Sometimes I go out by myself and I look across the water. (Someone write that down, could be a good lyric.) And I prefer to do it with something good to eat. Lest you forget this city is surrounded by bodies of water — mostly ones that I wouldn’t enter with an open wound, no offense to the East River — eating with a waterfront view is an easily achievable summer activity. Here are a few places to do just that.
Fried seafood on the Sound
City Island is one of those areas that feels like you’re in a different part of the world entirely. Technically it’s a neighborhood in the Bronx, but spiritually it’s its own state, a 1.5-mile-long island that is sort of Cape Cod-ish. At the very far end of the island is Johnny’s Reef, a fried seafood mecca leaning over the edge of the Long Island Sound that feels like a school cafeteria that’s been untouched since the 70s.
Here’s how it works: Get in the booze line first and then, with a frozen piña colada in hand, head to the food line, order a bunch of fried shrimp, clams and squid, all served with fries and coleslaw. Once you get your big, beige bundle of joy, head outside to one of the blue picnic tables and get into it.
2 City Island Avenue, Bronx
Beachfront pelmeni at the club
My perfect summer day pipeline: Riding the Thunderbolt a handful of times at Coney Island (plus some frozen margaritas), then a stroll on the sand to Tatiana Restaurant in Brighton Beach. Boy, do I adore this place — it’s part beachside Russian restaurant, part live dance performance, part nightclub. You should go on a Saturday night, sit by the beach for a drink, then move inside at 9-ish for dinner and the show. The menu (herring, khachapuri, pelmeni and vareniki) is all perfectly fine, but a means to an end: a Russian dance performance that keeps going and going, followed by a cover band that encourages everyone to abandon their tables for the dance floor
There are some mysterious elements to note: The show sometimes happens on a Friday, too, sometimes also on a Sunday, so call to check. They always charge a cover to go inside for dinner when there’s a show; they’ll sometimes ask for a minimum spend, too, which I’ve found to be negotiable. It’s all part of the experience.
3152 Brighton 6th Street, Brooklyn
Governors Island is for day-drinking
Governors Island is my new hyperfixation. I took the ferry there recently with my mom and we were so perplexed by the scene, we had to sit down and read the entire Wikipedia page before continuing on. (Short version: The island, where nobody can legally live, was passed around between the federal, state and city governments for years, nobody being able to figure out what exactly to do with it. Now it’s owned by a trust, and home to a maritime-themed public high school.)
A good place to read that Wiki page is on a bar stool at Island Oyster with a plate of fries, a dozen oysters and a gin and tonic, ideally at (*checks watch*) 11:30 a.m. There are about a million stools at the bar with a perfect view of Lower Manhattan, and more seating at picnic tables, so it never feels as chaotic as, say, those Manhattan boat restaurants on the Hudson. And you don’t have to go hunting for Island Oyster: If you’re taking the ferry from Wall Street, you’ll be deposited right next to the bar, ready to take in the views.
146 Carder Road, Brooklyn
Read past editions of the newsletter here.
If you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please consider recommending it to others. They can sign up here.
Have feedback? Send us a note at wheretoeat@nytimes.com.
Follow NYT Food on TikTok and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest.
