A decade in the past, Williamsburg was in an in-between period — on the verge of reaching peak Smorgasburg however not but succumbing to the fashionable conveniences of Complete Meals. The realm positively wasn’t as replete with pure wine bars as it’s as we speak. However the material of the neighborhood was irreversibly altered in June of 2015, when the 4 Horsemen made its debut on Grand Avenue.
The founders — or 4 horsemen, if you’ll — included LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, his spouse Christina Topsøe, entrepreneur Randy Moon, and wine director Justin Chearno. The companions had no earlier restaurant expertise, however had been sharply tapped into different facets of tradition — music, trend, artwork, nightlife — and had been a very well-traveled bunch with a thirst for small manufacturing, low-intervention wine. The unique imaginative and prescient was impressed by the wine bars of Europe and Tokyo that showcased pure wines alongside easy and exact meals in an off-the-cuff setting. To execute this, the workforce tapped chef Nick Curtola, beforehand of Brooklyn’s beloved (now-shuttered) Franny’s, and introduced in Amanda McMillan as the final supervisor shortly after.
Over its 10-year lifespan, the restaurant has seen many iterations, although its core values have remained the identical, altering extra in notion than anything. The 4 Horsemen first made its title because the celebrity-backed wine bar, with locals, wine trade colleagues, and LCD Soundsystem followers driving the primary wave of shoppers. However because the meals menu developed, dropping the charcuterie and cheese in favor of more and more advanced dishes, it remodeled right into a Michelin-starred eating vacation spot. (It additionally went by means of a section of providing a three-course lunch for $30, an unimaginable deal that devotees sorely miss as we speak.)
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Over time, the 4 Horsemen universe has slowly expanded, first in 2019 with the opening of Nightmoves, the unique, late-night bar and dance membership with a sound system designed for audiophiles. And now in 2025, the workforce opened its second full-fledged restaurant, the Italian-inspired I Cavallini — which interprets to “little horses” — throughout the road.
Although the restaurant is celebrating its successes, the previous 12 months has additionally been marked by difficult instances. In August 2024, the workforce misplaced one among its founding members, Justin Chearno, who led the restaurant’s wine program with a beneficiant spirit. Chearno’s embrace of pure wine helped push the class ahead and adjusted the wine trade in NYC and past. His method continues to drive the wine program, and restaurant, as we speak.
Whether or not it’s a wine-forward restaurant or a food-focused wine bar is a subject nonetheless up for debate, however the 4 Horsemen has undeniably change into a world icon within the pure wine scene. So pour a glass of Jura Savagnin, serve a bowl of brothy butter beans, and skim on as Nick Curtola, Amanda McMillan, former and present staff, trade execs, and devoted bar regulars spill their favourite tales and reminisce on 10 years of the 4 Horsemen.
Early Days
The 4 Horsemen instantly caught native consideration when it opened in hipster-heavy Williamsburg in 2015, although the bar seemed fairly totally different than it does as we speak. As an alternative of strains of vacationers wrapping across the nook for a seat, trade regulars and neighborhood personalities huddled across the counter to style new and attention-grabbing wines — bottles that might quickly set a typical for the class.
Billy Smith (former assistant wine director, the 4 Horsemen; wine director, Rolf & Daughters): Considered one of my earliest recollections was the day we had been doing family and friends. I walked in to seek out Randy and Justin furiously attempting to grease down the teak on the bar high. The night earlier than they’d tried to do it however all the oil got here out of the bar and so they spent all afternoon oiling down this bar so folks may eat on it. It was so anxious, however grew to become a little bit of a practice of theirs the place annually Randy and Justin would are available after service to grease down the bar high.
Amanda McMillan (normal supervisor, the 4 Horsemen): We took reservations, which was radical for Brooklyn neighborhood eating places again then. And I used to be aggressive about how tightly we booked reservations. We might inform folks I had a desk obtainable for less than an hour, we’d accommodate folks standing, we actually tried to make it really feel like extra of a celebration.
George Padilla (chef, Rule of Thirds): I first heard about this restaurant after I was working at Okonomi in 2014. We had a bunch of regulars for our Japanese breakfast together with Randy Moon, who talked about that he was engaged on a spot close by. I first began going there once they had been doing a yakitori after-hours menu, which grew to become one among my favourite meals.
