Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun: Lena Dunham Tells Us Where She And Her <em>Girls</em> Hang
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 9, 2012
Modified Apr 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 9, 2012
Modified Apr 23, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Map created by Carrie Dennis/Gothamist
The Lena Dunham-created, Judd Apatow-produced, highly anticipated HBO show Girls will premiere this coming Sunday, April 15th. We've seen the first three episodes, and can tell you it lives up to the intense amount of hype it's already been getting for months.
In the show, Dunham's character Hannah refers to certain parts of Brooklyn as "Grown-Up Brooklyn," but told us last week, "I'm a grown-up Brooklyn resident, I made fun of it but I like it." (Dunham and co-star Jemima Kirke both attended St. Ann's school in Brooklyn Heights.) She also offered up some of her favorite places to grab a grown-up drink, inside and outside of the borough, and we've coupled her suggestions with some of the spots the characters go to on the show, creating you a GIRLS Guide to NYC.
Of course, in the spirit of individuality, you could, and should, always make your own decisions, girl. But who can pass up a turkey leg dipped in milk?
- "My favorite... I've always been a Corner Bistro lover, the hamburgers there, and I shouldn't say this but it was a good place to use your fake ID in high school."
- " I really love Nancy Whiskey in TriBeca. I'm so embarrassed in bars trying to order a drink, so any place they make it easy for me is great."
- "I love Henry Public in Cobble Hill. They have the best turkey leg sandwich, with the turkey soaked in milk before they put it on the bread, it's unbelievable."
- "And I also love, if you're feeling fancy, to go to Bar Centrale. Not that I'm feeling fancy that often."
- Tom & Jerry's in NoHO is shown in one of the early episodes when Jessa is seen there alone, drinking a White Russian.
- Dunham's character Hannah refers to a couple of bars she likes in "Grown-Up Brooklyn" during the first episode. She thinks Weather Up is a little too fancy, with their mixologists and all, but likes places like Washington Commons, which are more on the dive-bar side, at least aesthetically.
- BYO-Flask, because obviously it's not a bar, but the High Line is shown in the show, when one character makes an after-hours trip there. Dunham also mentions it in our interview, calling it "a symbol of new New York and waspy sexiness."
Tagged
bars
girls
guide
HBO
hbo girls
Lena Dunham
map
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .