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Outdoor Tables Return to Popular Irish Gastropub in Forest Hills

By Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska | August 21, 2014 10:32am | Updated on August 22, 2014 4:23pm
 Banter Irish Pub and Kitchen has already installed 11 tables along 71st Road last week, and is planning to add six more next week.
Banter Irish Pub and Kitchen has already installed 11 tables along 71st Road last week, and is planning to add six more next week.
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Banter

QUEENS — Al fresco dining is back at a popular Forest Hills pub after several months of waiting for the outdoor seating permit to be renewed for the season, the owners said.

Starting next week, Banter Irish Pub and Kitchen, on Queens Boulevard and 71st Road, will offer 17 tables with 34 seats.

The pub already installed 11 tables along 71st Road last week and is planning to add six more tables as well as several decorative planters next week, said Michael Mansfield, one of the owners.

Banter, which opened last year after replacing Old Vienna Cafe, offered outdoor seating last summer.

But the renewal for the permit for this season, Mansfield said, “took longer than we expected.”

Frank Gulluscio, district manager at Community Board 6, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park, said that the board approved the application in June.

But the city's Department of Consumer Affairs, which makes the final decision, said that the application process for sidewalk café licenses usually takes about 3 to 4 months.

The restaurant recently purchased new outdoor tables and planters, which will make the area "look a lot nicer" this year, Mansfield said, adding that he is hoping for a warm and sunny fall to extend the use of the tables.