Take Manhattan from the comfort of the Pier A Harbor House redux.
Lower Manhattan has lurked in the shadows of more seductive ‘hoods such as the East and West Villages, but the southern tip of the island is finally getting its moment in the sun with a new dining and drinking destination due to open this northern summer. Pier A Harbor House, an 1886 heritage landmark at the point where historic Battery Park meets the Hudson River, has been transformed by Peter Poulakakos, Danny McDonald and Michael Jewell, the pioneering trio behind cult New York bars The Dead Rabbit and Stone Street.
Jutting into New York Harbor like a ship in full sail, the grand Victorian building – with chiming clock tower – has superb views of the Hudson, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Flooded with natural light and surrounded on three sides by water, the three-level venue will feature a raft of dining options, including a rollicking craft beer hall and oyster bar on the ground floor, fine dining with views to an open kitchen on the second floor and Gilded Era-inspired teak and mahogany-panelled cocktail rooms at either end of the building, ideal for having a Manhattan while gazing at the gleaming towers of the Financial District or watching the sunset from the harbour-facing balcony.
The food, as McDonald told GT, will be inspired by “the cornucopia of produce from the hinterland of the Hudson Valley and the harbour”, with a focus on great seafood, from caviar to clams to oysters paired with Sancerre, a nod to the area’s French connections (bonjour, Lady Liberty). While the old dame has undergone a head-to-toe makeover, the vibe is decidedly nostalgic, with references to the building’s industrial past in exposed studded and beamed ceilings, ship-style lanterns and retro-fitted gauges from the 1880s dangling from beams in the Long Hall.
Pier A Harbor House, 22 Battery Place, New York, +1 212 3440500.
