Pier 57 Market & Rooftop Park In NYC – A Complete Guide on What to Eat and Do at Pier 57
Interested in visiting Pier 57 rooftop park and food hall? This guide will tell you everything about Pier 57 in New York City.
Pier 57 is the newest food hall and public space in New York City. Opened on April 1, 2023, the historical Pier 57 is quickly becoming a popular spot for locals and tourists.
Pier 57 market features a food hall, beautiful 2-acre rooftop park, community space for events, working and studying, classrooms, interactive gallery and educational event spaces.
The food hall at Pier 57 provides a diverse culinary experience, featuring minority owned and women owned restaurants and pop-up restaurants.
In this post I will tell you everything you need to know about Pier 57 and if it’s worth visiting.
This blog contains occasional affiliate links, where I receive a small commission on sales of the products/hotels that are linked at no additional cost to you. In addition, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Where is Pier 57?
Pier 57 is located on the very westside of Manhattan in New York City on 15th Street and 11th Avenue in the Meatpacking district. It is housed in a historic pier that has been renovated and transformed into a modern and lively marketplace.
It is also sandwiched between the famous Little Island and Chelsea Piers if you need a geographic reference. It is in the same building as Google’s newest New York City office with the largest rooftop park in the city.
Pier 57 is open from 6am to 1am everyday.
How to Get to Pier 57?
How to get to Pier 57 by subway
The closest subway station to Pier 57 is the 14st/ 8 Ave A, C, E train station.
You can also take the 1, 2, 3 train to 14th street & 7th avenue station. This station is one avenue further than the A, C, E train station.
You will still need to walk about 10 – 15 minutes getting off the train since there is no train station on 11th or 10th avenue near Pier 57 and Little Island.
How to get to Pier 57 by bus
There are many buses that can take you to Pier 57. They are more convenient than the subway and you won’t need to walk as much.
Some of the buses that can take you to Pier 57 include:
- M12
- M14D-SBS
- M11
If you are new to New York City, the New York City bus system and subway both use OMNY, physical subway card, and contactless card. You can also pay with coins and Single ride tickets on New York City buses.
In addition, there are several types of buses New York City:
- Local buses (like the M12, M11)
- Select Bus Service (SBS) buses, which make fewer stops, travel on priority routes, and board at all doors (like the M14D-SBS).
- Limited (LTD) buses with fewer stops than local buses
- Express bus run between boroughs and usually only during weekday rush hours for commuters
With select bus service (SBS) buses, you can either pay with contactless cards/ mobile wallets or you have to pay with a metro card at the sidewalk kiosks. Local buses do not have sidewalk kiosks so you just pay on the bus.
Is there parking at Pier 57 if I drive?
There is no hourly parking garage available at Pier 57. The Pier 57 on-site garage is a monthly only garage that changes $950 a month.
You will need to find street parking at Pier 57 or go to a different garage.
The closest parking garage to Pier 57 and Little Island are the following:
- SP+ Parking on 13th street & 10th avenue
- MPG Parking on 18th street between 10th and 11th avenue
- MPG parking on 17th street between 9th and 10th avenue
All of these garages are very expensive.
You can also get to Pier 57 by taxi, Uber/ Lyft, biking and walking.
The History of Pier 57
In case you are wondering why this new market and educational space is located at Pier 57 and what’s so special about Pier 57, here is a brief history.
The history of Pier 57 dates back to 1952 when it was built as a terminal for ocean liners. Over the years, it served various purposes, including as a bus depot, a storage facility for the NYPD, and as a location for film and TV productions.
In the early 2000s, the pier fell into disrepair and was abandoned for several years.
In 2013, the Hudson River Park Trust, a non-profit organization, entered into a lease agreement with the developers Youngwoo & Associates and RXR Realty to redevelop Pier 57. The goal was to turn it into a mixed-use development that would include offices, retail, and public space.
Google is the largest tenant at this renovated Pier 57 complex and has worked closely with the developers to create a mixed use space to better benefit the public and the surrounding residents.
What Exactly Is In Pier 57?
Pier 57 is a mixed use recreational building.
