Photos courtesy of Angel Mendoza/Open Plans
A weeklong celebration of outdoor dining in NYC kicks off Friday, offering discounts and specials at participating restaurants while also renewing calls for reforms to New York City’s al fresco dining program. Running from September 5 to 12, Curbside Dining Restaurant Week features deals at more than 35 restaurants across the five boroughs. The event aims to support local businesses while also pushing for changes to Dining Out NYC, the city’s outdoor dining program, like making the program year-round.
Sara Lind, co-executive director of Open Plans, celebrated Curbside Dining Restaurant Week and urged city officials to make the program more flexible.
“New Yorkers are hungry for vibrant public space; the immediate success of curbside dining proved that,” Lind said. “But today, the program is floundering. Our restaurant week is a demonstration and celebration of how curb space can serve people, not just parked cars.”
“Business owners have poured their hearts, souls, time, and money into the curbside dining program—but it has become too burdensome. City leaders must make curbside dining year-round, flexible, and equitable so that it truly supports small businesses and reflects the diverse, dynamic energy of this city.”
To restore the program to its former scale, Open Plans is urging city officials to allow year-round curbside dining, simplify and lower fees, set flexible and clear design guidelines, incorporate local input without delay, streamline applications, and expand the program in underserved neighborhoods.
Today, the number of curbside dining setups is much lower compared to the peak in the pandemic. Small business owners cite the program’s seasonal format, costs, and complexity as the biggest barriers to participation.
In August 2024, the Daily News reported that only 2,500 restaurants—about 15 percent of the roughly 13,000 that once offered outdoor dining—had applied to keep their al fresco setups, an 80 percent drop.
But when the City Council approved a permanent seasonal outdoor dining program in 2023, stricter rules made it harder for many restaurants to participate. Under the new guidelines, restaurants are required to disassemble and store dining structures in the winter, pay new fees, and follow specific design standards.
The city’s curbside dining program began during the Covid-19 pandemic, quickly becoming a lifeline for restaurants unable to seat patrons indoors. It helped many eateries stay afloat and soon became a beloved fixture of New York’s culinary scene, reimagining sidewalks and curb lanes as places for dining and connection.
“New York City’s restaurant scene survived and flourished because of outdoor dining—yet each summer, fewer and fewer restaurants are able to offer it,” City Comptroller Brad Lander said. “With Curbside Restaurant week, restaurant owners, patrons, and neighbors can all see how outdoor dining adds to the vibrancy of their communities.”
“We need to streamline the permitting process and allow for year-round outdoor dining, because New York restaurant goers deserve every week to be Curbside Dining Restaurant Week.”
Learn more about Curbside Restaurant Week and participating businesses here.
A full list of participating restaurants and deals offered can be found below:
Manhattan
- Ray’s | 177 Chrystie Street
15 percent off the entire bill - The Mansion | 1634 York Avenue
20 percent off bill - Bar Italia | 768 Madison Avenue
10 percent off the entire bill with mention of Curbside Dining Restaurant Week - The Grand Feast | 854 Amsterdam Avenue
First round of beer is free - Orsay | 1057 Lexington Avenue
10 percent off the entire bill with mention of Curbside Dining Restaurant Week - Mamazul Mexican Grill | 1155 Broadway
15 percent off the entire bill - Bazár Tapas Bar | 31 West 26th Street
15 percent off the entire bill - La Goulue | 29 East 61st Street
10 percent off the entire bill with mention of Curbside Dining Restaurant week - Le Rivage | 340 West 46th Street
10 percent off the entire bill for diners who show the Curbside Dining Restaurant Week graphic to server - East Harlem Bottling Company | 1711 Lexington Avenue
Free Narragansett Lager on draft or soft drink with purchase; limit one offer per customer - Atla | 372 Lafayette Street
Free classic or mezcal margarita with the purchase of guacamole - Anejo Tribeca | 301 Church Street
Complimentary order of chips and salsa - Honey’s Ice Cream by Bear Donut | 40 West 31st Street
Free topping
Queens
- The Barn Coffee Shop | 26-08 Hoyt Avenue South
10 percent off the entire bill - The Queensboro | 80-02 Northern Boulevard
Two-for-one beers and house cocktails - DiWine Natural Wine Bar & Restaurant | 41-15 31st Ave
10 percent off all wine by the bottle - Sean Og’s Tavern | 60-06 Woodside Ave, Queens
$35 prix fixe Curbside Dining Restaurant Week menu - Soleluna | 4001 Queens Boulevard, Sunnyside
Complimentary dessert - Mercato LIC | 47-46 Vernon Boulevard, Queens
Complimentary focaccia bread
Brooklyn
- Someday Bar | 364 Atlantic Avenue
$3 Dirty Water Hard Seltzer, $3 HOP WTR - Postmark Cafe | 326 6th Street
15 percent off the entire bill - Judy’s | 4022 5th Avenue
$1 beer and wine by the glass - Colonie | 127 Atlantic Avenue
10 percent off the entire bill - Threes Brewing – Gowanus | 333 Douglass Street
10 percent off beverage bill - Threes Brewing – Greenpoint | 113 Franklin Street
10 percent off beverage bill - Bar Basic | 71 7th Avenue
Free Aperol spritz with the order of a sandwich or entree - IXV Coffee | 497 Pacific Street
10 percent off the entire bill - Beepublic | 181 Front Street
15 percent off the total bill - The Beer Garage | 148 5th Avenue
Buy one round, get the second one free - Cafe Grumpy – Park Slope | 383 7th Avenue
15 percent off the entire bill - Oh Boy | 84 Havemeyer Street
Oh Boy Burger and a glass of natural wine for $16 - Bar56 | 53 Water Street
Complimentary glass of bubbly with any food purchase - Cafe Paulette | 1 South Elliott Place
Complimentary crème brûlée for two with order of two dinner meals - Osteria Radisa | 241 Smith Street
Complimentary housemade limoncello with dessert order - Aita Restaurant | 132 Greene Avenue
Complimentary housemade limoncello with dessert order
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