May 20, 2025 ⢠21 mins
Sprawling, beautiful Central Park must be part of your New York City explorations. When checking out Gapstow Bridge or the Balto Statue and an I've-been-walking-all-day hunger strikes, know there are some GREAT food options right in the park.
Let's check out the best restaurants in Central Park! We'll dive into some cheap(er) options, a couple of fancy places, and even a great sandwich spot to bring into the park for a picnic.
Let's do it. đ
Le Pain Quotidien
Le Pain Quotidien has two locations physically in Central Park and several others around the city. One location by Sheep Meadow. Another location is by the Conservatory Water (closer to the Met if you want to come for breakfast/lunch before the Met).
Both have grab and go options as well as a sit down area with table service. Very dog friendly patios and Scout loves to eat here. Everything we have had here is great and so fresh.
Recommend: The coffee. Breakfast sandwiches, pastries, lentil soup (comes with fresh baked bread). Also sells wine and beer, and is a nice spot for a drink in the warmer weather.
The Ballfields Cafe (The Migrant Kitchen)
On the North side of the Heckscher Ballfields off of 65th Street.
Opens every weekend in April and is open 7 days a week starting in May.
The Migrant Kitchen also has a location on the UWS. Portions of every meal purchased go towards providing meals to New Yorkers in need. They have served nearly 4 million meals to food-insecure communities across NYC.
Regular menu has hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, soft pretzels, popcorn, ice cream. They sell beer, wine, and margaritas.
Recommend: Crispy chicken wrap and harvest lemonade. Harvest lemonade has cardamom and ginger in it.
Central Park Boathouse
Located right between Bethesda Terrace and The Ramble. It's basically in the middle of Central Park so plan on a long walk to get there if coming from midtown. No cars go there. 20 min walk from 7th ave and 59th St. But from 5th Ave and 72nd entrance it's a 5 min walk.
Most romantic and expensive option. Featured in tons of movies and shows. Sex and the City, 27 Dresses, When Harry Met Sally.
$20 starters, $30-60 entrees. $19-22 cocktails.
Highly recommend for a splurge meal. Quintessential NYC establishment. Overlooks the lake and you can watch people rowing in the boats. Ducks swimming by... very cute!
Central Park Boathouse Cafe
Casual walk-up counter outside the Boathouse. They have breakfast sandwiches and pastries. For lunch, they have sandwiches, salads, hot dogs, and hamburgers. Great place to grab a breakfast sandwich and coffee in the morning.
Highly recommend grabbing something to eat and then going and getting lost in The Ramble. The entrance is just straight up the sidewalk from the Boathouse Cafe.
You'll Have to Check It Out - Lenwich
4 across Manhattan, the closest to the park is 55th and 8th
Get the Italian sandwich or Caesar Wrap and take into the park for a picnic.
Melba's Cafe by Woolman Rink
Mostly mediocre and overpriced food, would recommend mostly for dessert, coffee, or beer/wine.
Tavern on the Green
Located on 67th Street & Central Park West. Can get dropped off in a car right by the entrance.
Originally built in 1870 to house the sheep that grazed in Central Park's Sheep Meadow. Transformed into a restaurant in 1934.
$20ish appetizers and $30-60 entrees. Participates in "NYC Restaurant Week" twice a year (usually January/February and July/August). Happy Hour food menu & discounted cocktails, wine, and beer available at the bar counter & the lounges only.
Tavern To Go
Anna is a true gem of a barista and gives all the dogs little treats and places them on top of the coffee. Great drip coffee, latte, cappuccino. They also have some pre-made baked goods and sell wine & beer in the afternoons.
đ˝ Join the newsletter for free access to the NYC Navigation & Transportation Guide + curated Google Maps lists here: â â â â â â â â https://rebrand.ly/nyc-newsletterâ â â
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
Welcome to the Better Together Here podcasts with your host
Devin. And Ashley?
Helping you make the most of your time in New York City.
Hey everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the Better
Together Here podcast. My name is Devin.
My name is Ashley. In today's episode, we are going
to break down all of the spots you can eat at in Central Park.
Exploring Central Park should certainly be on your list of
(00:23):
things to do in New York City. It is a beautiful, massive park,
right dead smack in the middle of Manhattan, and we're going to
give you some options for where you can eat.
There'll be some fancy choices. Some casual spots.
Even some picnic options. We're going to give you all the
info you need, so let's get right into it.
Central Park is a huge park, andif you're going to walk around
(00:44):
Central Park, there's a high likelihood you're going to end
up hungry or thirsty, so we're going to help you out with all
that. Let us say that there are plenty
of amazing food options outside of the park.
But like Ashley said, sometimes you're in the park, you're
hungry, you're in a pinch, or you just want to experience the
ambience of eating in massive Central Park.
So let's start with a popular one that has multiple locations.
(01:05):
It is Le Pen Quito Gen. We are probably saying that
wrong. It means the Daily Bread in
French. It is a chain that is not based
in New York City but has many New York City locations.
Think of it as a pastries, sandwiches, coffees.
How else would you? Describe, grab and go, Yeah.
Pretty grab and go friendly, butstill some seating options at
(01:27):
both of the locations in CentralPark.
There are two locations for Le Pen Co de Gen. inside Central
Park. 1 is right by sheep Meadowand the other is right by the
Conservatory water closer to like the Upper East Side of
Manhattan. So both very conveniently
located and close to a lot of the spots that you're going to
want to see and walk around in like the bottom half of the
(01:47):
park. These are going to be really
convenient spots for you to go and grab a bite.
