Tavern on the Green and Loeb Boathouse – the Central Park cuisine icons

Central Park has quite the something to offer when it comes to food – there are several amazing cafes and restaurants inside the park, where you can get great coffee and delicious lunch. Manhattan, especially the area around the park that can provide some amazing views to Central Park, is the home of some of the best restaurants in the whole world. Also, you can find virtually any type of cuisine, no matter what your tummy desires.

However, there are two iconic places that cannot be matched purely as experience – the Tavern on the Green, and the Loeb Boathouse. With their amazing locations, rich history and relaxed atmosphere, they are favorite to both guests of NYC and locals.

Tavern on the Green

Fun fact – from 1870 to 1934, Tavern on the Green was a sheepfold. The sheep were used to add authenticity and charm to Sheep Meadow. The then-sheepfold was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould.

On August 28, 2009, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation declined to renew the restaurant license and on October 15, 2010 the Tavern on the Green was reopened as a visitor center. In February, 2012, city authority held a walk for potential investors, and the new owners were to be announced. Since the grand opening in May 13, 2014, the Tavern on the Green “returned” as a restaurant.

The menu is classy and rich, with great offers for weekend brunch, lunch and dinner. The kitchen specializes in healthy, yet very delicious food. You can find dishes like Organic Scottish Salmon, Roasted Organic Chicken, and Assorted Grilled Vegetables – all tasty and good for your health. It’s pretty much the same with the lunch menu, along with some amazing salads, and sandwiches.

The design of the place is very classy. Through the ages, Tavern of the Green has gone through numerous renovations. Today, it is classy in a somewhat casual manner, with a design carrying a notion of the old sheepfold days.

Loeb Boathouse

For more than 150 years, Loeb Boathouse was, still is, and will forever be one of the most romantic places in the park, and a preferred date spot. In the 1860, boating on The Lake became vastly popular. This required the building of its own boathouse. Calvert Vaux took design up on himself and in 1872, the first boathouse was opened. It was a two-story Victorian-styled building that was replaced by a rustic cottage in 1924. It was replaced in turn in 1954, when philanthropist Carl M. Loeb donated $305,000 for the building that we know today (and thus – the name).

Today, the Loeb Boathouse accommodates a boathouse, a restaurant, an outside bar, and an express café. You can get brunch and lunch in the restaurant, where you can pick from appetizers, main course, and sides. We recommend the iconic Boathouse Breakfast – a restaurant’s special. Or Roasted Salmon with Lemon Crumbs for lunch. Additionally, you can get sandwiches, toasts, bowls and salads in the bar and the café. The bar has a great cocktail list, along with some great wines and hard liquor. The café offers hot beverages, beer, and wine.

A fun fact about the Loeb Boathouse is the only restaurant in Manhattan next to an open lake. The atmosphere is amazing, with a lot of open spaces, where you can enjoy The Lake and Central Park.

Gastronomes say – there is no better way to feel a place than its cuisine. So, if you want to “taste” Central Park, the Tavern on the Green and the Loeb Boathouse are your best options. Nothing carries the essence of Central Park by these two. They simply manage to put the park into their dishes.