Before you walk into Pier 57, you will see signs for City Winery. Once inside you will first be greeted by the bright food hall with 16+ vendors followed by the PLATFORM, an culinary programming kitchen and space.
As you continue down the public promenade, there is a “Living Room” space with tables, chairs and couches for public gathering and events. There are 3 classrooms that you can book for educations and recreational events and programs.
Next to the living room are the elevators and stairs to the 2 acre rooftop park overlooking Little Island and Chelsea Piers.
Lastly at the very end of the ground floor there is the Hudson River Park Discovery Tank, an interactive gallery and classroom with information on the local Hudson River environment.
What Food Vendors Are at Pier 57?
One of the main draws of Pier 57 Market is the food scene. The food market at Pier 57 includes the relocated City Winery, 16+ food vendors, and restaurant with rotating chefs-in-residence.
The food hall at Pier 57 Market is curated under The James Beard Foundation with the Good Food For Good mission to promote diverse, women-owned and independent restaurants and chefs.
This food hall is also an incubator for small local businesses and food entrepreneurs “aligned with the Foundation’s mission of championing a standard of good food anchored in talent, equity, and sustainability”.
Here you will find different cuisines whether you are craving Indian or Italian food.
Currently there are 15 vendors as well as a rotating concept by JBF. The vendors at Pier 57 Market include:
- Ammi: Indina Homestyle cuisine
- Bessou: Japanese chickren karaage & sandwiches
- Bird & Branch: Specialty coffee shop
- Due Madri by The Butcher Girls: Italian food and wine bar
- Harlem Hops: craft beer bar
- Local Roots: Chinese snacks and milk tea
- LoLo’s on the Water: Island BBQ and seafood
- Malai: South Asian inspired Ice Cream
- Mijo: Traditional Mexican Cuisine
- Mothershuckers: Cajun Cuisine and raw bar
- Nom Wah: Chinese-American Dim Sum
- Ras Plant Based: Plant-based cuisine
- The Galley by Lobster Place: lobsters & shrimp rolls
- The Good Batch: baked goods
- Zaab Zaab: Northeastern Thai Cuisine
You truly cannot find another place that is as diverse as Pier 57 Market.
Since we had a few people so we were able to sample a few different things from the menu.
I personally got the carne asada, shrimp, and taco arabe from Mijo and they did not disappoint. I actually really liked the Taco Arabe and the shrimp taco although I read the mushroom Carnitas is the taco to get.
I had friends that tried both the chicken pan-fried noodle and the car siu pork pan-friend noodle from Nom Wah and the consensus was the pork pan-fried noodle was pretty good.
One cannot forget Zaab Zaab of course, since they were featured on the New York Times and the Micheline Guide. They were a little hard to find as they are facing the water and not right at the center of the food hall. But you will definitely smell the delicious Thai curry as you walk by their stall.
The food at Pier 57 is by no means cheap, each dish would cost you between $5 (per taco) to $20 for a main.
As you walk pass the food hall, you will notice there is a large room on the right side; this space is called Platform. It is a show kitchen and educational space for culinary arts programming and events. You can get tickets to these events on the official website.
Can I Work or Study at Pier 57? Are There Wifi and Outlets at Pier 57?
There are a few different spaces at Pier 57 that you can use for studying, working and simply relaxing.
On the right side of the food hall facing Chelsea Piers (opposite side of Little Island), there are counter tables and seats by the window. There are plenty of outlets to plug your computer/ phone into.
As you walk past the food hall, you will see the “living room” space with both shared tables as well as colorful sofas and couches. I did not see any outlets at this space.
Throughout Pier 57 there are 627mbs public wifi and Google guest wifi that you can use. When I was there signal was strong and fast.
How do I Book Classrooms at Pier 57?
On one side of the “Living Room” area are 3 classrooms at Pier 57. The classrooms are Daffodil, Seahorse and Oyster classrooms.
These rooms have flexible layouts that can be arranged and they can be booked for free for community, educational and recreational events by nonprofits, community organizations and cultural groups. They also have public events for everyone when they are not booked. They cannot be booked for commercial use.
