Getting Village Outdoor Dining Right

Text and Photos by Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP

This month, we are honored to bring restaurants and shops to your attention that have served their community well by complying with the city outdoor dining rules. Although this is not a comprehensive selection of good neighbors, we encourage our readers to check them out and let them know you saw them in the Village View.

Village View has long supported our community’s restaurants, bars and coffee houses, often featuring venues in our articles. We also encourage the protection of our quality of life for all, by reporting on the laws of the city and how entities are complying. Outdoor dining is no different as it is a topic that needs careful consideration.

For every good example we highlight here, there are two or more establishments, often on the same block as these exemplars, that are not complying with the rules, thereby diminishing our quality of life. The rules are simple: provide a barrier that encloses your seating and service aisle so that you don’t obstruct the rest of the sidewalk. The Community Board has reviewed hundreds of these applications in CB2 alone, and each applicant has sworn to abide by the rules delineated in their application. The rules have been in place and enforced by NYC Department of Transportation since last November.

Is complying with the rules too much to ask?

 

Oscar’s Place at 466 Hudson Street near Barrow Street has been properly serving patrons on the sidewalk all through the pandemic and beyond. They could have spread out on the sidewalk like so many others did, but they stayed within the limits, and we thank them for that. Good food, good prices, friendly people.

Hudson Hound. Another favorite is Hudson Hound at 575 Hudson Street near Perry Street, a modern Irish restaurant with a warm atmosphere. After a new paint job on the exterior, the wooden barricades are a perfect match to protect their patrons. Their sandwich board menu sign is properly placed next to their building. Give them a try.

The Clam is an American seafood restaurant at the corner of Leroy and 420 Hudson Street. The planter boxes firmly demarcate the patron seating and add a soft green edge to the sidewalk. Always excellent service.

Ristorante Rafele is a rustic Italian restaurant that offers gluten free items as well as regional Neapolitan favorites. Recently, the street in front of 29A Seventh Avenue South near Morton Street has been barricaded for utility work. Don’t let that discourage you from seeking them out for their excellent menu and service. Behind the barricade is an orderly, leafy set of planters and seating for your enjoyment.

Wogies Bar and Grill is an American restaurant known for its Philly Cheesesteaks, at 39 Greenwich Avenue at Charles Street. Wogies is one of the first to include roadbed seating as well as sidewalk seating under the new rules. Like their neighbors, they know the rules require certain clearances and access, and they do it well, even keeping the roadway barricades low so the street signs aren’t obscured.

Mighty Quinn’s Smoked Barbeque at 75 Greenwich Avenue near West 11th Street is part of a chain of restaurants. They know barbeque, but they also know how to provide proper sidewalk seating. The handsome planter boxes delineate the seating and serving area, making it comfortable for diners and pedestrians alike.

Anton’s. Prior to this new installment of sidewalk seating, Anton’s on the corner of West 11th Street and 570 Hudson Street had a sprawling setup that severely restricted pedestrians. But, they now abide by the rules, providing a pleasant, welcoming environment with barriers between seats and pedestrians. They serve European-American cuisine. Good work Anton’s.

The White Horse Tavern. Frankly, we were pleasantly surprised that the management of The White Horse Tavern at the corner of West 11th Street and 567 Hudson Street has provided such a handsome and conforming sidewalk seating arrangement, after years of struggle to contain their outdoor activity. If this venerable establishment can comply with the rules, surely others can too.

Gourmet Garage at the corner of 585 Hudson and Bank Streets is not a traditional restaurant, but this grocer does sell prepared food dishes for its customers, and for the first time at this location, it now offers sidewalk seating. By providing proper barriers to limit the intrusion on the sidewalk, they comply with the rules and create a pleasant streetscape adjacent to a pocket park.

Donut Pub. The tiny storefront for the Donut Pub at 740 Broadway near Astor Place had to work hard to create an alcove for sidewalk seating right next to their front door, but with a simple umbrella and barrier, they managed to offer their patrons a two-top table. And their sandwich board menu sign is properly located at the building wall.

Triona’s. It seems that sports bars have the hardest time understanding how to comply with outdoor rules, so we were surprised to find Triona’s at 237 Sullivan Street near West 3rd Street to be complying, almost. By placing barriers around the seats and service aisles, they have kept the patrons from moving out onto the rest of the sidewalk. I say ‘almost’ because the sandwich board sign is improperly outside their café area. An easy fix.

Think Coffee at 1 Bleecker Street, corner of Bowery. They serve beer, wine and some prepared food. They have nicely applied the sidewalk seating rules to their business. The potted plants are a nice touch. Unfortunately, their sandwich board menu sign is out in the sidewalk, instead of next to the building; it’s not hard to fix.