Chase Sinzer (proprietor, Claud and Penny): Once I first went there I used to be the wine director at Momofuku Ko and lived in Williamsburg. In that period of the Horsemen, we’d go legitimately 3 times per week after service. To start with it was actually simply our hangout, we’d have a snack, and Randy or James or Justin would open one thing cool, and it was extraordinarily informal.
McMillan: We instructed folks we had been a wine bar as a result of we needed to under-promise and over- ship, however we shot ourselves within the foot somewhat. I bear in mind it was in all probability towards the tip of the primary 12 months that all the employees at Momofuku Ko — a restaurant we so admired — would crowd the bar, share a bunch of meals and bottles and began calling it “church.” The truth that they needed to come back to us in a loyal approach, we felt we had been doing one thing proper.
Zev Rovine (founder, Zev Rovine Picks): Within the earliest days Justin was nonetheless working at my firm. I believed it was a humorous and bold opening, as a result of not one of the founders had ever labored in a restaurant. They did a tremendous job of discovering a chef that they nonetheless have, and hiring a normal supervisor that’s nonetheless there. A terrific factor that they did was discover nice folks, letting them be inventive and do their factor.
The Group
The 4 Horsemen has a stunning variety of employees members who’ve been there since day one. Many cite this as one of many causes the restaurant has been so profitable.
McMillan: One of many issues we’re most pleased with is our retention fee. I’m so spoiled as a result of I’ve labored with a few of these folks for 10 years. Chantal, Marco, Nick, Blaze, and Will — there are at the least six folks which were there for the reason that first 12 months. There’s in all probability six extra which were there for seven or eight years. We all know one another so nicely, we all know one another’s strengths and weaknesses, our shorthand is nice, the jokes are wealthy.
Dan Keeling (founder, Noble Rot): I feel one of many greatest compliments you might pay to a restaurant is the folks. Each time I’ve been to the 4 Horsemen, the employees is all very engaged in what they’re doing and make the friends really feel particular. I felt the eagerness. I don’t suppose you are feeling that keenness in each restaurant.
Forrest Florsheim (former cook dinner, the 4 Horsemen; chef de delicacies, Penny): All people who works there’s very considerate and fascinated about meals in a approach that feels very collaborative. Nick is an exceptionally gifted chef however makes use of different cooks as a useful resource, too. Chantal, the one who educated me, has been working mornings there because it opened and at this level she will rattle off recipes by the gram simply by reminiscence. Having individuals who have been there the entire time is a reasonably distinctive trait — having little turnover is the best reflection of a restaurant.
Christian Tschida (winemaker): It’s at all times the identical undeniable fact that makes each particular restaurant on the planet a particular one: the character of the folks operating it. Each time I’ve been on the 4 Horsemen, I skilled their ardour for what they do and what they work with — the large curiosity in genesis and historical past for the used merchandise. The identical applies to their perspective in direction of wines. It at all times gave them quite a lot of pleasure to pay attention rigorously to my phrases, the phrases of the producer.
Ed Wilson (chef and proprietor, Brawn): It’s my go-to suggestion when folks ask the place to eat in New York (that’s, if you may get a reservation). Each single time, with out fail, the suggestions is at all times that it was one of the best place they ate. To be that constant takes quite a lot of effort and dedication and displays the unimaginable work that Nick, Amanda, and the workforce, previous and current, ship daily.
Standing Out
It began as a easy wine bar — with some buzz from its celeb backing — however recognition for the 4 Horsemen’s meals menu quickly got here rolling in. Accolades like a glowing assessment from The New York Occasions and a Michelin star catapulted the restaurant to a brand new stage of fame. The restaurant additionally obtained the James Beard Award for Excellent Wine Program in 2022, cementing its standing as one of many hottest tables on the town.
McMillan: Most locations are primarily pushed by one factor: meals, environment, or beverage. We have now a 900-plus SKU listing, the meals that Nick places out is loopy, the servers are so educated, the acoustics are good, every thing is snug, the music is immersive and vibey — we pushed all of these levers so far as we may. We’ve been actually fortunate that we have now individuals who care as a lot about how the room feels as how the fork feels in your hand.
Rovine: In 2015 there weren’t that many locations that did solely pure wine. Loads of issues that we think about very customary weren’t customary on the time. It was actually one of many first locations that offered pure wine that was thought-about a fine-dining restaurant — it proved the idea that these two issues can exist collectively.
Frank Cornelissen (winemaker): There was nothing much like it in these days; they set a typical with this idea. It was actually totally different from locations like The Ten Bells, which was extra of a bar. The 4 Horsemen went over that. It was a bit extra basic, appearing as a bridge between the pure wine world and the basic wine world. That’s additionally what’s taking place as we speak in lots of eating places, not religiously on one facet or the opposite — that’s fully Justin’s vitality.
