The best new outdoor bars and restaurants
The sun is bound to come out one of these days, when it does, here's where to go.
Happy Monday, my friends!
I had planned this post to be one that coincided with spring weather, but it seems I’ve missed my window of warmth? To be honest, I’m not clear on what’s going on; some days it feels full on summer, and others we are back to hats and gloves, but in time I assume it will heat up, and we will want to be outside, kicking back in the shade of a rolled out awning or a canopy of oak trees with a cocktail in hand and a tray of briny oysers within reach.
My favorite outdoor spots will probably always be Island Oyster on Governors Island, or the Rooftop at The Rockaway Hotel, but if you can’t get to those (and even if you can), here are a couple of new and noteworthy bars and restaurants with particularly lovely outdoor spaces for you to consider for the spring and summer.
Cheers my friends!
Riverpark
While I would not say it’s exactly well-known, Riverpark should be. Located on the far edge of the East Side in midtown, it’s an expansive seasonal outdoor oasis with stunning river views that boasts charming picnic tables, intimate two-tops, and rows of teak Adirondack chairs for drinks with friends, or taking a break with a book and chilling out as the sun goes down.
When they open on May 15th, they’ll resume daily happy hour, along with lawn games like corn hole and ping pong, special events like Oysters and Rosé, and weekly live music. This season Riverpark is debuting a new outdoor “Spritz Bar,” as well as drinks like “A Day at the Spa,” a mix of vodka, cachaça, cucumber, and lime, and “The Foolish One,” a sort of margarita made with reposado tequila, mezcal, Aperol, and strawberry.
The menu by Chef German Villatoro is easy and ideal for lazy evenings gazing at the sunset: Razor Clam Ceviche with shaved fennel meyer lemon, and chili oil; Spiced Pannise with grilled asparagus, pickled onion jam, ras el hanout, and pea greens; and a smashing Riverpark Burger topped with caramelized onions, comté cheese, pickles, and herb aioli. I hope you love it!
Riverpark is located at 450 East 29the Street, (212) 706-4131, book on Resy.
Bar Blondeau
The Wythe Hotel is Williamsburg’s original boutique hotel, and it’s grown to be a community hub for culture and dining with Le Crocodile, the neighborhood brasserie recently named one of “The 100 Best Restaurants in New York City in 2024” by The New York Times.
For the spring and summer, the hotel is reopening Bar Blondeau, a cocktail lounge and terrace on the 6th floor that offers sweeping views of the Manhattan skyline. The wrap-around terrace, lined with lush planters and shaded with oversized umbrellas, opened for the season on May 9th, and it’s ready for you with a slew of special events and gatherings. There’s a daily Sunset Hour Spotlight at Bar Blondeau with drink specials starting from $9 that runs Monday through Friday from 5-7pm in partnership with a local spirits producer. Every Sunday there’s live Jazz, and on Tuesday’s a piano bar vibe gets going with pianist Matt Chiasson. Grab a friend and have an instant staycation.
Bar Blondeau is located in the Wythe Hotel at 80 Wythe Ave, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; Book your terrace table on Resy.
The Terrace at Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson
If you’re downtown heading to the new Perelman Performing Arts Center, Marcus Samuelsson has just opened a new outdoor patio off of Metropolis that sits peacefully under the night sky, tucked away from the fray of Lower Manhattan. It feels like a secret, secluded from the chaos of the Financial District, which makes it the perfect place to unwind before a performance or on sunny days ahead.
The Terrace Menu was created by Chef Marcus Samuelsson and Executive Chef Ed Tinoco and includes snacks and small plates like Tuna Nachos, Roasted Duck Leg Cubano, and Pork Belly or Maitake Mushroom Tostadas.
Beverage Director Alexis Belton has created a Terrace Cocktail menu with a Mezcal Paloma mixed with Grapefruit & Cinnamon; a Spicy Margarita with Chili Oil Washed Tequila, Toasted Barley, and Passionfruit; a Sherry Ricky with a Blend of Sherries, Lime, Toasted Coconut; and something called a Cobbler that sounds like it would be terrific frozen: Strawberry & Fernet Cordial, Rums, Vermouth, and Lemon.
The Terrace at Metropolis is located in the Perleman Performing Arts Center, 251 Fulton St, and will be open Tuesday through Sunday from 4pm – 10pm. Book on Open Table.
The Glass Ceiling Rooftop
The Glass Ceiling Rooftop is Midtown’s newest rooftop cocktail destination, a palm-filled space perched atop the Luminary, a women’s community-building membership space. Perfect for every kind of weather, the space has a beautiful retractable glass ceiling in the shadow of the Empire State Building with the most up-close-and-personal views of the city’s sparkling skyline you can find.
The space is decidedly feminine and pretty, filled with couches in a crush of pretty pink, cozy corners of tufted hunter green banquettes, a wraparound terrace with rattan chairs in the shape of giant pears, and a long stretch of marble bar for sipping away the stress of the day.
Of course, the name ‘the glass ceiling’ has a higher purpose. It is a metaphor that has long been used to represent the crushing invisible barriers that prevent women and underrepresented communities from rising beyond a certain level in the patriarchy. In partnership with Luminary, an inclusive membership-based career and personal growth platform and collaboration hub, (including an 11,000 sq ft physical space one floor below), the restaurant is run by IGC Hospitality (the folks behind Rockaway Hotel) and features women-owned brands and makers, like Heather Greene’s Milam and Greene Whiskey, female champagne and wine growers like Bodvar Rosés, and more. The goal is to empower the community to break through “The Glass Ceiling.” I’ll drink to that.
The Glass Ceiling is located at 1204 Broadway, 5th Floor, near 32nd Street in Nomad. Reserve here.
Bar Primi
I’ve saved the best for last. The most exciting new outdoor bar to open this summer is Bar Primi at Penn Station. To be sure, the view of Moynihan Hall does not rival the panoramic views of the water and the city skyline you’ll get at Bar Blondeau, or Island Oyster, but what you lose in the view you gain in scene and setting.
The Bar Primi outdoor patio is roughly the size of a college football field, and is set with dozens of tables, sundrenched couches, private, leaf-shaded nooks, and circular booths, with a stunning outdoor bar and magical string lights twinkling overhead.
The cocktail menu reads very Roman Holiday with glamorous drinks like the Piazza Julep, a combination of Cynar, bourbon, grapefruit, lime, raspberry syrup, and mint that’s served in a cool sunflower ceramic mug; the Smokey Luigi with cucumber-infused mezcal, Aperol, Dolin Blanc, and bitters; and a White Lotus-inspired Sicilian Daiquiri made from rum, lime, pistachio orgeat, and pistachio oil, with a pistachio sugar rim. There are also Negroni jello shots by Solid Wiggles, and of course Frosé, which was originally created by Managing Partner Justin Sievers at Bar Primi.
To snack on, have one of Chef Andrew Carmellini’s divine deep-dish square pizzas, definitely his Antipasti Salad, those delicious little meatballs in slow simmered sugo; and the Burrata Pockets with Calabrian honey. Don’t miss the Pistachio Gelato with fennel caramello for dessert. Take your tribe and enjoy the spring weather.
Bar Primi Penn District is located at 349 West 33rd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, (212) 233-6100, info@barprimi.com barprimi.com or @barprimi on Instagram. Book on Open Table.