Top 5: Spots for a Drink Around Central Park

Nothing goes together quite like a cocktail and the great outdoors. So, if you’re visiting the best outdoor space in New York City, a.k.a. Central Park, where can a traveler expect to find a good drink?

Kerbs Boathouse

Grab a table if you can on the crowded terrace right next to Central Park’s famous model boat pond. You can watch the kids and families steer their model boats across the same pond where Stuart Little claimed his boating victory as you sip on a mimosa from the refreshment stand inside the boathouse.

The Loeb Boathouse

If you prefer to watch real boats to the model version (or rather, tourists attempting to row badly across the pond in said boats) head to The Loeb Boathouse. You can sit in the outside bar and very much enjoy the fact you’re sipping on a cold cocktail while the other park-goers are stuck out in the sun.

Ballfields Cafe

If hot dogs and beer are more your style, Ballfields Cafe delivers. It’s located on the edge of the Heckscher Ballfields and also nearby the Central Park Carousel. The café sits on the site of the original ballplayer house, basically a locker room for 19th-century visitors to the field.

Tavern on the Green

For a lovely lunch date in an iconic spot, Tavern on the Green is a smart pick. The restaurant’s building was constructed in the 1880s to house 700 sheep that resided in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow. It found new life as a restaurant in 1934. The bar menu changes seasonally, but you can expect high-end classic cocktails and variants thereof.

Sheep Meadow

Finally, if you’re more of the BYOB type, Sheep Meadow is right across the street and filled with sunbathers and picnickers on any nice day. Pick up your favorite bottle of wine, not a difficult task in the city, and bring a blanket so you can claim your space. Just be discrete or you’ll ruin the fun for everyone