Eat Street, NYC

It's aesthetically pleasing when a restaurant uses their indoor furniture (though undoubtedly a pain to have to bring it back inside overnight). Bonus points for matching the barrier wall with the furniture.

Another place with live music. The amplification system here is kind of too loud, but still, props for partnering with musicians. 

Brown velour seats + live jazz music on a blocked off street. More places should be bringing outdoor music to their piece of sidewalk. 

This restaurant is very fortunate with their expanded corner location, which gives them even more space than most corner spots. Their greenery is particularly lush and inviting.  

  Unique rugs for each table is a distinctive feature. They also do a great job of both providing shade and blocking out adjacent traffic. The fans on top are also a nice touch.

  Not just one restaurant, but nearly an entire street full of them. Unfortunately, cars are still allowed to drive between these decks. This street isn't high-traffic and should just be blocked off. 

  I'm not even really sure what's going on with this restaurant. I guess the building is actually across the street (I didn't actually see it), but on Google Street View you can see that this is usually a parking lot , that happens to be right at the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. The juxtaposition of the white table cloths with some janky asphalt and (the back of) a giant billboard is a bit much.

  This patio on the Gansevoort Hotel existed before Covid-19, but fits right in now. The patio itself is more appealing than the menu , but being Not The Street might be a draw.

  Beach balls as decoration. Did they have the idea independently? (FWIW, Bayard Ale House, on top, had them before I saw them at Jones, on bottom.) Also, do people steal them, or do drunk diners think it's funny to throw them into the street?

  I don't understand the purpose of these screens between tables. They're grates, not solid, so doesn't that defeat the Covid-related reason for having dividers between diners?  

  Great idea to include artwork on the barrier. Maybe the city could partner with artists and restaurants to paint murals and paintings on the decks both to beautify the restaurants and to pay artists during a difficult time.

  Excellent spacing of tables to maximize social distancing. Another lucky restaurant able to make use of the space that is coincidentally next to the building.  

It seems fitting that Down the Hatch, a " fratboy-meets-yuppie bar ", is accessorized by Skyy vodka umbrellas, a weird yellow stencil apparently involving beer, a tongue, and a snake head (?), and adjacent banners for e-cigs, CBD, and reflexology. (August 2, 2020)

On the plus side, fans! There are many days this summer when fans might help tip a diner's decision in picking a restaurant. On the minus side, Houston St. It would be hard to pick a less charming street in Manhattan.      

Not many restaurants are open by 8am for breakfast, but Bluestone Lane is reliable. Lots of online orders wait for their recipients too. Relatively large number of single diners gives this a typical coffee shop vibe. Another example of a corner restaurant that can expand their seating capacity. (August 6, 2020)

Admirable dedication to matching the umbrellas with the facade of the restaurant (there were more blue umbrellas outside the frame). Substantial sidewalk space means the tables can be much more appropriately spaced out than they would be on a deck.

A restaurant abutting a bike lane: this is the New York that liveable streets advocates want. Spacing of the tables is a little odd.

Standard deck set up with good shade. Lovely mix of plants makes the divider more attractive, and the planters contain edible herbs like basil and mint! (August 3, 2020)

(Click to expand to see both pictures.) The attempt at providing shade by The Butcher's Daughter is...weird. Is this like a fabric pergola? Does do any good? Also, a border of plants along the top edge of the white deck would go a long way toward improving this space. (Hudson St, August 2, 2020) The Nolita location has the same awkward fabric pergola thing (+ awkwardly parked motorcycle). This location is a good example of how restaurants on the corner have a great advantage when it comes to maximizing the number of tables they have, since they can put diners on both streets. (Kenmare St, August 3, 2020)

(Click to expand to see both pictures.) 7th Ave back patio Carmine St front deck This is a rare restaurant that has entrances on two streets, so they have seating on both of them. There might actually be more seating in this configuration than in the restaurant itself, which is pretty small. Pleasing color scheme for tables and barriers (and complementary Fiestaware). Cute striped umbrellas in the back. (August 2, 2020)

Deck built into multiple parking spots. Nice use of shrubs to improve the aesthetics and block views of cars. Good shade covering. Points for restaurant branding, but the red is a bit of a visual assault. (August 2, 2020)

A split-sidewalk design. The flowers in the planter match those in the treebed. The tables are separated by dividers to make diners feel safer. Not much shade on the street side of the sidewalk. (August 2, 2020)