The classrooms are open from 9am to 8pm 7 days a week. Each classroom is equipped with LED screen, AV connection to run Google Meets, Zoom, Teams, and Skype meetings, microphones, cameras, speakers and other technology.
The Daffodil and Seahorse classrooms can turn into one large room that fit 65 seated and 148 standing.
You can book the classrooms on their official website or contact them at [email protected].
Pier 57 Rooftop Park
One of the popular attractions at Pier 57 is its 2 acre rooftop park.
You can either take the stairs or elevator up to the Rooftop Park. If you do take the stairs (like I did), keep in mind there are 4 flights of stairs.
There are a two levels of the Rooftop Park at Pier 57.
As soon as you exit the stairs/ elevator, you will be at the lowest level of the Rooftop Park. There are a number of benches and wooden standing tables.
On the 2 acre rooftop park of Pier 57, you will have a sweeping view of Little Island, downtown Manhattan, New Jersey, Meat Packing District, Chelsea Piers and the Edge in Hudson Yards.
As you walk around the Pier 57 rooftop park, you’ll see wooden steps with a grassy area at the bottom. You can walk up the stairs and sit there to enjoy the view, eat lunch or just take photos.
Lastly as you walk around the 2nd level of the Pier 57 rooftop park, there is a tented area with similar views of Little Island and World Trade Center.
Little Island
I keep referring to Little Island but if you are not familiar with Little Island, it is a public park and performance space on the Hudson River. Little Island was designed by a London-based architecture firm and the island rests on over 130 concrete columns.
The unique design of Little Island features undulating topography which rises and falls in a series of hills and valleys. This design created a sense of movement and fluidity throughout the park and the “bridge only” access allows visitors to feel like they are leaving Manhattan behind to escape to an oasis.
Even on the ground level of Pier 57 the food hall and the “Living Room” are have an unobstructed view of Little Island as well as Chelsea Piers.
Is Pier 57 Kids Friendly?
Pier 57 is a kids friendly space with stroller and elevator access. The educational space of Discovery Tank is designed with all ages in mind and the 2 acre rooftop garden is the perfect place to enjoy the view with kids.
Of course the accessibility to Little Island is perfect for families to explore the island and grab a bite and coffee after.
Is Pier 57 Worth Visiting?
Pier 57 is definitely worth visiting at least once when you are in New York City.
With its diverse food options, cultural and culinary programs, and the beautiful rooftop view, you will be able to enjoy Pier 57 and the surrounding areas with friends and family.
Or if you simply want to find a nice and modern place to study or work with fast internet, Pier 57 is the place for you.
Other Questions You Might Have About Pier 57
Is Pier 57 Rooftop Park Free?
Pier 57 is free to enter and this includes the rooftop park. You can just visit the rooftop park without purchasing food from the food hall.
Are there public bathrooms at Pier 57?
There are many bathrooms at Pier 57, including on the rooftop park.
What hours are Pier 57 open?
Pier 57 is open 7 days a week from 6am to 1am.
Is Pier 57 wheelchair accessible?
Yes Pier 57 is wheelchair accessible. The aisles are wide and flat and there are elevators to the rooftop park.
Other Things To Do Near Pier 57 and Little Island
There are plenty of things to do near Pier 57 and Little Island.
One of the most famous attractions near Pier 57 is the High Line, a 1.45 mile long elevated greenway that is built on a former railroad spur that was abandoned in the 1980s.
You can walk along the High Line all the way to Hudson Yards and the Edge.
Walking a few blocks down you will come across Whitney Museum of American Art, a museum that is dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting American art from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Other attractions within a few blocks of Pier 57 and Little Island include ARTECHOUSE, Chelsea Market, and Museum of Illusions.
If you have kids you may also want to check out the Pier 62 Carousel.
The Frying Pan is another local’s favorite as you dine and rink on a docked Coast Guard lightship.
If you are willing to walk a bit more, you can explore the beautiful West Village, including Carrie Bradshaw’s Apartment and the Friends’ Apartment (you can only see them from the outside) and Rubin Museum of Art.
If this is your first time in New York City, be sure to check out my other New York City blogs to find the best things to do in New York and how to save money with a New York attraction pass.
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