79th St. Boat Basin- NYC's Little Riviera

I don't know why I've only been there twice. The place is a little slice of heaven on the Upper West Side. Booze and grub in arguably the most aesthetically pleasing location on the whole island. Overlooking the marina and the Hudson River with views of New Jersey- directly across from West New York and Guttenberg- you can't ask for a better place to be after a long day at the office. You couldn't ask for a better place after a day off either. It's a crying shame that NYC doesn't utilize their waterfront property the way any smart civil society with the real estate they have should. It makes no sense. None. Dyckmann St. had a similar spot called Tubby Hooks that closed down several years ago. Smarten Up NYC.



It gets better. The Boat Basin hosts a daily Happy Hour from 4pm - 7pm taking $2 off all drinks. Their regular prices are great- $6 for a Heinken, $5 for a Corona, $WHO CARES if you drink Bud or Coors- so we're talking $3-$4 cervezas for 3 hours. Huepa. Their slices of lime are pretty big. Got to beat those shits in the bottle while squirting- Pause- lime juice in the ogler.

They're able to accommodate large groups- we had about 8 and were seated shortly after giving our name. The food is decent. For me the grub is secondary, but it is far from offensive. 30 peel and eat scrimps for $30 beans gets the job done. Cool and crisp. I've had better and I've had worse. The nachos are bare bones. But when you're drunk, chips, cheese, salsa and sour cream is worthy of a James Beard award. The sandwiches are recommended too- the grilled chicken breast is a safe bet. There are plenty of other items on the menu for anybody looking for more options. I didn't have my camera available so I have no food pics. All pics are courtesy of the Boat Basin site.

The only drawback is that they close at 11:30pm on Thurs-Sat. I guess you can't have too much of a good thing. Get there early so you can get your fill. Keep in mind that time really flies when you're just chilling on the water removed from whatever bullshit you were dealing with. It's a cool young crowd ready to have a good time. No dress code- shorts and kicks are recommended as the thermometer rises. Enjoy.



The West 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe
79th St. below the Henry Hudson Parkway
212-496-5542
Monday through Wednesday – 12 noon till 11:p.m.
Thursday and Friday - 12 noon till 11:30 p.m.
Saturday 11 am till 11:30 p.m.
Sunday 11am till 10 p.m.
www.boatbasincafe.com