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Unlike Central Park's elegant eateries, Hudson Beach Café is just one step above a backyard barbecue. The bi-level facilities (which get boarded up during winter) are refreshingly minimalist: a wooden, well-stocked bar and a couple of portable grills. Although the view is of the roaring West Side Highway rather than lapping waves, and shouts can be heard from the nearby baseball games, the café manages to conjure a festive, splash-happy mood. Locals—mostly well-groomed young folk and families with small kids—crowd the semi-secluded oasis for hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and fruity concoctions either at the bar or at tables set up in front of it. On the weekends, the café serves brunch. — Shana Liebman

Weekends, 6 p.m.—9 p.m.