Sinzer: I feel it was forward of the sport by way of all of us trying to Europe for inspiration on being detailed and severe about meals, service, and wine in a really laid-back surroundings. You’ll be able to see it in Paris and London and tangentially in Rome. They’re well-traveled individuals who had been very fascinated about meals and wine and so they took all of the threads of tendencies — whether or not that’s the simplicity of meals however linked by means of method, non-interventionist winemaking, a great sound system, a pleasant design — and put it into one bundle.
William Probability Piper (wine director, the 4 Horsemen): Individuals belief us with the wines and belief that the meals goes to be scrumptious. Even when Nick goes esoteric with the meals there’s nonetheless homey parts. So even in case you don’t know what’s occurring from the 4 phrases on the menu description, folks belief that it will likely be robust and meticulous.
The Meals
The kitchen on the 4 Horsemen has been run by chef Curtola since day one, but it surely has developed considerably — shifting from wine bar staples like cheese and charcuterie to summary dishes that draw from international flavors and methods. The thoughtfully sourced, meticulously plated dishes rotate with spectacular frequency. Because the menu garnered extra consideration, the “wine bar” remodeled right into a eating vacation spot.
Nick Curtola (government chef, the 4 Horsemen): The unique inspirations for the meals had been rooted within the wine bar tradition of London, Paris, Copenhagen, and Tokyo. The meals was meant to be convivial and shared amongst the desk alongside actually lovely bottles of pure wine. It was punchy with excessive acid and contemporary and vibrant flavors. I additionally made it a degree to make use of the identical high quality of components you’d discover at a few of the greatest eating places in New York. Sourcing was at all times a precedence of mine in addition to going to the farmers market to get one of the best native produce we may.
Philip Krajeck (chef and proprietor, Rolf and Daughters): The factor that by no means ceases to impress is what they’re capable of execute in such a small kitchen. I skilled this primary hand this fall as a visitor chef. They don’t have each gadget and but they’re nonetheless cooking unimaginable dishes. They had been the primary to deliver the neo-bistro wave to the U.S. and quite a lot of eating places have taken them for example and as a north star in what they’re doing.
Curtola: I feel one among my favourite dishes on the 4 Horsemen was the yellowfin tuna dish that we did for years. Thinly pounded tuna wasn’t actually seen round New York Metropolis on the time outdoors of perhaps Le Bernardin, a 3-star restaurant with a military of cooks, prepping each single day. However common folks weren’t capable of go and eat there, so my intention from the start was to offer folks the identical stage and high quality of an expertise in a extra informal surroundings.
Florshheim: For some eating places, if they’ve a menu merchandise that’s beloved, there’s a reluctance to take it off, however there was by no means that fear. In the event that they received uninterested in one dish, they might put a brand new one on, which is a refreshing factor to see. And it challenges you to push the menu and exchange it with one thing simply pretty much as good, if not higher.
The Wine
The 4 Horsemen was an early embracer of the pure wine motion, however its choice doesn’t lack vary. The late wine director Justin Chearno was identified for his open-minded method, crafting an inventory designed to enchantment to anybody who walked within the door.
Phil Sareil (salesperson, Jenny & Francois Picks): They didn’t fall for the entice of getting half of the purchasers say the wine listing is nice and half saying it’s not. They’ve a wine for everybody.
Smith: Being on the 4 Horsemen taught me that there’s at all times going to be any individual for whom the wine is true. To marry the wine and winemaker to the visitor. And in a approach, respecting what the wineries are doing by discovering them the people who find themselves going to actually love their wines.
Piper: It’s the unpretentiousness of service, however executed with competence. The employees has at all times been very robust and approachable, and that’s the primary line of protection in providing 900-plus wines.
Krajeck: As a chef, I’ve at all times loved wine however been somewhat turned off by what I understand as a little bit of snobby tradition. I’ve at all times seen the 4 Horsemen because the antithesis of that. They’re at all times working as arduous to make it as approachable as potential. I feel that it’s an enormous affect they’ve had on the tradition of wine on this nation.
For Justin
Chearno’s beneficiant, welcoming spirit impacted everybody who interacted with the 4 Horsemen, and was important to the restaurant’s ethos. Many workforce members and trade associates bear in mind his encouraging phrases and recommendation to today.
