I first stumbled upon the Yacht Club last summer after a sun-soaked boat ride around Manhattan with friends. This time, I rounded up another lively crew to celebrate a birthday.

We kicked things off with the cabana platter from the Lido deck menu—a spread of housemade hummus, tangy tzatziki, marinated olives, flatbread and crisp crudité ($28)—paired with a chilled bottle of Aligoté Rémi Jobard from Burgundy ($115). We passed plates, swapped stories and soaked up the awe-inspiring Hudson views.

We donned our celebratory crowns, nibbled the mezze platter and a half-dozen fresh oysters and sipped the delightful white burgundy. If you haven’t been yet, this seafood restaurant, under the guise of Kerry Heffernan, who’s known for sustainable seafood, is a must, especially when the weather is good. Then, you can dine outside on the lido deck.

For mains, three of us went for the champagne-butter-poached lobster on golden brioche rolls ($53 each), while another chose half a roasted chicken ($42) rubbed with Prudhomme spices and served with collard greens. We couldn’t resist sides—French fries ($13) with sage aioli and spiced ketchup, plus sweet Vidalia onion rings ($12). Oddly, our server—who’d only started a few weeks ago—brought out the fried treats first, and we were so ravenous, we polished them off before the rest of the meal arrived.

When we mentioned the mix-up to Sophia, she apologized and surprised us with an extra round of fries as our entrees landed. I took most of mine home—lobster salad for lunch the next day was a win.

Stuffed to the gills, we skipped dessert in favor of a single lit candle on a plate—perfectly festive, especially as the staff serenaded us with “Happy Birthday.”

I recommend the Yacht Club and am already looking forward to my next warm-weather outing there.

Yacht Club
Chelsea
212 12th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
crew.fun/the-yacht-club