Happy Thursday y’all! A bit of a different post coming today, but I wanted to round up my experience with both indoor and outdoor dining in New York during the COVID era. I know that not everyone is entirely comfortable with the dining situation and that there’s talks of things being shut down for winter for a portion of time, but knowing some of these restaurants have been around for years and these are real people owning businesses, I think it’s important now more than ever to support where you can – whether that be in-person or via take out.
I’ve gone to a few restaurants and have eaten indoors and outdoors, and have done my fair share of take out so I wanted to round up some of my favorite restaurants that I’ve been to and why, along with overall information on NYC outdoor dining (also have a highlight saved on IG here).
As a bit of background on NYC indoor dining, New York only recently closed indoor dining after being at 25% capacity in December. (Back when it was open) when dining indoors, you’re required to have your temperature taken, share your information so that the restaurant can contact you pending an outbreak AND you’re required to order one food item at minimum. Some restaurants are different and allow you to get an order of fries or something small, while others require appetizers and/or minimum amount of items per party. There’s talks about opening this soon and I plan to do my part to support my favorite spots that were required to shut down.
Outdoor dining was extended through the winter months and New York has allowed restaurants to essentially build extensions into the streets/bike lines. Restaurants have done the best that they can with making their set ups aesthetically pleasing as well as climate friendly with heating lamps and roof/wall coverings to block the wind and/or weather. There’s controversy going on right now regarding what restaurants will be able to keep outside through the winter, but as of now the set up is working wonderfully.
As always, my intention with this post is to be informative to anyone who lives in New York and isn’t as familiar of the dining situation. I am not by any means encouraging you to go out of your comfort zone/health restrictions and partake in any sort of dining situation that you are not comfortable with. Additionally, I’m not suggesting traveling to New York and I don’t think it’s right/fair for people to be taking vacations to the city – especially now. BUT I do think this is will make for a great post to save for later when traveling becomes normal and there are new spots to try.
Without further adieu, let’s round up the restaurants I’ve enjoyed the most throughout the dining process. There are so many restaurants that follow strict guidelines set forth by the CDC, so if you are looking for a new spot to try and are in a financial place where that is available to you, I’d highly recommend looking into these spots.
FINAL IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PRICING: Y’ALL IT IS A HEFTY FEE TO EAT OUTDOORS NOW BUT IF YOU HAVE THE MEANS TO SUPPORT THESE RESTAURANTS AND EMPLOYEES AT THIS TIME PLEASE DO AND DO NOT GO OUT IF YOU’RE UNABLE TO AFFORD TO TIP 20%+. For reference, if I’m going out to a dinner outdoors I am fully prepared to pay anywhere from $60-$100 (including tip). I consult my friends first to see what they’re in the mood for/able to spend so we can decide whether we’re splitting apps over drinks, ordering separate entrees, etc. Restaurants are now charging a 10% fee on top of tax + gratuity to get back on their feet and ensure their employees are taken care of during these cooler temps.
Let me know what y’all think! If you have any restaurants you love definitely let me know to try. I also have a highlight saved over on IG. Have a great day and thanks for reading!
Kokomo in Williamsburg offers amazing views of Williamsburg, prime outdoor seating with heated spaces, and refreshing cocktails alongside seasonal options for the cooling temps. They currently have a spiked hot cocoa that screams holiday season and the atmosphere is decked out with holiday decor. The staff was truly amazing when I went and the food was delicious.
The Sandbar Rooftop in Chelsea is an indoor/outdoor retractable rooftop with amazing 360 degree views of Manhattan. It’s an affordable price point for a NYC rooftop with multiple photo opps on different thematic decor like swings, neon signs, and of course city views. The seasonal cocktails are to die for right now and they have small plates that make it easy to split with friends. I went during sunset and it was insanely gorgeous.
Hudson Hound in West Village waited until October to reopen but they have the coziest indoor set up that’s perfectly socially distanced. We were able to have martinis with ice cream after dinner and the cocktails were amazing while we watched football.
Lola Taverna in SoHo is hands down one of the best outdoor dining options in New York. They’ve created a section blocked off with gorgeous floral work throughout and the food is absolutely phenomenal. They have tons of space heaters too so it doesn’t get too chilly.
Sotto 13 in West Village is still a great spot for groups whether you’re doing indoors or outdoors, and honestly it’s one of the most affordable options. We went with a small group of about 6 and split pizzas, pastas, salad, and wine and still only paid around $40 per person.
Caffe Dante is a classic NYC spot that’s known for their award winning cocktails. The menu currently is a la carte so it’s easy to split but hard to get a reservation so I suggest going on a weeknight and booking in advance. The heaters outside are great, but I did start to get chilly after awhile.
Extra Virgin is a quaint restaurant in West Village with some of the best apps and cocktails. I’ve found this to be a great date spot because it’s the cute West Village vibe, heated outdoors but not too extravagant with the set up (so it feels like you’re sitting at the bar if that makes sense). The spicy marg is a 10/10.
Lou Lou is a Chelsea staple now with Instagrammable drinks and yummy food. I definitely recommend as a splitting food type place with friends because the drinks are pricier and small for NYC standards (but cute).
The Spaniard is the closest you can get to “going out” these days because they have smaller food options to get (like fries) and their drinks are killer. ALSO, if you’re single it’s a great spot to people watch for cute guys lol.