🚕 Breanna Stewart’s NYC Food Diary

Good Morning NY!

New York City’s food scene is balancing beloved traditions with major changes as historic restaurants close, new destinations emerge, and popular food events return.

Taste of Times Square is coming back September 9, bringing more than 30 restaurants to Midtown for an outdoor festival featuring $5 and $10 tastes, live Broadway performances, and cuisines from around the world.

Meanwhile, longtime favorites including Pearl Diner and Bayon have closed, adding to a growing list of neighborhood institutions disappearing from the city’s dining landscape.

The city’s classic 24-hour diner culture is also shrinking, with Food & Wine reporting a 13% decline in these late-night establishments since 2020.

In the Rockaways, the historic Jacob Riis Bathhouse is entering a new chapter with the reopening of the renovated Rockaway Ocean Club.

And New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart is sharing her favorite NYC eats, from bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to pepperoni pizza and veal Parmesan.

Taste of Times Square Returns

Taste of Times Square is returning to Midtown on Wednesday, September 9, bringing more than 30 restaurants together for a four-hour outdoor food festival.

From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., parts of 46th Street, Restaurant Row, and the Broadway Plazas will become a pedestrian-friendly dining destination.

Restaurants will serve bite-sized portions of dishes representing cuisines from Mexican and Caribbean to Italian, Indian, barbecue, and sushi.

Most “tastes” will cost $5, while select premium dishes will be priced at $10, and admission to the festival is free.

The event will also feature live Broadway music and theatrical performances throughout the festival area.

Participating spots include Junior’s, Carmine’s, Virgil’s Real Barbecue, Becco, Toloache, Sushi of Gari, and Brooklyn Chop House.

A cashless wristband system will be used for purchases, with advance taste-credit purchases offering a 20% discount.

NYC Loses More Beloved Dining Institutions

New York City’s restaurant scene is saying goodbye to several longtime favorites this August, with historic diners and neighborhood staples among the closures.

Pearl Diner in the Financial District, a fixture since 1962, has closed after decades of serving affordable diner classics.

The closure leaves Square Diner in Tribeca and Empire Diner in Chelsea as the city’s remaining standalone diner structures of this type.

Bayon, the Cambodian restaurant in Lenox Hill, also closed after chef Minh Truong retired following 45 years in the restaurant business.

Other recent closures include Taïm, San Matteo Pizza & Espresso Bar’s Yorkville location, Sushi Ren, North Bar, Kind Regards, and Chuko Ramen.

While some spaces may see new concepts or possible reopenings, the latest closures highlight the continued challenges facing longstanding NYC restaurants and the changing character of neighborhood dining.

NYC’s 24-Hour Diners Aren’t Gone Yet

New York’s classic 24-hour diner culture is shrinking, but it has not disappeared completely.

Food & Wine reports that the city has lost 13% of its 24-hour diners since 2020, with some remaining spots also cutting back their hours.

The decline reflects changes in nightlife and dining habits, the rise of around-the-clock food delivery, and broader economic pressures.

The article visits several late-night diners, including The Flame Diner, Court Square Diner, Kellogg’s Diner, and Daisy’s Diner, to see how they are adapting.

While some are quiet late at night, Kellogg’s still draws customers into the early morning hours.

The closures of longtime spots such as Cozy Soup ’n’ Burger and Mike’s Diner show what is at stake.

Yet surviving diners continue to serve as late-night gathering places for New Yorkers looking for food, conversation, or simply somewhere to be.

Rockaway’s Historic Bathhouse Reopens

The historic Jacob Riis Bathhouse is entering a new chapter as the Rockaway Ocean Club prepares to partially open after decades of being closed.

The $88 million renovation has transformed the 1932 property into a new destination while preserving elements of its historic character.

More than half of the facility will remain open to the public, including bars, food vendors, gift shops, and a large courtyard for daytime games and nighttime concerts.

A membership costing up to $1,700 annually will provide access to additional amenities, including a restaurant, butterfly garden, and private pool.

The project has faced construction delays and challenges tied to landmark preservation rules.

The Rockaway Ocean Club will begin with a preview season, while additional spaces are expected to open gradually.

A 28-room hotel and rooftop bar are planned for a later phase of the project.

Breanna Stewart’s NYC Food Diary

New York Liberty star Breanna Stewart gives Grub Street a look at how food fits into her busy WNBA-season routine.

On game days, Stewart starts with a breakfast of egg-white bites, sweet-potato hash browns, a fried egg, avocado, tomatoes, and green grapes before heading to the gym.

She keeps her pregame meals lighter, including rice with chicken, followed by a nap and coffee with yogurt and strawberries.

After a Liberty win, Stewart and her family and teammates celebrated at Crown Club at Barclays Center, where she ordered veal Parmesan.

Her days off include NYC favorites such as a bacon, egg, and cheese from Court Street Bagels, pepperoni pizza from Upside Pizza, and meals at Lena Trattoria and Little Ways.

The feature also follows Stewart’s family time, showing how she balances basketball, parenting, and exploring the city’s food scene.

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