Docked near the southern end of Brooklyn Bridge Park, Pilot’s as romantic as postcards between sweethearts, impromptu slow dances and amicable prenups. The 147-foot, 1920s schooner looks out on the East River and lower Manhattan skyline, beckoning guests with the cheery yellow and white over its long, U-shaped bar. Oysters, $69 caviar service, seafood-forward entrées and cocktails, wine and beer are all on the menu.
Like New York City’s best waterfront restaurants, our area’s finest water-top spots are an easier, breezy way to bottle a few drops of the yachting lifestyle without the high price and pesky barnacles that stow away on an actual watercraft. Mostly only open seasonally, they’re peak spring and summer destinations with the warm weather menus to match, all with a side of the sea. There are also a relative few across the five boroughs’ greater eating and drinking landscape but those selected here will rise the tide for all your going out plans right now.