bar team can walk you through something new without asking you to commit to a full bottle.

Sabrina Gao leads Sesamo's Wine Dinner Series, a 5-course tasting experience pairing hand-picked Italian wines with dishes designed around each bottle. Described as intimate, structured, and consistently sold out.

The Sesamo Wine Dinner: When the Italian Wine Bar Goes Full Depth

If you want to understand what Sesamo's wine program is really about, the Wine Dinner Series is the answer. Sabrina hand-picks five wines from a specific Italian region, often under-discovered producers, and the kitchen builds a dish for each one from the pairing outward. The result is one of the most immersive wine experiences in the city, and it happens right here in Hell's Kitchen for $160 per person.

Here is what a recent Piedmont edition looked like, course by course:

	DISH	WINE PAIRING PROFILE
Welcome	Prosecco Brut	The evening opens with sparkling wine before the first course begins.
1st	Winter Burrata orange, yuzu, sage, honey, sourdough toast	White: crisp, alpine, gooseberry, high acidity, light body
2nd	Tuna Nigiri crispy sushi rice, spicy mayo, nori, salmon roe	Red: intense aroma, rose and black cherries, acidic, moderate tannin
3rd	Pad Thaitini lemongrass, fish sauce, chili, shrimp, peanuts, bucatini	Red: fresh red fruits, rose, light body, low tannin
4th	Grilled Salmon almond preparation	White: medium aroma, citrus, white flowers, mineral, almond, medium body
Dessert	Chocolate Ganache Tart orange supremes	Dessert white: Piedmont style, gentle sweetness

Every element of the Wine Dinner is chosen because it earns its place. The Pad Thaitini in the third course is exactly the kind of dish that only Sesamo would put on a Piedmont wine pairing menu, and the fact that it works is the whole point of this restaurant. Watch for upcoming dates on Resy.

Aperitif Hour: The Best Kept Secret in Hell's Kitchen

From Sunday through Thursday, 4pm to 7pm, Sesamo runs its Aperitif Hour. This is not a standard happy hour with discounted well drinks and stale chips. This is a curated slice of the evening where the bar team is at its most focused and the kitchen sends out small plates that are worth coming for on their own.

WHAT	DETAILS	WHY IT WORKS
Seasonal cocktails	Yuzu, shiso, Campari, amaro	Italian-Asian bar philosophy on a glass
Italian amaro flights	Housemade infusions, rotating	3 expressions, guided by the bar team
Natural wine pours	Rotating by the glass selection	Low-intervention Italian and French
Bar snacks	Small plates from the kitchen	Lardo bites, seasonal apps, bread
Aperitif specials	Reduced price during happy hour	Sun-Thu, 4pm to 7pm only

The cocktails at Sesamo follow the same Italian-Asian framework as the food. Yuzu and shiso sit alongside Campari and Italian amaro. Housemade infusions rotate through the menu. The bar team can build you something light and aromatic or dark and stirred depending on what you need from your evening.

Come in at 4:30pm on a Tuesday and get a table by the window. Order the amaro flight. Let them talk you through the wine list. This is exactly the kind of uncomplicated, genuinely good evening that New York is supposed to deliver and so rarely does.

Bar or Dining Room? Here Is How to Decide

Sesamo functions as two experiences under one roof. The bar is walk-in friendly, social, and built for spontaneous evenings. The dining room is where you sit down for a full dinner with friends or a date. Here is the key difference:

	THE BAR	THE DINING ROOM
Reservation needed?	No — walk-ins always welcome	Yes, recommended. Book on Resy
Best for	Solo, spontaneous, after-work	Date night, groups, special occasions
Food access	Full menu available	Full menu available
Aperitif Hour deal?	Yes — Sun to Thu, 4-7pm	Yes — same happy hour applies
Wine list access	Full list, by the glass or bottle	Full list, sommelier recommendations
Vibe	Casual, high-energy, social	Intimate, low-lit, unhurried

The answer for most weeknights is: sit at the bar. The bar team at Sesamo treats solo guests and walk-ins with the same attention they give to booked tables. You will get the full menu, full wine list, and full kitchen. Just without the planning.

What to Drink: A Starter Guide to the Sesamo Bar

Not sure where to begin? Here is a starting point based on what the bar does best:

• If you love Italian wine: Tell them which region you gravitate toward and let Sabrina's list take you somewhere you have not been. The by-the-glass pours are where the adventurous picks live.
• If you want a cocktail: Ask for something with yuzu or shiso if you lean citrus and aromatic. Ask for the amaro-forward option if you want depth and complexity. The bar team knows what they are doing.
• If you want something low-alcohol: The natural wine pours are your move. Several bottles on the list clock in under 12% and drink beautifully with the lighter appetizers.
• If you are unsure: Order the amaro flight during Aperitif Hour. Three pours, guided by the bar team, and you will know what you want for the rest of the evening.

The Food Underneath the Glass: Why This Is More Than a Bar

The bar at Sesamo is not a place you go to drink and eat something acceptable. It is a place where the kitchen sends out food that would justify its own restaurant on its own merits. The lardo-stuffed dumplings at the bar are the same dish served in the dining room. The tamarind bolognese does not change because you are on a bar stool.

This matters. A wine bar is only as good as the food it puts in front of you between pours. Sesamo understands that the flavors on the plate and in the glass need to pull in the same direction, which is why the Italian-Asian identity of the kitchen and the Italian-led identity of the wine list feel like a single coherent decision rather than two separate departments trying to coexist.

What the Press Has Said

• Forbes featured Sesamo as a standout Italian-Asian restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, noting the food as the kind that defies easy categorization.
• TimeOut New York included Sesamo in its editorial coverage of the city's most interesting dining.
• Noms Magazine named Sesamo among the best Midtown restaurants in NYC.
• W42nd highlighted Sesamo as a neighborhood standout in the Hell's Kitchen dining scene.

Sesamo is at 764 10th Avenue at 52nd Street. Bar seating is walk-in only, no reservation needed. Dinner runs every night from 4:30pm to 10pm. Aperitif Hour runs Sunday through Thursday from 4pm to 7pm.

Come Tonight. The Bar Is Ready for You.

There is no perfect time to try a new wine bar. There is just tonight, a stool at Sesamo's bar, and whatever Sabrina's team has decided to pour by the glass this week. Come alone, come with one person, come with whoever makes a Tuesday feel like it is worth dressing up for.

The Italian wine bar in Hell's Kitchen is not a concept. It is 764 10th Avenue, open every night, walk-ins welcome, wine list waiting.

Visit Sesamo's Italian Wine Bar in Hell's Kitchen 764 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10019 | (212) 265-2755 | sesamorestaurant.com Dinner Mon-Sun 4:30pm-10pm | Aperitif Hour Sun-Thu 4-7pm | Walk-ins welcome at the bar | Book on Resy

Plan your visit: Reserve a table at Sesamo, Italian-Asian fusion at 764 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. Discover more at sesamorestaurant.com.