Time for a Picnic in Lincoln Square

Summer is still here! Especially with a nice week ahead, embrace the sun and warm temperatures for a picnic in Lincoln Square--the perfect activity to enjoy before heading over to a show at Lincoln Center's Restart Stages (click here for the schedule). While the neighborhood is home to plenty of fantastic sit-down restaurants, there are also many inviting public spaces which can serve as a fun picnic location, and several businesses offer takeout dishes perfect for an easy picnic. 

The Smith (1900 Broadway at 63rd Street) has added a new picnic tote option to its takeaway menu, available for pickup or delivery out of the Lincoln Square location. The “picnic tote”, perfect for a day outside, includes hummus and vegetables, caeser salad, 2 sandwiches, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies. The picnic meal serves 2, and sandwich options include a BLT, a veggie burger royale, grilled chicken, and more. Click here to start an order today!

Épicerie Boulud (1900 Broadway at 64th Street) has to-go options from its counter that will help you craft a French-inspired picnic. Enjoy the chef's signature house-made charcuterie and a selection of artisanal cheeses daily, plus pre-made sandwiches at the counter, fresh breads, salads, and more. Stop in today to plan your afternoon picnic and view the menu here.

Breads Bakery (1890 Broadway at 63rd Street) encourages locals and visitors to create their own picnics by ordering online or in-store to-go. Choose from a number of savory and sweet bakery items, including egg salad, tuna salad platters, sandwiches, and spreads as well as rugelach, mini pies, croissants and more. When you order to-go or for delivery, your items are pre-packaged and ready to take to a picnic spot. Click here to order online.

Le Pain Quotidien (60 West 65th Street at Broadway) is another bakery-café with lunch items and baked goods. Order online for easy pick-up and grab a fresh fruit salad, sandwiches, tartines, muffins and baguettes, quiche and much more. Click here to order online and browse the menu.

Really build your own picnic with items from Gourmet Garage (155 West 65th Street at Broadway), Whole Foods Market (10 Columbus Circle), or Target (1863 Broadway at West 61st Street). Each grocery sells everything you need for a delicious picnic, from meats and cheeses, to fresh fruits you can cut yourself or buy chopped, dips and veggie platters, and more specialty items. Plus, Whole Foods Market and Gourmet Garage both have lunch counter options in case you’d like something quick along with your snacks, like salads, sushi, and sandwiches.

For made-to-order sandwich and salad options, as well as snacks, fruit bowls, and more snacks, check out our two long-standing local delis, Melissa’s Gourmet (1879 Broadway at 62nd Street) and Alan’s Marketplace (27 Columbus Avenue at 60th Street). Both eateries are excellent for putting together quick and easy picnics to enjoy outside.  

Also, on Thursdays and Saturdays, shop at the GrowNYC Greenmarket set up in Richard Tucker Park (West 66th Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue) and find great ingredients for a homemade picnic, including locally grown produce, artisanal baked goods, fresh charcuterie, and more. Click here for information on the Thursday Greenmarket and click here for information on the Saturday Greenmarket. 

Other local quick casual spots with takeaway options for lunch that are currently open include Le Botaniste (156 Columbus Avenue at 67th Street), Dig (100 West 67th Street at Columbus Avenue), and Tartinery (10 Columbus Circle). Check out our Neighborhood Guide for a list of more local eateries in Lincoln Square.

For great picnic locations in the neighborhood, our own two parks, Richard Tucker Park (West 66th Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue) and Dante Park (West 63rd Street between Broadway and Columbus Avenue), are ideal! Take a seat at table and chairs provided by us (the BID!) and enjoy the surrounding atmosphere of the lively streets and our vibrant planter displays. Located steps away from all of the major cultural institutions, Richard Tucker and Dante are also great places to bring lunch or dinner before a performance! Lincoln Square is also home to many POPS (Privately Owned Public Spaces) that are open to the public which can be cozy picnic spots, too. Check out this article we wrote last month when POPS reopened to the public which details the locations in Lincoln Square. 

There are a lot of great places to sit an enjoy a quick DIY picnic outside in Lincoln Square as well as plenty of easy food options, too.

Image credit: The Smith, Breads Bakery