3 FUN PLACES TO TRY THIS WEEKEND

All summer long, we’ll be recommending where to eat and drink to take advantage of a New York summer weekend, including great patios, one-time pop-ups, and easy day trips, updated every Friday. Have a pick for us to include? Let us know at [email protected].

Nick’s Lobster House: Located at the tail end of Flatbush Avenue among the canals and hummocks of Marine Park, Nick’s is a facsimile Maine lobster pound, of the kind where you can point to the lobster you want and they’ll steam it for you and serve it with fries, slaw, and corn on the cob, with plenty of drawn butter. There’s a deck outside, too, for fine weather, giving views of Mill Basin across an arm of Jamaica Bay, where pleasure boats and even the occasional lobster boat passes by. 2777 Flatbush Avenue, beyond Avenue V, Marine Park

Oti: The Romanian-inspired restaurant in the Lower East Side now has a backyard patio, which is available to book on Tock. The European wines are fantastically refreshing — the team will happily offer a tasting — and pair well with the dip-heavy menu, including broken burrata, zakuska (an eggplant dip), and roasted red peppers. Go for drinks and small plates for a pre-dinner appetizer, or order the entire menu and stay awhile. Either way, there’s no shortage of nearby stops if you’d like to keep the evening going. 40 Clinton Street, between Stanton and Rivington, Lower East Side

Village Cafe: If you’re looking for something you can only find in New York, ride the Q train south and hop off right before the end of the line. That’s where you’ll find Village Cafe, one of the 100 best restaurants in the city right now. The Azerbaijani restaurant looks a bit like a tiny home: It sits at the back of a parking lot next to a liquor store run by the same owners. The premises may be small but the plates of grilled meat are huge. The must orders: lulya kebabs, made with chicken or lamb, and the guru hingal, a pasta dish covered in crunchy, fried lamb. 1968 Coney Island Avenue, near Avenue P, Midwood

2024-06-14T13:19:29Z