Both of these locations have grab and go options as well as
sit down areas with table service.
So if you want like something quick to grab and go, you can go
and get pastries or sandwiches or coffee or they also have
table service with more elaborate sit down meals.
The patios are also very dog friendly.
(02:08):
If you want to say hi to a dog, definitely can here on the
patio. And you might run into us.
We take Scout here to the Le Panquitogen from time to time.
Our yellow lab dog, Le Pan Quitogen, definitely known for
like Ashley said, kind of more grab and go pastries, the potato
breakfast sandwiches, some soups, comes with bread, really
fantastic coffee. We often get coffee here as
(02:29):
we're coming through the park. They also sell beer and wine, so
it's a nice spot for a drink in the warm weather.
Generally, both of these optionsare good locations to go and
have a quick meal, which leads us also to the Ball Fields cafes
or what's called the migrant kitchen.
So this is on the north side of Heckscher Ball Fields.
This is probably the closest place to eat if you're coming
(02:51):
from the bottom end or the Southend of the park.
So for example, if you came up three times, you walked up from
Times Square into the park. This would be only a roughly 10
or so minute walk from the entrance of the park to this
spot. As the name implies, it is right
next to ball fields. This is definitely a spot where
you could go grab some food and then watch a bunch of adult men
that are way too into their softball leagues and take it way
(03:14):
too seriously. That's pretty entertaining to
watch. The name the Migrant Kitchen, so
it also has a location on the Upper West Side and kind of
their mission is that portions of every meal purchased go
towards providing meals to New Yorkers in need.
And they've served over 4 million meals to food insecure
communities across New York City.
So by eating here you are helping a good 'cause as well.
(03:35):
Their regular menu has things like hamburgers, hot dogs,
salads, like think you're kind of classic ball field type
foods, but a little bit stepped up from that kind of allowing
you to have that experience. Like when you were a kid and
you'd go and you'd have to watchyour, your brother, your sister
in a baseball tournament. And there's the snack shack that
has all the things you just keepgoing back to and you're bored
(03:56):
all day long, but luckily there's some good place to get
pretzels and ice cream. Like it's that vibe, but
slightly better, slightly more elevated than that.
One of my favorite things to eatthere is that they have a really
great crispy chicken wrap. It comes with like this feta,
garlic whip and really great crispy chicken and Pickles.
And I also really like their harvest lemonade.
(04:17):
It has like cardamom and ginger in it.
Highly recommend. Not your standard lemonade.
So a great spot close to the bottom of the park next to some
ball fields that you can have a nice viewing experience while
you eat. And that leads us to this
episodes New York know how. All right, escalator etiquette.
(04:38):
Here's the thing outside of New York City and a lot of places
around the United States and in the world in general, one of the
main times you're riding an escalator is when you're at a
mall. I feel like in my mind, like in
the suburbs, like if you're on an escalator, you're probably
inside of a mall, right? Yeah, where else would you have
an escalator? I mean it's often in malls, like
not a ton of places mostly. Malls for sure.
(05:00):
And when you're in a mall, it's leisurely.
People are there, they're shopping, they're having a good
time, they're relaxed, they're having a good vibe.
Escalators are different in New York City.
So again, this is from New York City basic tips and etiquette.
This is #113 and it's got a picture of a man, like dressed
kind of as a weather man, like he's reading the weather.
And it says today's escalator forecast, folks.
Unfortunately, chances are that some fully developed
(05:21):
obliviousness may slow down yourcommute today.
And it's got a picture of a guy standing on the left side on his
phone, distracted. So escalators in New York City,
you'll end up on more escalatorsthan you expect, often in train
or subway stations. Not all of them, but many of
them have it. And here's is the way that
escalator etiquette works. If you're just going to stand
there and ride the escalator andenjoy the amazing technology of
(05:44):
not having to step upstairs, youstand on the right.
But if you're in a rush and you need to get somewhere quickly,
it is the etiquette that the left side stays open for people
to walk. And when we all follow this
simple etiquette makes everyone's lives a lot easier.
I feel like this is like a standard rule just with like
existing that most people know. But if one person forgets it
(06:06):
really throws things off. Like if one person is standing
on the left side and I'm late for work, I get super irritated
because again, like we've talkedabout with commuting in New York
City and like our sidewalk rulesepisode, the sidewalks, the
escalators, the streets, this ishow people are commuting to
work. So it's basically the equivalent
of like someone being in the fast lane and just stopping.
(06:26):
That's what happens when you pull over to the left side of an
escalator. So just move her to over to the
right. Help someone get to work on
time. So that's this episode's New
York know how. Stand on the right side of
escalators and walk up the left.OK, back to places to eat in
Central Park, all right. Arguably the most famous and
(06:47):
iconic spot in Central Park whenit comes to eating is the
Central Park boathouse. The Central Park boathouse has
been in New York City, Laura forquite a long time.
It's featured in tons of movies and and shows including Sex and
the City, 27 Dresses. When Harry Met Sally, we were
just watching an SNL skit that was supposed to be based at the
(07:08):
Boathouse. You've probably seen it.
There's a a pond area that surrounds it.
It's this beautiful white building right smack dab in the
middle of Central Park. The Boathouse is as many people
as a quintessential Central Park.
