Food Scene on Governors Island Continues to Evolve
Among the multiple transformations that have washed over Governors Island in recent years is the park’s emergence as a dining destination. This metamorphosis will continue in 2025, as Governors Island loses a highly regarded dining spot, but gains three new restaurants, all within steps of the ferry that connects the island to Lower Manhattan.
Island Oyster, a James Beard award-nominated seasonal bar and restaurant, which was the first full-service eating establishment ever to open on Governors Island (back in 2017), is scheduled to shut down this autumn. (Lower Manhattan residents who prize the seafood offered by the proprietors of Island Oyster, brothers Alex and Miles Pincus, will still be able to satisfy their shucks-lust at Grand Banks, a celebrated oyster bar housed aboard a historic wooden sailboat docked at Tribeca’s Pier 25.)
In its place – directly to the right of the Soissons Landing dock that receives visitors from Lower Manhattan – the Trust for Governors Island is seeking a new operator for the waterfront space, beginning in 2026. The Request for Proposals issued by the Trust on Monday calls for “an approachable concept that is appealing to a broad audience and reflective of the island’s diverse visitors who may frequent the site for family friendly gatherings, group outings and personal celebrations, or corporate events and happy hours.” Bidders are required to show they can take “an all-electric approach to operations” (meaning no kitchen-equipment can burn any fossil fuel), and “articulate a clear sustainability perspective consistent with the Trust’s work in climate, such as sustainable sourcing, climate-forward menus, and attention to build-out materiality, while celebrating the location’s relationship with the waterfront.”
Also directly adjacent to Soissons Landing (in this case, on the left) is the historic Building 140, originally constructed in the mid-1800s as a munitions depot and later used as (among other billets) a bank and a post office during Governors Island’s history as a military installation.
For this space, the Trust has recruited the team behind the long-popular Taco Vista food stand to create three new, year-round restaurants, plus an events venue. This year, Building 140 will debut an expanded and reimagined Taco Vista, serving Mexican fare and drinks; Priscilla’s, a year-round café serving coffee, pastries, and lunch; and the Riverline, an indoor-outdoor full-service restaurant that will also have the capacity to host special events (architect’s rendering of the new Building 140 above).
“Since opening to the public year-round in 2021, Governors Island has grown into a destination for all seasons for nearly one million visitors each year,” Trust president Clare Newman said. “Increasing affordable year-round food offerings for visitors while restoring one of Governors Island’s most treasured historic structures at Soissons Landing is an exciting chance to enliven a one-of-a-kind space – complete with some of the most sensational views the Island has to offer – into an iconic culinary destination.”