sclubb

Hi all -

Will be in NYC next weekend with 3 friends & looking for some recommendations of a dinner out with good views on the water or skyline. We'd like cost to be $20 or less preferably & something casual, but good atmosphere/outdoor dining. Does the River Cafe have a bar food area or outdoor dining where salads & sandwiches would fit our bill? We're staying in mid-town, but are considering going down to Seaport & across the Brooklyn Bridge.

On a side note, I read that the ferry to Brooklyn picks up south of Seaport....but if we want to walk across the bridge & back - where do we start across towards Brooklyn - and about how long will that take us? Would it make sense to do this while we're down near Battery Park & doing the Statue of Liberty?

Just trying to work out last minute logistics - I appreciate your help!

Matty_NYC

While the view from the River Cafe is great, it will cost you at least double your $20, and its not very casual (at least for dinner - lunch may be different). I wish I had a better suggestion for you, but there are very few places that actually have views of Manhattan from across the river.

The walk over the bridge to that River Cafe is about 20 minutes or so at a decent pace.

bardo

Not a "View" restaurant, but Jeremy's at 228 Front St. is right by the Seaport and bridge. Great casual seafood. Less than $20/person includes drinks and tip (rare for NYC).

http://www.jeremysalehouse.com/

GoTravel

The cheapest thing would be to eat hotdogs on the ferry.

My suggestion would be to take the train over for pizza at Grimaldis then walk back over the bridge.

Your price range is a bit on the low side for somewhere with a view. The good news is most places with a view have mediocre food. The River Cafe is way out of your price range.

If you do find something, please let us know.

bugswife1

Take the ferry from the javitt's center and have dinner at the Chart House in Jersey City, NJ. Fun, casual atmosphere and a great view. Ferry ride takes 5 minutes and is cheap.

tpatricco

sclubb, bugswife1 has a good suggestion. Take the NY Waterway ferry over to Weehawken, NJ There are a number of restaurants with city views there, including Houlihan's which is inexpensive and has outdoor dining with good views.

sclubb

OK - this will show I haven't even looked at a map yet - but where is the bridge in relation to the Seaport & in relation to Battery Park?

Thanks for the advice - I figured we weren't able to do River Cafe, but wasn't sure. Does anyone know of anything good about Chelsea Brewing Company? Or Sequoia? I ate at Sequoia in DC & it was not cheap - well over $200 for 4 people, but I saw the NY menu has sandwiches & salads for dinner. Is the outdoor dining there casual enough or will we be out of place ordering those sorts of menu items for dinner?

Kal

We were in NYC this past May and had a nice dinner at Gingino's (Italian) at Battery Place. (Wagner Park?)

Decent food, not too expensive, good wine list and a great view of the harbor's goings on and the St of Liberty. Outdoor dining, too.

Leely

Isn't there a Mexican restaurant with a bar downstairs in Red Hook (Brooklyn)? I've eaten there--food's good, atmosphere is young and casual, and there are good views of Manhattan. I want to say it's called Alma. It's probably more than $20 pp, but not much (if you don't go too crazy with the margaritas).

Might be kind of a pain to get there. Although I went there by myself (to meet people, and I was a tourist). And go early or reserve.

mp

The brewery at Chelsea Piers is perfectly adequate - in your price range and quite pleasant on off hours - and a lovely view of the Hudson River looking west - so that means - yes, it's a view of New Jersey! If you walk along the promenade, through the Chelsea Piers complex, just north of the horse stables and basketball city, around pier 62 I think, you will come to the Lackawanna Barge, which is a funky, funny hipster hangout on the docks, they grill hot dogs and burgers, you can drink a beer and you wouldn't know you're in Manhattan. You might google Long Island City - there are a couple of places on the river in Queens that might fit your needs. Oh - and look at a map.

mclaurie

I've never been there but Zagat guide mentions Pete's Downtown, an old fashioned red sauce Italian rest. right across the street from the River Cafe. It says they share the same view. The address is 2 Water St and the River Cafe is at 1.

Other options in the city--the Boat Basin Cafe at the 79th st boat basin (on the Hudson) is inexpensive and fun (boatbasincafe.com)

There are a number of restos at the Sea Port. Harbour Lights has a nice view and the food's not bad.

On another thread there were rotten reports on the Chart House in NJ.

Kal's suggestion of Gigino at Wagner Park is a good one.

Look at a map. Here's one of lower Manhattan and there are links to other areas.
http://www.nycvisit.com/content/index.cfm?pagePkey=983

suzanne

Buy a pizza at Grimaldi's, bring it to the ferry landing and have a little picnic with one of the best views in NYC. I do it all the time.

bardo

sclubb,
Type "Brooklyn Bridge" in the "search this Forum" box. You'll get many, many plans for walking the bridge.

sclubb

Thanks all - I looked at a map finally! Is it possible to walk from Battery Park to Pier 11 - how long of a walk is that? What is the best way to get from Battery Park to Pier 11 to take the ferry over the Brooklyn? OR - better yet - is there a ferry from Battery Park that goes to Brooklyn & drops you at the Ice Cream Factory?

I am thinking the best idea sounds like visiting the Statue 1st thing in the morning. Then, take the ferry over to Brooklyn, get a pizza from Grimaldi's & have a picnic at the ferry landing for lunch - grab an ice cream from the Ice Cream Factory & walk back over the Brooklyn Bridge. Sounds fun to me & a great way to spend our morning & afternoon.

Soooo - ideas on getting from Battery Park to Brooklyn?

sclubb

Oh - and then would it be best to get a taxi from the Seaport to Ground Zero? Can we put 4 adults in a cab in the city?

suzanne

The Seaport to the WTC site is about an 8-block walk, slightly uphill on Fulton Street. You could put 4 people in a cab if you didn't want to walk it. Are you going there after your walk across the bridge? Because it's only 3 blocks from the end of the bridge footpath.

You could walk from Battery Park to Pier 11. It's roughly 6-8 blocks. I know a stop is planned for Battery Park (it's on the map on the water taxi website) but it doesn't appear on the water taxi schedule. So I don't know if it's open yet. Keep an eye out while you're down there...maybe it is!

To get a pizza at Grimaldi's for a picnic, walk to the back right corner of the restaurant, where you will order & pay for the pizza. One small feeds 2 people (it's thin). Then wait outside and they will bring it out to you when done (~5 minutes). I recommend red pepper & onion toppings!

At the ice cream factory, nothing beats the strawberry.

Kal

The four of us went all over NYC in one taxi. Never had a problem other than me having to fold up my 6'4" frame in the front seat.

Just make sure the driver starts the meter when you go. We had one who drove us around and when he dropped us off said "$15".
Thought it may have been a flat rate for going from the UN area to around the 100s block UpEast Side/Cent Park in the early morning...nope...we were suckered!
Ahhhhh...A true NYC experience!

Our bartender told us a true New Yorker would have told the driver "I'll pay you double what's on the meter" then walk off. Tuff crowd!

cindymal

we ate at the river cafe.It was great but very expensive.
They do have a beautiful bar whrer you can have a drink and watch the statue of liberty and they have an area for casual dinning as well.It looked nice but I am not sure about what kind of food they serve.Give them a call.
There are qite a number of resturants at Battery park city that overlook the water as well as the statue of liberty.Most do not require reservations