Well this will surely help lure tourists to Staten Island before that Ferris Wheel is built, right? Borough President James Molinaro and the NYC Economic Development Corporation announced today that the Staten Island Ferry terminal will be getting its first sit-down restaurant later this year. It will be called the River Dock Cafe.
The restaurant will be run by restaurateur Sal Himani, who says the "goal is to not only continuously serve the commuters and tourists that visit the terminal but also to make it a destination for seafood lovers. With great views of the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan we plan to build a restaurant unlike any other on the Staten Island waterfront." Himani and his family own a number of restaurants in the city, including ZZ's Pizza in the terminal (which we can't say ever looked very appetizing to us).
The new restaurant is aiming to open later this year and joins a handful of fast-food joints. But it won't be serving quickie bites, instead focusing on American food and seafood (though probably not from those fish tanks!). And for those who like a good view, well, it will feature that in spades. The 4,500-square-foot restaurant will include an additional 2,000-square-foot terrace overlooking the SI Yankees ballpark as well as the harbor, lower Manhattan and, eventually, that Staten Island Wheel.
Will this be the trick that finally gets tourists to stay on Status Island after they ride the free ferry? It can't hurt to find out!
