Your NYC Guide To A Perfect Summer Picnic
Your guide to a perfect summer picnic
Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco
Tasting Table is here to make all your summer picnicking needs a breeze. Below, our 10 favorite spots for picnic provisions, and the perfect park to match.
| PARK | PICNIC PLAN |
| Central Park, West | Ring or email (telepan2@verizon.net) the impeccably local Telepan by 5 p.m. the day prior to your picnic, and the restaurant will curate a three-course feast to go ($21 per basket). Choose from fried chicken, farro tabbouleh, spicy coleslaw, red velvet cupcakes, a blueberry pie crescent and more. |
| Central Park, South West | If French daintiness is what you seek, head to Daniel Boulud's emporium, Épicerie Boulud. Visit each of the market's counters to load up on Thai-lime gaufrettes (waffle chips), duck-and-fig terrine in a pastry crust, rotisserie chicken Cobb salad and dulce de leche éclairs. |
| Prospect Park |
Bklyn Larder, the Franny's offshoot, is close enough to Prospect Park that you might successfully lug a pint of the shop's famous chocolate sorbetto to the lawn before it melts. If you don't want to chance it, pick up a chicken salad with almonds and spicy raisins, and thick slabs of buttermilk cake. |
| McCarren Park | Stop in to Urban Rustic for a spread of fresh juices, monster Philly cheesteaks with horseradish mayo and, for dessert, chocolate-walnut fudge brownies. If you've forgotten a crucial element of your feast, Urban Rustic's cart–located at the intersection of Union and Driggs–is stocked with bacon bratwurst, fresh lemonade and iced coffee. |
| Tompkins Square Park | Pack a Southern spread of fried chicken, collard greens, and baked mac and cheese from Bobwhite Lunch & Supper Counter. The secret to the sweet-salty crunch of the chicken here is an overnight brine in sweet tea (which you can also grab as a refreshment). For ultimate ease, place an order online. |
| Flushing Meadows Corona Park | Nothing says "picnic" like cumin-spiced lamb burgers and spicy lamb-face salad–all found at Xi'an Famous Foods. Pick up a to-go order of sour-spicy-zesty goodness, and then head to the sprawling meadows of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Make sure to visit the Unisphere, a massive globe created for the 1964 World's Fair. |
| Madison Square Park | If braving the lines at Shake Shack's mothership isn't in your future, try your luck at Eataly instead. The counters at Mario Batali's Italian wonderland heave with wispy-thin prosciutto, serious breads, all manner of cheeses and dreamy produce. You can even take home a pack of fresh pasta for later. |
| Brooklyn Bridge Park | Hit Sahadi's, a Middle Eastern grocer, for a mezze spread of epic proportions. Take your tub of hummus, cheese pies and twangy sheep's-milk feta to Brooklyn Bridge Park, where the piers are spacious, and the views of Downtown Manhattan are even better. |
| Washington Square Park | If it's at Murray's Cheese, it's sure to be delicious. Fill your cart with abandon and you'll end up with a bounty of charcuterie, cheese, jam, olives, bread and chocolate. Meander to the park and grab a patch of green, or set up shop on one of the benches ringing the arch. |
| The High Line | The High Line may be dotted with excellent vendors, but Chelsea Market still looms large as a picnic-fare supernova. The fodder for a mishmash meal is choice: Try the exquisite vegetarian rolls at Beyond Sushi, meats from Dickson's, and specialty fruit from Manhattan Fruit Exchange. |