I wanted to make the new food hall from Urbanspace in Fidi a New Kid on the Block, and sure, this will stand in for that, but once I got down there I realized one of the best things about it is it’s across the street from the Elevated Acre, the above-street-level park at 55 Water designed by Tribeca architects Marvel and Tribecan and landscape architect Ken Smith.

So to the park: it is a jewel of a space, and you have to be in the know to find it. (You’ve seen it from the bottom of the FDR: it has the glass-paneled cube whose lights fade from one color to the next.) I can’t imagine a better outdoor lunch spot: it was a good 10 degrees cooler from the street when we were three, thanks to the greenery and the breezes off the river. And there are all sorts of nooks and crannies, though plenty of folks were happy to be spread out on the turf lawn.

So for lunch: Urbanspace, which has created a lot of the city’s food and gift markets, has developed a section of the ground floor of 100 Pearl at Old Slip (the space goes through to Water) into a smallish food hall with some of the same vendors from its other locations (Plant Junkie, with vegan bowls; Gabriela’s Mexican street food) and some originals, most with NYC origins. We went with our college-aged nephew (who noted the prices were well above his tolerance, at about $16 for lunch) and we all loved the pulled pork from the Puerto Rican Que Chevere. I would go back for the Taiwanese Lu Rou bowl at Bao by Kaya with the spiced ground pork belly, corn, kale and pickled onions.

{These sort of places always make my head hurt with the amount of garbage they produce, and this one was no different. If it bothers you too, remind them to leave off the lids, which they add even if you are not taking it to-go.)

Still to try: Katsu Katsu, an offshoot of Suki, of the six-seat Japanese curry shop in the East Village that has gotten love from Michelin and The New York Times.

There are 15 stalls in all with a beer hall in the center and a bakery serving all day.

Urbanspace Pearl
100 Pearl at Old Slip with an entrance on Water
Monday to Friday, 8a to 8p
Saturday & Sunday, 9a to 5p