The Boathouse has like kind of like typical American type
cuisine and I would say it's more of like a splurge
(07:28):
restaurant. You're going to be paying about
$20 or so for starters and about30 to $60.00 per entree.
And as far as like cocktails areconcerned, you're going to be
looking at like 19 to $22.00. So it's definitely a more
expensive experience, but again,you're paying for that kind of
like quintessential New York experience.
(07:49):
The ambiance is absolutely beautiful.
It overlooks like this huge lakein Central Park and you can
watch people on these little rowboats and you can see like ducks
going by. It's just like a very cute, laid
back, fancier dining experience.There's like the interior of
Central Park Boathouse, but thenthey have this kind of outdoor
(08:12):
patio area that when the weatheris nice, it's completely open
and you're kind of like right upthere against the lake.
But when the weather is bad, it has these nice full like ceiling
to floor glass doors, windows that you can see out of still.
The best is if you can be there when the weather is nice.
We had an amazing experience forone of our anniversaries where
(08:34):
we came to the boathouse as we were walking.
It's sunny, it's warm, it's like75° end of April feeling
amazing. We got to, we're sitting out on
the kind of patio area, the doors are open, so it's
completely exposed out to the city and you kind of just see
these dark clouds start rolling in.
As Ashley mentioned, there's allthe people who are on the
(08:54):
rowboat. So if you've seen pictures or
videos of people on row boats inCentral Park, this is where it's
happening. And we see these dark clouds
rolling in. And you can kind of see the
panic starting to set in for some of these people.
And it within minutes just starts pouring rain, Absolutely
pouring. It went from bright, sunny,
beautiful spring day to absolutedownpour.
(09:15):
And these poor people. But for our perspective, eating
a nice meal, it was so funny. It was hilarious.
You've got people trying to cover their heads with magazines
and their shoe. I mean, it was just, it was a
complete downpour and these people just rowing as fast as
they physically could on these row boats.
(09:36):
It was pretty hilarious. Absolutely brutal experience
because I'm sure when they started it was like 75° and
sunny, clear blue skies. And then they're like, oh, let's
go on a romantic rowboat ride inCentral Park.
And then just to go zero to 100 with rain.
It was very entertaining to be covered.
Great people watching. Great people watching.
(09:56):
So that's the Central Park boathouse.
It's like we mentioned, definitely more fancy
tablecloths. You don't want to come in
wearing gym shorts and a tank top.
You probably want to be dressed up just a little bit more for
this. It's a fun experience.
It's something you might only doonce in your life, so approach
it that way. If you are going to go to the
Boathouse restaurant, I just want to make a quick note that
(10:17):
normal cars cannot drive up to the Boathouse, so just plan on a
little bit of a walk. If you want to come from the
Upper East Side, that is the shortest walk.
If you come from 5th Ave. and 72nd St. it's about a 5 minute
walk if you're dropped off in a cab.
However, if you're going to comefrom the bottom part of the
park, roughly 50 9th St. and 7thAve. where those streets
(10:39):
intersect, that's like the bottom of Central Park, it's
going to be a 20 minute walk just for you to get to the
Boathouse. So don't let that discourage
you, but plan on commute time and walking time to get there
leisurely. And if you do show up and maybe
they don't have a reservation, luckily right next door there is
Central Park Boathouse Cafe. It's actually kind of connected
to it. It's on the front side.
(11:00):
It's definitely more casual walkup counter.
They have some outdoor seating. You can get breakfast
sandwiches, pastries, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs,
hamburgers, kind of just your standard Cafe fare.
And they also sell beer, wine and cocktails.
So it's a nice place where you can still kind of be near the
ambiance of the boathouse, not as fancy, not as expensive, and
(11:20):
you're still kind of eating a nice meal in the heart of
Central Park. I recently went here in the
morning with my nephew when my family was in town and we both
got bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches on the
Kaiser roll and it was really really good.
I also highly recommend their drip coffee and their
cappuccinos. I will say one time I had their
iced coffee and it was pretty bad if I'm being honest.
(11:42):
So I wouldn't get their iced coffee.
That's just my personal recommendation, but their drip
coffee is solid. I would say if you want coffee
in Central Park you go to Libyancontigen over any other option.
I would agree or. Tavern one that we'll cover
later. Yeah, we'll get there.
The next option is to have a picnic in Central Park.
You don't need to find a specific picnic spot.
Yes, there are some benches in the park, they're scattered
(12:06):
throughout, but really you can go just about anywhere in
Central Park. Bring some food with you, plop
down on the grass or on a rock or on a bench and just enjoy a
meal in the beauty and ambiance that is Central Park.
There are lots of great options for foods to bring in.
We've always loved getting a pizza and bringing it in, bring
it in sandwiches, really anywhere.
(12:27):
It's so nice to just grab a quick bite from somewhere, walk
a few feet into the park, sit down on a bench, and have a very
nice relaxing picnic. Which leads us to this episode,
so you'll have to check it out. The next stop is Lenwich.
Lenwich is a phenomenal sandwichspot.
They have locations all across Manhattan, but they do have one
(12:49):
that is pretty close to the park.
It's on 55th St. and 8th Ave. less than a 5 minute walk to the
park and they have great sandwiches.
We love Lenwich. Lenwich is basically like your
old faithful, reliable breakfastand lunch spot in New York City.
This is where a good chunk of the New Yorkers go out to eat
(13:12):
when they're looking for like lunch in the middle of the day
and lunch in the middle of the work day.
