Cellar 335

You descend into a dimly lit basement that smells like tropical cocktails and sesame oil, and the wine list is the last thing you expect to be interesting — but it is. Forty-something bottles that lean natural and global rather than the usual Napa safety net. The room is loud, the energy is fun, and the list has something to say.

Cellar 335 isn't building a cellar for the ages, but what they've curated has a point of view. You've got South African Syrah, New Zealand white, California Pinot, and a Lebanese red blend from Wardy — that's a more adventurous geography than 90% of Jersey City's restaurant scene. The Wardy 'Les Terroirs' (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cinsault, Shiraz) is the kind of wine that makes you stop mid-bite and wonder why Lebanon doesn't show up on more lists. Gaps exist — depth is thin, there's no Champagne or grower sparkling to speak of, and the Old World coverage beyond that Lebanese outlier is sparse. But for a cocktail-forward tiki spot, the fact that they're pouring Whole Bunch Syrah from South Africa at all is worth something.

The by-the-glass program runs 8 to 14 options depending on the night, which is respectable for a place where the bar program is clearly the headline act. Selections skew toward natural and low-intervention producers — Hunky Dory and Bloodroot both show up, which signals someone behind this list knows what they're doing. Rotation feels more static than dynamic; don't expect a weekly pour swap.