Smith: There’s one thing Justin mentioned that I at all times hear in my head: “By no means cease tasting.” He was a tasting machine. I used to be type of bewildered by it. I nonetheless hear him in my head after I’m exhausted at a wine honest and it retains me going. There’s at all times going to be wines you fall in love with. There’s at all times one thing to be found.
Ava Trilling (former cellar supervisor on the 4 Horsemen, proprietor of Impolite Mouth): I don’t suppose I’d be right here, opening my very own wine bar, with out Justin and the 4 Horsemen workforce. He was so motivating when it got here to me doing my very own factor and was extraordinarily joyful for me after I instructed him I secured an area. It meant the world to me that he had my again. He was so encouraging and it made me really feel assured sufficient to do that. He handed a couple of months earlier than Impolite Mouth opened. Now I’ve a drink that’s at all times on the menu for him, an eau de vie that he beloved.
Jeffrey Alpert (founder, Jeffrey Alpert Picks): My first reminiscence was calling the restaurant hoping to get an opportunity to point out my wines. I received Justin on the telephone and he instantaneously mentioned, “When are you coming in?” We spent a few hours going by means of my portfolio and tasting wines. In life you meet somebody and you already know you may have chemistry with somebody, and sparks went off with Justin.
Piper: I at all times take into consideration how Justin gave everybody the time of day. I take tasting appointments typically and we have now far more distributors than we in all probability ought to, however I’m at all times going to provide them a shot like Justin did. If you cease being open-minded to new issues that’s whenever you begin lacking out.
Tschida: Justin possessed not solely an extravagant palate however, extra importantly, he was an distinctive listener. He by no means confined himself to technical wine knowledge sheets — particulars like maceration days, exact grape percentages in a cuvée, or different typically misinterpreted and uninformative statistics. As an alternative, he innately felt the particularities of a wine, seeing past the technical specifics that continuously reveal little about its true character.
Trilling: One factor Justin would say that caught with me is: “There is no such thing as a such factor as a wine emergency.” That’s one thing that has stored me from going insane many alternative instances. Opening a bar by myself is absolutely scary, and typically I simply return to that. I take into consideration his complete ethos of generosity as nicely — sharing your experiences, not being gatekeep-y, and never scoffing at individuals who don’t know as a lot as you.
Lasting Affect
The 4 Horsemen has undoubtedly impacted what a wine bar appears like in New York Metropolis and past. Many have tried to emulate its potential to ship Michelin-level delicacies and repair in an off-the-cuff, cool setting, however the beloved Williamsburg restaurant continues to set the usual.
Curtola: I feel The 4 Horsemen grew to become so influential as a result of folks felt prefer it was one thing that they might emulate in their very own city or metropolis. The room and decor weren’t excessive, the service wasn’t fussy, and it simply felt good to be there. The standard of service and the standard of the meals and the expertise total felt attainable and approachable to lots of people. The factor is, every thing we do is extremely intentional and requires an unimaginable quantity of labor. We don’t announce that or something, however we’re there daily — even 10 years in — tweaking, tasting, evolving, rising, and pushing ahead. And that takes time and confidence and work. I feel typically what I see is folks taking the components however not realizing what goes on behind the scenes to make that restaurant appear as seamless as it’s. And I feel that’s one thing we have now quite a lot of pleasure in. The work ethic, the office tradition, and the imprint we’ve had on a specific kind of eating scene.
Sinzer: Due to eating places just like the Horsemen, what we noticed was a willingness for individuals who actually care about wine to begin driving a dialog in sure eating places and begin saying, “I’m going to go right here to drink wine.” That was not one thing you noticed outdoors of the 2- or 3-star Michelin world. It’s a neighborhood restaurant in scope and dimension that constructed a far-greater-than- neighborhood-restaurant wine listing and received folks to come back in for the wine.
Trilling: There’s a complete stereotype in regards to the “small plates pure wine bar,” however they had been type of the primary ones, at the least in Brooklyn, to do it like that. They’ve such an enormous affect, it’s a no brainer that they had been the OG of what folks consider now as a wine bar.
Krajeck: Within the present day and age when tendencies transfer so rapidly, a restaurant that has been round that lengthy in a metropolis that’s as troublesome to function in as New York, sustaining an excellent tradition in back and front of home isn’t any small feat. They aren’t a large restaurant group with insane sources — they’re doing it out of ardour. I hope it lives ceaselessly.
*Quotes have been edited for readability.