Specifically. I would say like at least a
couple of my Co workers every day are going to Lynn Witch for
lunch. And they're big sandwiches too.
So like if you're if you're withone other person, you could
definitely split a sandwich or if you are by yourself, you
could get extremely full or haveleftovers like it.
It's a good Hardy sandwich, pretty fresh ingredients, a wide
(13:36):
variety of options. We've really liked the their
Italian sandwich is very good and then Ashley really likes
their Caesar wrap. Their chicken Caesar wrap is
super famous, it's probably the most popular thing on the entire
menu and occasionally they have a spicy Caesar wrap option where
they put like fresh jalapenos and the Caesar dressing is spicy
(13:56):
so I recommend that if they haveit on the menu.
So this is a great option to grab a sandwich from Lenwich,
take it into the park and enjoy a nice little picnic with a
language sandwich. So that's this episode.
You'll have to check it out. Dan, clear of the closing.
All right, back to the last couple spots to eat in Central
(14:17):
Park. One that we're going to give a
quick mention to is Melba's Cafe.
It's by Wolman Rink, which is very actually, I misspoke.
These are probably about equidistance from the bottom of
the park, this and the migrant kitchen.
But Melba's Cafe, it's not great.
It's not somewhere I would like search out for getting food.
All these other options I think are actually really good spots
(14:38):
to grab a quick bite. Melba's Cafe.
I would probably learn more towards getting like a dessert
or a coffee or a lemonade or a beer or wine.
Just something that's a little simpler or prepackaged.
Like the food itself is mediocreand a bit overpriced.
To me, it seems more like a snack bar.
Like they sell a lot of like, prepackaged ice cream bars and
(14:59):
like, French fries. I wouldn't necessarily go here
for like a full meal. Yeah, agreed.
But if you're like walking by and you want a snack or you want
like a beer, pop in. Well, and it's it's nice too,
because where it is, there are maybe a a dozen good picnic
benches and you have this unbelievable view of the Midtown
skyline where you can see some of the billionaires row
(15:22):
skyscrapers. You can see the.
Plaza Hotel Plaza. Hotel like it's just kind of
this iconic view and right beneath it is woman rink.
So in the winter it's usually ice skating and in most summers
it's pickleball. So there's like good people
watching. Good spot for views.
Outside of that, not probably too worth your time, but the
last one on our list. Besides the Boathouse, this is
(15:45):
probably the second most iconic spot in Central Park for getting
a meal, and that is Tavern on the Green.
It is right on Central Park West, which is convenient
because you can get dropped off in a car right by the entrance.
So if you have mobility problemsor someone you're with can't do
a lot of walking, this is probably the easiest option in
regards to having a meal in Central Park.
(16:07):
Tavern on the Green was originally built in 1870 to
house the sheep that were grazing in Central Park Sheep
Meadow, which is right across the way.
And in 1934 they actually transformed it into a
restaurant. It's definitely the largest
restaurant in Central Park. Everyday they serve lunch and
dinner and they also have a weekend brunch.
It's definitely on the fancier side, similar to the boathouse.
(16:29):
This isn't somewhere you're probably going to come on a
whim. You're probably going to want a
reservation and you're going to plan on spending a little bit
more than you might usually. You're going to be in the $20
range for appetizers, 30 to $60.00 for entrees.
Again, it's not a cheap spot. It's a little bit higher and a
little bit more upscale, but a really good option for being in
there, especially in the summer.They have an outdoor seating
(16:52):
area where can be out kind of inthe ambiance of the park while
you have a phenomenal meal. The food here is absolutely
incredible. When I was researching the menu
for this podcast, I was remindedthat they have like caramelized
rack of lamb and lemon thyme chicken under a brick and they
also have caviar service. I don't really know what that
(17:14):
is, but it sounds fancy and expensive.
So if you're into caviar service, they have it here for
you. One nice part about Tavern on
the Green is they do participatein New York City's Restaurant
Week, which is usually twice a year, January slash February and
then again in July slash August.It's usually a prefixed menu
where you come and you spend forexample, $60.00 and that's going
to get you an appetizer, an entree and a dessert.
(17:37):
They do also have a happy hour here so you can check out their
happy hour food menu and discounted cocktails.
For wine, beer, cocktails, that's only available at the bar
counter or the lounges. But this really is a great spot
to come. We've we've been here a couple
times for special occasions and have always had a good
experience, good service, phenomenal food.
(17:58):
Just overall, it has this reallywhen you walk into the kind of
entryway, there's a gift shop right when you come in and then
there's this lounge area with this unique bar.
It it's a very cool, kind of just chic area.
I would say Viby. It's viby for sure.
This is my mom's favorite restaurant.
Every time she's in New York City, she wants to come here.
(18:18):
We've been here for several of her birthdays.
They do a really great job with special occasions.
Really fun, classy, quintessential New York spot.
And similar to the Boathouse, Tavern on the Green does have a
kind of to go area as well. So it's outside separate from
the restaurant, and it's closer to Sheet Meadow to the more
(18:38):
Parkside of Tavern on the Green.It's called Tavern to Go.
This is where all the locals come in the morning for coffee.
You'll see so many people comingup with their dogs, ordering a
coffee to go or sitting on some of the chairs that are out there
and just having a good start to their day in Central Park.
The barista that works here, I swear she's there like every
(18:58):
single day. But her name is Anna and she is
a absolute gem of a human and gives all of the dogs like
little tiny treats. When I order my coffee and she
gives it to me, there's always like a couple treats sitting on
top of the cup for me to give tomy dog.
