Outdoor Karaoke & More NYC Restaurant News

Week of July 27th

• After months of selling produce boxes and meal kits, Blue Hill at Stone Barns is now offering outdoor picnics at their farm upstate. You can book your reservation here.

• Chef Jared Howard is cooking Southern classics in Maison Yaki’s kitchen until August 2nd. He’s the second in Maison Yaki’s Black entrepreneur series and he’s making things like fried chicken sandwiches and oyster mushroom po’boy from his restaurant, Honey Bunny’s Kitchen. You can stop by for takeout in Prospect Heights or book an outdoor dining table online.

• Spanish Diner at Mercado Little Spain in Hudson Yards is opening its new outdoor space on Friday. They’re serving all-day food like pan con tomate, eggs with your choice of cured Spanish meat, fried bacalao, and lots of jamon. Stop by between 11:30am to 9pm Thursday to Sunday.

• An exciting update for New Yorkers who love activities: The Stand is hosting outdoor comedy shows with drinks, snacks, and plenty of spread-out tables. You can book a table ahead of time through their website.

• Wayla on the LES is now offering curbside seating on a first come, first served basis starting at 4pm every day (in addition to their reservation-only patio tables). We wrote about our experience eating in Wayla’s backyard here.

• A fancy design firm (Rockwell Group) and the NYC Hospitality Alliance teamed up with The Chinatown Partnership to build outdoor dining structures for restaurants on Mott Street between Mosco and Worth Streets. You can check out a rendering of the project below (or go walk there and see it for yourself).

photo credit: Emily Andrews for Rockwell Group

More Restaurants Are Offering Outdoor Brunch

• If you’re looking for new brunch options, Moonrise Izakaya on the UWS and Le Crocodile in Williamsburg both started weekend brunch service.

• For more ideas, check out our guide to The Best Outdoor Brunch Spots In NYC.

And Now, Our Unofficial Sushi News Column

• Sushi Ishikawa on the UES now has outdoor dining available. You can reserve a spot for one of their two nightly omakase seatings (at 6pm and 8pm), Tuesdays through Saturdays.

• In more sushi news, Sushi Seki started takeout and delivery at their Chelsea location, as well as takeout at their UES spot on Monday to Saturday from 4pm to 9pm.

New Frozen Things to Eat Outdoors

• La Fiesta Restaurant in Washington Heights just opened their outdoor patio area, and you can stop by for tlayudas, mangoneadas, and empanadas. If you’d rather try their takeout or delivery, call 212-281-2886.

• Ample Hills reopened their Prospect Heights, Chelsea, Astoria, and Gowanus locations this week. They’re all open until 10pm on Saturdays, 9pm on Sundays, and 8pm during the rest of the week.

More Outdoor Reopenings to Know About

• Marea in Midtown.

• The Lit Bar in the Bronx.

• Fraunces Tavern in FiDi.

• Wu’s Wonton King in Chinatown.

• Van Da in the East Village.

• Patsy’s in East Harlem.

• Leuca in Williamsburg.

• Locanda Verde in Tribeca.

For more ideas for outdoor dining, check out our guide to over 300 options all around the city.

photo credit: Wu's Wonton King Outdoor Seating - Hannah Albertine

Brand New Restaurant Openings

• A new beer bar in Hamilton Heights started outdoor service with a menu of sandwiches, salads, and charcuterie boards (as well as 16 beers on tap). You can follow Oh Craft! on Instagram here for updates.

• The Island Oyster team (people who specialize in serving oysters and cold beverages next to water that leads to the Atlantic Ocean) have a new project called Drift In. It’s right on the Hudson River path, across from Christopher Street Pier. They’re still waiting on their alcohol license, but you can stop by for takeout, outdoor dining, or a cold seltzer to-go.

• There’s a new Japanese spot on Bayard Street in Chinatown that’s running socially-distanced, outdoor karaoke (and hosting private outdoor dining parties with set-menus). While you brainstorm your karaoke song choice, you can watch a video of these people singing “Waterfalls” by TLC at Dr. Clark House below.

• For more of the latest NYC restaurant openings, check out our guide here.

Closings

Rusty Knot in the West Village, Augustine in FiDi, Bali Kitchen in the East Village, La Caridad 78 on the UWS, Adelina’s in Greenpoint, Gaia Italian Cafe on the LES, Quality Eats in Nomad, Sugar Hill Cafe in Hamilton Heights, An Choi on the LES, Gotan in Williamsburg, and Le Sia in the East Village have all closed.