OUTDOOR DINING
In this creative city, dining restrictions inspire unique eating experiences. Some favorite family-friendly destinations; see what else is open to NYC for more adventures plus over-the-top dessert destinations.
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Manhattan: Midtown/Uptown
The Standard Biergarten
MeatpackingA street-level beer garden serves traditional German fare including sausages, pretzels and beer. Swing by Happy Hour Wed-Fri from 4pm-6pm for 25 cent wings. A children’s menu is available every Sunday, and tots under 12 eat free.
Also play Ping-Pong in the open air courtyard plus fuseball, pool and other games in an indoor gameroom.
Wednesday 4 pm – midnight
Thursday-Saturday 2 pm – 1 am
Sunday 12 pm – 10 pm
Chelsea Market
ChelseaChoose from doughnuts, tacos, hand-pulled noodles, lobster rolls, gelato to eat at covered outdoor tables along 15th and 16th Streets. Find fun Chinese merchandise & food at Pearl River Mart.
Look for art installations among twinkling lights and cool decor at this always happening historic market.
The narrow walkway of the former factory can get very crowded, so best to visit earlier in the day and/or on weekdays.
See our guide to Chelsea/Meatpacking.
Eat Pretty
Upper East Side-80sThis adorable coffee shop/restaurant has pretty pink, chic details indoors and out. The croissants, eggs, paninis, tacos coffee and more are good, but the main draw is the on over-the-top Pretty Hot Cocoas, currently with gingerbread men or 2022 stars on top.
Only two tables indoors with a few more on the sidewalk.
Mon-Sat 7:30 am – 7 pm
Sunday 8:00 am – 5 pm
Food at Bryant Park
Midtown-40sTo-go kiosks feature favorite savory and sweet treats in one lovely location. Choose from bureks and chocolate Babka from Bread Bakery, salad and mint lemonade from Le Pain Quotidien and wafels and ice cream from Wafel and Dinges (or all of the above). Lots of tables and chairs available or picnic on the lovely lawn.
If the weather is not cooperative with al fresco dining, take the food to the leaf-covered lobby of the Citibank on the northwest corner of 42nd Street & Sixth Avenue or visit Danish bakery Ole & Steen and French patisserie Angelina Paris across 40th Street at Sixth Avenue.
Relax and recharge at outdoor restaurant The Porch, located near the southern end of the Fountain Terrace. Dine on burgers, salads and more (plus a full bar for grown-ups) on swings and lounge furniture (daily 12-9 pm, weather permitting).
The more formal Bryant Park Grill features New American-style dining set behind the New York Public Library on the park’s Upper Terrace Bryant. Reservations suggested for the dining room, but the outdoor patio garden and rooftop garden are first-come-first-service. From mid April to November (weather permitting), the adjacent Bryant Park Café features a more casual new American-style menu and bar (daily 11:30am-8:30pm).
SERRA by Birreria
Flatiron/GramercyEataly’s rooftop greenhouse restaurant SERRA by Birreria has bloomed for Spring with immersive floral decor, rustic dishes with peak spring ingredients from the local farmers markets and handcrafted cocktails
Several other sit-down and to-go options throughout the Italian emporium include Napoli-style pizza, delicious gelato and a mix & match Venchi chocolate bar.
Bryant Park Reading Room, Games & Art Cart
Midtown-40s* Read books, newspapers, and magazines for all ages in the Reading Room open-air library among pretty flowers.
* Borrow chess, Connect Four, Sorry and other board games on the Fifth Avenue Terrace and play on ping pong tables, pétanque courts and putting greens.
* Get inspired by the urban life, flowers, and monuments of Bryant Park and create with free drawing and craft supplies for kids and adults. Materials are always changing, but drawing pencils, brush pens, charcoal, erasers, and sketch boards are generally available plus craft supplies, including crayons, colored pencils, markers, ribbon, glue, construction paper, stencils, beads, yarn, and coloring sheets.
See our guide to Bryant Park.
Manhattan: Downtown
Le District
FidiMangez on freshly made croissants, crepes, frites and more delicious treats in a French shopping district within happening Brookfield Place. Take your treat to the terrace for a view of the French-in-origin Lady Liberty.
Adrienne’s Pizza Bar
FidiEat thin-crust square pies (plus classic round pies, salads, pastas and more) on indoor and outdoor seating overlooking historic, cobbled Stone Street at this casual yet classy pizzeria.
Le Village de Lafayette
Noho/NolitaEnjoy brunch, dinner, fondue and more French fare in charming private heated snow chalets outside Chef Andrew Carmellini’s market-driven bistro. Reservations recommended.
For the chalets. choose from limited prix fix options for $55-$65 or fondue for $70-$90 per person. Cocktails and other beverages available to order a la carte. Dietary restrictions & allergies can be accommodated.
The corner boulangerie-patisserie is open all hours offering artisanal breads, croissants, Stumptown coffee drinks, a light breakfast or lunch to go.
Lots of cool architecture, art and stores nearby – see our guide to NoHo.
Koneko
Lower East SidePlay with roaming (adoptable) cats in three cat-centric spaces: the sunlit Upper Cattery, the warm and cozy Lower Cattery, and a first-of-its-kind outdoor Catio. Food from a Japanese- influenced menu, house-made desserts, plus beer, wine, and sake available for purchase.
Wednesday-Sunday 11 am – 3 pm & 4 pm – 8 pm
Brooklyn/Queens
Time Out Market New York
BrooklynSample some of the best NYC food: fluffy pancakes from the venerable Clinton Street Baking Co., thin-crust pizza from Patsy Grimaldi’s Juliana’s, Middle Eastern bites from Miss Ada, fried chicken from Jacob’s Pickles, Japanese comfort food from Bessou, cookie dough scoops from DŌ and more amazing eateries—all cherry-picked by Time Out New York. 21,000 delicious…