So just like a very sweet local experience, but you will see so
many people coming here with their dogs for awfully showers.
(19:20):
And they also have some good premade like baked goods.
They sell beer and wine in the afternoon.
So again, a good spot to come and enjoy that kind of like
outdoor alfresco patio experience in the middle of
Central Park. So these are all the spots to
have a meal in Central Park. Whether you want something sit
down like the Boathouse or Tavern on the Green, you want
(19:42):
something that's can be to go orsit down experience like Le Pen
Que de Gen. or you just want a quick bite like something at the
Migrant Kitchen, there are plenty of options for you.
Like we mentioned, you've got togo to Central Park during your
trip to New York City. We have done so many episodes
about Central Park. If you go on our website
bettertogetherhere.com and just search Central Park or in our
(20:03):
menu, there's a a full menu itemabout Central Park.
We have so many different articles and information about
Central Park. It is.
Arguably our favorite part aboutthe city and it is worth
exploring and can be worth having a meal here as well.
If you have not already, one of the best ways you can help this
podcast get more exposure is by leaving us a review on Apple
Podcasts. Even if you listen on Spotify,
(20:24):
if you go to Apple Podcast and leave us a review for whatever
reason, it helps the algorithms pick it up.
If you haven't already, sign up for our
newsletterbettertogetherhere.comback slash newsletter.
We e-mail once a week with information like this that's
going to help make your New YorkCity experience better, more
enjoyable, less expensive, all those things that you care
about. And when you sign up, you get
access to our ultimate transportation guide and a
(20:47):
curated collection of Google Maps list.
So that's Better Together here.com back slash newsletter.
And other than that, we'll catchyou on the next episode, the
last song on this spring. Everyone, please leave the
spring. Thank you for watching.
Welcome to the Better Together Here podcasts with your host
Devin. And Ashley?
Helping you make the most of your time in New York City.
Hey everyone, and welcome to today's episode of the Better
Together Here podcast. My name is Devin.
My name is Ashley. In today's episode, we are going
to break down all of the spots you can eat at in Central Park.
Exploring Central Park should certainly be on your list of
(00:23):
things to do in New York City. It is a beautiful, massive park,
right dead smack in the middle of Manhattan, and we're going to
give you some options for where you can eat.
There'll be some fancy choices. Some casual spots.
Even some picnic options. We're going to give you all the
info you need, so let's get right into it.
Central Park is a huge park, andif you're going to walk around
(00:44):
Central Park, there's a high likelihood you're going to end
up hungry or thirsty, so we're going to help you out with all
that. Let us say that there are plenty
of amazing food options outside of the park.
But like Ashley said, sometimes you're in the park, you're
hungry, you're in a pinch, or you just want to experience the
ambience of eating in massive Central Park.
So let's start with a popular one that has multiple locations.
(01:05):
It is Le Pen Quito Gen. We are probably saying that
wrong. It means the Daily Bread in
French. It is a chain that is not based
in New York City but has many New York City locations.
Think of it as a pastries, sandwiches, coffees.
How else would you? Describe, grab and go, Yeah.
Pretty grab and go friendly, butstill some seating options at
(01:27):
both of the locations in CentralPark.
There are two locations for Le Pen Co de Gen. inside Central
Park. 1 is right by sheep Meadowand the other is right by the
Conservatory water closer to like the Upper East Side of
Manhattan. So both very conveniently
located and close to a lot of the spots that you're going to
want to see and walk around in like the bottom half of the
(01:47):
park. These are going to be really
convenient spots for you to go and grab a bite.
Both of these locations have grab and go options as well as
sit down areas with table service.
So if you want like something quick to grab and go, you can go
and get pastries or sandwiches or coffee or they also have
table service with more elaborate sit down meals.
The patios are also very dog friendly.
(02:08):
If you want to say hi to a dog, definitely can here on the
patio. And you might run into us.
We take Scout here to the Le Panquitogen from time to time.
Our yellow lab dog, Le Pan Quitogen, definitely known for
like Ashley said, kind of more grab and go pastries, the potato
breakfast sandwiches, some soups, comes with bread, really
fantastic coffee. We often get coffee here as
(02:29):
we're coming through the park. They also sell beer and wine, so
it's a nice spot for a drink in the warm weather.
Generally, both of these optionsare good locations to go and
have a quick meal, which leads us also to the Ball Fields cafes
or what's called the migrant kitchen.
So this is on the north side of Heckscher Ball Fields.
This is probably the closest place to eat if you're coming
(02:51):
from the bottom end or the Southend of the park.
So for example, if you came up three times, you walked up from
Times Square into the park. This would be only a roughly 10
or so minute walk from the entrance of the park to this
spot. As the name implies, it is right
next to ball fields. This is definitely a spot where
you could go grab some food and then watch a bunch of adult men
that are way too into their softball leagues and take it way
(03:14):
too seriously. That's pretty entertaining to
watch. The name the Migrant Kitchen, so
it also has a location on the Upper West Side and kind of
their mission is that portions of every meal purchased go
towards providing meals to New Yorkers in need.
And they've served over 4 million meals to food insecure
communities across New York City.
So by eating here you are helping a good 'cause as well.
