The first full-fledged restaurant to ever open on Governors Island will close this year. Island Oyster opened its doors in 2017 and became a summer destination for seafood, island-inspired cocktails, and stunning skyline views. This week the Trust for Governors Island issued a request for proposals seeking a new seasonal food and beverage operator for the 32,000-square-foot waterfront starting in 2026. The James Beard award-nominated Island Oyster will operate one final season before ending its run on October 31, 2025.
The site is just steps from the Governors Island ferry terminal and offers unobstructed views of Lower Manhattan and the New York Harbor. According to the RFP, the Trust is looking for proposals for “seasonal food and beverage service with substantial dine-in and take-away options,” with an approachable concept” that would appeal to the island’s diverse visitors.
The restaurant will be fully electric; the Trust wants the operator to consider sustainability for menu items and build-out materials. Proposals should include programs to improve visitor experiences, like small-scale live performances, games, and other group-friendly amenities.
The site will be delivered vacant with the option to buy existing furniture and equipment from Island Oyster. The oyster bar was operated by Crew, a hospitality group led by Alex and Miles Pincus that runs other maritime-inspired venues in the city, like bar/oyster boats Grand Banks and Pilot.
“With this opportunity, we are hoping to attract all kinds of creative, diverse proposals that support the needs of our nearly one million annual visitors,” Clare Newman, President & CEO of The Trust for Governors Island, said.
“This is an exciting chance to enliven a one-of-a-kind space—complete with some of the most sensational views the Island has to offer—into an iconic outdoor culinary destination, and we look forward to hearing from our applicants.”
Proposals will be accepted through Friday, May 2, 2025.
The new waterfront restaurant will join a new year-round concept introduced by the Trust last year. The team behind longtime Governors Island vendor Tacos Vista will run three distinct venues in Building 140, a historic Romanesque-Revial structure that once served as a munitions warehouse.
Priscilla’s will be a year-round cafe, The Riverline will be an indoor-outdoor full-service restaurant with Mediterranean-inspired dishes and special event spaces, and Taco Vista will operate out of a new restaurant and expanded outdoor area.
The project includes a restoration of the historic building by SHoP Architects.
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