Forget about waterfront dining. This spring, we’re dining on the water! Grand Banks, NYC’s most unique oyster bar, is returning for the warmer months starting this April and we’re more than excited to indulge in some seafood and sunset views.
The floating restaurant is formerly known as the Sherman Zwicker, a wooden schooner (a type of sailboat with at least two masts) built in 1942. It’s the largest wooden vessel in NYC, spanning 142 feet, and the last original saltbank fishing vessel in existence.
Decades ago, the Sherman Zwicker was a part of the Grand Banks fleet (hence the restaurant’s current name), trading cod and salt throughout the Americas by fishing the North Atlantic.
Now, it services famished New Yorkers looking to soak up the sun with a refreshing river breeze during the spring and summer. The restaurant was inspired by the old oyster barges that used to line Manhattan’s waters in the 18th and 19th centuries.
Grand Banks will officially reopen for the season later this month, as promised in its recent Instagram post. It appears reservations can be made as early as April 21, 2025. Reservations are available online through the Grand Banks website.
The entire menu focuses on seasonality and sustainability, helmed by nationally acclaimed chef, Kerry Heffernan. Grand Banks is most famous for its wild-caught East and West coast oysters. However, the menu features everything from caviar and lobster salad to sea scallops and ragout.
If you’re thirsty, don’t forget to order one of their nautical-themed cocktails, like the Permanent Vacation made with “Gunpowder Proof” Jamaican rum, 3-year and 5-year cask-aged Demerara rum, blue Curaçao, coconut, pineapple, and cherry, or the I’m the Captain Now with Grand Banks’ own Captains Courageous single-barrel rye whiskey, Aperol, pineapple, and lemon.
Once open for the season, Grand Banks operates weekdays from 11am until 11pm, offers weekend brunch between 10am to 2pm, and remains open for the rest of Saturday and Sunday until 11pm.
📍Pier 25 Hudson River (walk the southern promenade on Pier 25 towards the river, past the mini-golf and volleyball courts)