(03:35):
Their regular menu has things like hamburgers, hot dogs,
salads, like think you're kind of classic ball field type
foods, but a little bit stepped up from that kind of allowing
you to have that experience. Like when you were a kid and
you'd go and you'd have to watchyour, your brother, your sister
in a baseball tournament. And there's the snack shack that
has all the things you just keepgoing back to and you're bored
(03:56):
all day long, but luckily there's some good place to get
pretzels and ice cream. Like it's that vibe, but
slightly better, slightly more elevated than that.
One of my favorite things to eatthere is that they have a really
great crispy chicken wrap. It comes with like this feta,
garlic whip and really great crispy chicken and Pickles.
And I also really like their harvest lemonade.
(04:17):
It has like cardamom and ginger in it.
Highly recommend. Not your standard lemonade.
So a great spot close to the bottom of the park next to some
ball fields that you can have a nice viewing experience while
you eat. And that leads us to this
episodes New York know how. All right, escalator etiquette.
(04:38):
Here's the thing outside of New York City and a lot of places
around the United States and in the world in general, one of the
main times you're riding an escalator is when you're at a
mall. I feel like in my mind, like in
the suburbs, like if you're on an escalator, you're probably
inside of a mall, right? Yeah, where else would you have
an escalator? I mean it's often in malls, like
not a ton of places mostly. Malls for sure.
(05:00):
And when you're in a mall, it's leisurely.
People are there, they're shopping, they're having a good
time, they're relaxed, they're having a good vibe.
Escalators are different in New York City.
So again, this is from New York City basic tips and etiquette.
This is #113 and it's got a picture of a man, like dressed
kind of as a weather man, like he's reading the weather.
And it says today's escalator forecast, folks.
Unfortunately, chances are that some fully developed
(05:21):
obliviousness may slow down yourcommute today.
And it's got a picture of a guy standing on the left side on his
phone, distracted. So escalators in New York City,
you'll end up on more escalatorsthan you expect, often in train
or subway stations. Not all of them, but many of
them have it. And here's is the way that
escalator etiquette works. If you're just going to stand
there and ride the escalator andenjoy the amazing technology of
(05:44):
not having to step upstairs, youstand on the right.
But if you're in a rush and you need to get somewhere quickly,
it is the etiquette that the left side stays open for people
to walk. And when we all follow this
simple etiquette makes everyone's lives a lot easier.
I feel like this is like a standard rule just with like
existing that most people know. But if one person forgets it
(06:06):
really throws things off. Like if one person is standing
on the left side and I'm late for work, I get super irritated
because again, like we've talkedabout with commuting in New York
City and like our sidewalk rulesepisode, the sidewalks, the
escalators, the streets, this ishow people are commuting to
work. So it's basically the equivalent
of like someone being in the fast lane and just stopping.
(06:26):
That's what happens when you pull over to the left side of an
escalator. So just move her to over to the
right. Help someone get to work on
time. So that's this episode's New
York know how. Stand on the right side of
escalators and walk up the left.OK, back to places to eat in
Central Park, all right. Arguably the most famous and
(06:47):
iconic spot in Central Park whenit comes to eating is the
Central Park boathouse. The Central Park boathouse has
been in New York City, Laura forquite a long time.
It's featured in tons of movies and and shows including Sex and
the City, 27 Dresses. When Harry Met Sally, we were
just watching an SNL skit that was supposed to be based at the
(07:08):
Boathouse. You've probably seen it.
There's a a pond area that surrounds it.
It's this beautiful white building right smack dab in the
middle of Central Park. The Boathouse is as many people
as a quintessential Central Park.
The Boathouse has like kind of like typical American type
cuisine and I would say it's more of like a splurge
(07:28):
restaurant. You're going to be paying about
$20 or so for starters and about30 to $60.00 per entree.
And as far as like cocktails areconcerned, you're going to be
looking at like 19 to $22.00. So it's definitely a more
expensive experience, but again,you're paying for that kind of
like quintessential New York experience.
(07:49):
The ambiance is absolutely beautiful.
It overlooks like this huge lakein Central Park and you can
watch people on these little rowboats and you can see like ducks
going by. It's just like a very cute, laid
back, fancier dining experience.There's like the interior of
Central Park Boathouse, but thenthey have this kind of outdoor
(08:12):
patio area that when the weatheris nice, it's completely open
and you're kind of like right upthere against the lake.
But when the weather is bad, it has these nice full like ceiling
to floor glass doors, windows that you can see out of still.
The best is if you can be there when the weather is nice.
We had an amazing experience forone of our anniversaries where
(08:34):
we came to the boathouse as we were walking.
It's sunny, it's warm, it's like75° end of April feeling
amazing. We got to, we're sitting out on
the kind of patio area, the doors are open, so it's
completely exposed out to the city and you kind of just see
these dark clouds start rolling in.
As Ashley mentioned, there's allthe people who are on the
(08:54):
rowboat. So if you've seen pictures or
videos of people on row boats inCentral Park, this is where it's
happening. And we see these dark clouds
rolling in. And you can kind of see the
panic starting to set in for some of these people.
And it within minutes just starts pouring rain, Absolutely
pouring. It went from bright, sunny,
beautiful spring day to absolutedownpour.
(09:15):
And these poor people. But for our perspective, eating
a nice meal, it was so funny. It was hilarious.
You've got people trying to cover their heads with magazines
and their shoe. I mean, it was just, it was a
complete downpour and these people just rowing as fast as
they physically could on these row boats.
(09:36):
It was pretty hilarious. Absolutely brutal experience
because I'm sure when they started it was like 75° and
sunny, clear blue skies. And then they're like, oh, let's
go on a romantic rowboat ride inCentral Park.
