Boerum Hill Blocks Open For Outdoor Dining

BOERUM HILL, BROOKLYN —Another street in Brooklyn will transform into an al fresco dining destination on the weekend, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.

Two blocks on Hoyt Street are among several new spots added this week to the city's Open Streets Open Restaurants program, which closes certain streets to cars on the weekends to give restaurants more room for outdoor dining.

The Hoyt Street spot will stretch from Pacific Street to State Street in Boerum Hill and will be run by the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District. It is the only Brooklyn location among the new spots announced Friday.

“The eateries on Hoyt St. are thrilled to participate in Open Streets: Restaurants," BID Executive Director Kate Chura said. "We've created highly visible signage that will attract passersby and add some color to streets. Come Chow Down on Atlantic Avenue."

Like other Open Restaurant destinations, the new streets will be open during certain hours on the weekend.

For most restaurants, that means 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday nights, and noon to 11 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the mayor's office.

Other open streets in Brooklyn include Park Slope's Fifth Avenue and Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, both of which recently expanded.

The "Open Restaurants on Open Streets" plan started a few weeks after restaurants were first allowed to welcome customers back for outdoor dining as the city reopens its economy from the coronavirus crisis.

The initial phase of the Open Restaurants program lets eateries set up tables on sidewalks or parking lanes. More than 9,500 restaurants have signed up so far citywide.

The extra space for restaurants also comes as New York City continues to delay the return of indoor dining due to coronavirus spikes in other areas of the country.