By Carol Tannenhauser
The Boathouse restaurant in Central Park is reopening on Monday, March 29th, for lunch, brunch and private events, according to an Instagram announcement on Sunday. This comes as a welcome surprise, as union representatives had said last March that the iconic site was shuttering for good, as a result of “unforeseeable business circumstances prompted by COVID-19,” THE CITY first reported. At the time, 163 employees were furloughed, then officially laid off in October.
Are they planning to reopen the rowboat rentals, too?
“Yes we are!” the Boathouse replied. “The boats are weather dependent. Hopefully, the lake will remain thawed.”
Are they planning to rehire their workers?
We’ll let you know.
A fixture since the 1860s, the Boathouse was refurbished in the 1950s, then again in 2018. It is a well-known wedding venue and has shown up in many movies, including When Harry Met Sally.
You can make reservations for the Boathouse here.
Great news, 1 step closer to getting things back to normal
The turtles are beside themselves with excitement!
[…] The boathouse itself has a rich history, dating as far back as the 1860s, but the structure we know today officially opened in 1954 and is name for the investment banker and philanthropist Carl M. Loeb and his wife Adeline who donated $305,000 to help create it. Besides just the landmark restaurant, you could also rent rowboats or take a gondola ride around Central’s Park beautiful lake (an activity that is still closed due to COVID-19, but is reported to be reopening soon as the weather warms up). […]
One word… YAY!!
I had my 50th birthday party at the Boathouse — decades ago. My husband & I went much more often to what we called “the hoi-polloi boathouse” next door, with the fireplace &, for those in the know, the “Central Park Bird Log”. I hope that will reopen soon too.
Wonderful news!
Great news!
Hooray…welcome back nyc!☀️🙌🏼
In addition, i hope Central Park’s casual outdoor dining food concessions that were Le Pain Quotidien cafes will reopen their locations at Mineral Springs (next to Sheep Meadow) and also at Conservatory Water (Model Boat Pond).
To accommodate so many visitors, the park needs to provide affordable and convenient food options besides The Loeb Boathouse and those hot dog carts (aka The Umbrella Room).
No one has mentioned how welcome will be the reopening of the restrooms in The Boathouse. Central Park still does not have enough restrooms. During the summer the long lines for the few women’s restrooms are ridiculous. I seem to remember that a large contribution to the park came with a stipulation requiring addition of restrooms that never materialized.
@ardith
You are so correct!
Bathroom facilities at Bethesda Terrace, Loeb Boathouse AND Conservatory Water have all been closed…making it extremely difficult for so many visitors, especially Seniors – and those of all ages.
BoatHouse indoor dining a tad pricey:
Stuffed French Toast $22; Fish & Chips $28 !!!
Sure hope that their ‘plein-aire’ dining area will also re-open…BEST FRENCH FRIES…and great for candid street photography.
Looking forward to brunch at the Boat House on 3/29, Pat Harbison