And then just to go zero to 100 with rain.
It was very entertaining to be covered.
Great people watching. Great people watching.
(09:56):
So that's the Central Park boathouse.
It's like we mentioned, definitely more fancy
tablecloths. You don't want to come in
wearing gym shorts and a tank top.
You probably want to be dressed up just a little bit more for
this. It's a fun experience.
It's something you might only doonce in your life, so approach
it that way. If you are going to go to the
Boathouse restaurant, I just want to make a quick note that
(10:17):
normal cars cannot drive up to the Boathouse, so just plan on a
little bit of a walk. If you want to come from the
Upper East Side, that is the shortest walk.
If you come from 5th Ave. and 72nd St. it's about a 5 minute
walk if you're dropped off in a cab.
However, if you're going to comefrom the bottom part of the
park, roughly 50 9th St. and 7thAve. where those streets
(10:39):
intersect, that's like the bottom of Central Park, it's
going to be a 20 minute walk just for you to get to the
Boathouse. So don't let that discourage
you, but plan on commute time and walking time to get there
leisurely. And if you do show up and maybe
they don't have a reservation, luckily right next door there is
Central Park Boathouse Cafe. It's actually kind of connected
to it. It's on the front side.
(11:00):
It's definitely more casual walkup counter.
They have some outdoor seating. You can get breakfast
sandwiches, pastries, sandwiches, salads, hot dogs,
hamburgers, kind of just your standard Cafe fare.
And they also sell beer, wine and cocktails.
So it's a nice place where you can still kind of be near the
ambiance of the boathouse, not as fancy, not as expensive, and
(11:20):
you're still kind of eating a nice meal in the heart of
Central Park. I recently went here in the
morning with my nephew when my family was in town and we both
got bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches on the
Kaiser roll and it was really really good.
I also highly recommend their drip coffee and their
cappuccinos. I will say one time I had their
iced coffee and it was pretty bad if I'm being honest.
(11:42):
So I wouldn't get their iced coffee.
That's just my personal recommendation, but their drip
coffee is solid. I would say if you want coffee
in Central Park you go to Libyancontigen over any other option.
I would agree or. Tavern one that we'll cover
later. Yeah, we'll get there.
The next option is to have a picnic in Central Park.
You don't need to find a specific picnic spot.
Yes, there are some benches in the park, they're scattered
(12:06):
throughout, but really you can go just about anywhere in
Central Park. Bring some food with you, plop
down on the grass or on a rock or on a bench and just enjoy a
meal in the beauty and ambiance that is Central Park.
There are lots of great options for foods to bring in.
We've always loved getting a pizza and bringing it in, bring
it in sandwiches, really anywhere.
(12:27):
It's so nice to just grab a quick bite from somewhere, walk
a few feet into the park, sit down on a bench, and have a very
nice relaxing picnic. Which leads us to this episode,
so you'll have to check it out. The next stop is Lenwich.
Lenwich is a phenomenal sandwichspot.
They have locations all across Manhattan, but they do have one
(12:49):
that is pretty close to the park.
It's on 55th St. and 8th Ave. less than a 5 minute walk to the
park and they have great sandwiches.
We love Lenwich. Lenwich is basically like your
old faithful, reliable breakfastand lunch spot in New York City.
This is where a good chunk of the New Yorkers go out to eat
(13:12):
when they're looking for like lunch in the middle of the day
and lunch in the middle of the work day.
Specifically. I would say like at least a
couple of my Co workers every day are going to Lynn Witch for
lunch. And they're big sandwiches too.
So like if you're if you're withone other person, you could
definitely split a sandwich or if you are by yourself, you
could get extremely full or haveleftovers like it.
It's a good Hardy sandwich, pretty fresh ingredients, a wide
(13:36):
variety of options. We've really liked the their
Italian sandwich is very good and then Ashley really likes
their Caesar wrap. Their chicken Caesar wrap is
super famous, it's probably the most popular thing on the entire
menu and occasionally they have a spicy Caesar wrap option where
they put like fresh jalapenos and the Caesar dressing is spicy
(13:56):
so I recommend that if they haveit on the menu.
So this is a great option to grab a sandwich from Lenwich,
take it into the park and enjoy a nice little picnic with a
language sandwich. So that's this episode.
You'll have to check it out. Dan, clear of the closing.
All right, back to the last couple spots to eat in Central
(14:17):
Park. One that we're going to give a
quick mention to is Melba's Cafe.
It's by Wolman Rink, which is very actually, I misspoke.
These are probably about equidistance from the bottom of
the park, this and the migrant kitchen.
But Melba's Cafe, it's not great.
It's not somewhere I would like search out for getting food.
All these other options I think are actually really good spots
(14:38):
to grab a quick bite. Melba's Cafe.
I would probably learn more towards getting like a dessert
or a coffee or a lemonade or a beer or wine.
Just something that's a little simpler or prepackaged.
Like the food itself is mediocreand a bit overpriced.
To me, it seems more like a snack bar.
Like they sell a lot of like, prepackaged ice cream bars and
(14:59):
like, French fries. I wouldn't necessarily go here
for like a full meal. Yeah, agreed.
But if you're like walking by and you want a snack or you want
like a beer, pop in. Well, and it's it's nice too,
because where it is, there are maybe a a dozen good picnic
benches and you have this unbelievable view of the Midtown
skyline where you can see some of the billionaires row
(15:22):
skyscrapers. You can see the.
Plaza Hotel Plaza. Hotel like it's just kind of
this iconic view and right beneath it is woman rink.
So in the winter it's usually ice skating and in most summers
it's pickleball. So there's like good people
watching. Good spot for views.
Outside of that, not probably too worth your time, but the
last one on our list. Besides the Boathouse, this is
(15:45):
probably the second most iconic spot in Central Park for getting
a meal, and that is Tavern on the Green.
It is right on Central Park West, which is convenient
because you can get dropped off in a car right by the entrance.
So if you have mobility problemsor someone you're with can't do
a lot of walking, this is probably the easiest option in
regards to having a meal in Central Park.
(16:07):
Tavern on the Green was originally built in 1870 to
house the sheep that were grazing in Central Park Sheep
Meadow, which is right across the way.
And in 1934 they actually transformed it into a
restaurant. It's definitely the largest
restaurant in Central Park. Everyday they serve lunch and
dinner and they also have a weekend brunch.
It's definitely on the fancier side, similar to the boathouse.
(16:29):
This isn't somewhere you're probably going to come on a
whim. You're probably going to want a
reservation and you're going to plan on spending a little bit
more than you might usually. You're going to be in the $20
range for appetizers, 30 to $60.00 for entrees.
Again, it's not a cheap spot. It's a little bit higher and a
little bit more upscale, but a really good option for being in
there, especially in the summer.They have an outdoor seating
(16:52):
area where can be out kind of inthe ambiance of the park while
you have a phenomenal meal. The food here is absolutely
incredible. When I was researching the menu
for this podcast, I was remindedthat they have like caramelized
rack of lamb and lemon thyme chicken under a brick and they
also have caviar service. I don't really know what that
(17:14):
is, but it sounds fancy and expensive.
So if you're into caviar service, they have it here for
you. One nice part about Tavern on
the Green is they do participatein New York City's Restaurant
Week, which is usually twice a year, January slash February and
then again in July slash August.It's usually a prefixed menu
where you come and you spend forexample, $60.00 and that's going
to get you an appetizer, an entree and a dessert.
(17:37):
They do also have a happy hour here so you can check out their
happy hour food menu and discounted cocktails.
For wine, beer, cocktails, that's only available at the bar
counter or the lounges. But this really is a great spot
to come. We've we've been here a couple
times for special occasions and have always had a good
experience, good service, phenomenal food.
(17:58):
Just overall, it has this reallywhen you walk into the kind of
entryway, there's a gift shop right when you come in and then
there's this lounge area with this unique bar.
It it's a very cool, kind of just chic area.
I would say Viby. It's viby for sure.
This is my mom's favorite restaurant.
Every time she's in New York City, she wants to come here.
(18:18):
We've been here for several of her birthdays.
They do a really great job with special occasions.
Really fun, classy, quintessential New York spot.
And similar to the Boathouse, Tavern on the Green does have a
kind of to go area as well. So it's outside separate from
the restaurant, and it's closer to Sheet Meadow to the more
(18:38):
Parkside of Tavern on the Green.It's called Tavern to Go.
This is where all the locals come in the morning for coffee.
You'll see so many people comingup with their dogs, ordering a
coffee to go or sitting on some of the chairs that are out there
and just having a good start to their day in Central Park.
The barista that works here, I swear she's there like every
(18:58):
single day. But her name is Anna and she is
a absolute gem of a human and gives all of the dogs like
little tiny treats. When I order my coffee and she
gives it to me, there's always like a couple treats sitting on
top of the cup for me to give tomy dog.
So just like a very sweet local experience, but you will see so
many people coming here with their dogs for awfully showers.
(19:20):
And they also have some good premade like baked goods.
They sell beer and wine in the afternoon.
So again, a good spot to come and enjoy that kind of like
outdoor alfresco patio experience in the middle of
Central Park. So these are all the spots to
have a meal in Central Park. Whether you want something sit
down like the Boathouse or Tavern on the Green, you want
(19:42):
something that's can be to go orsit down experience like Le Pen
Que de Gen. or you just want a quick bite like something at the
Migrant Kitchen, there are plenty of options for you.
Like we mentioned, you've got togo to Central Park during your
trip to New York City. We have done so many episodes
about Central Park. If you go on our website
bettertogetherhere.com and just search Central Park or in our
(20:03):
menu, there's a a full menu itemabout Central Park.
We have so many different articles and information about
Central Park. It is.
Arguably our favorite part aboutthe city and it is worth
exploring and can be worth having a meal here as well.
If you have not already, one of the best ways you can help this
podcast get more exposure is by leaving us a review on Apple
Podcasts. Even if you listen on Spotify,
(20:24):
if you go to Apple Podcast and leave us a review for whatever
reason, it helps the algorithms pick it up.
If you haven't already, sign up for our
newsletterbettertogetherhere.comback slash newsletter.
We e-mail once a week with information like this that's
going to help make your New YorkCity experience better, more
enjoyable, less expensive, all those things that you care
about. And when you sign up, you get
access to our ultimate transportation guide and a
(20:47):
curated collection of Google Maps list.
So that's Better Together here.com back slash newsletter.
And other than that, we'll catchyou on the next episode, the
last song on this spring. Everyone, please leave the
spring. Thank you for watching.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Iâm Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and Iâm so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood youâre able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and lifeâs ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them weâve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I donât take it for granted â click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I canât wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.