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Black Tap's Burgers and Milkshakes Coming To Hudson River Waterfront

By Maya Rajamani | September 15, 2017 2:36pm | Updated on September 17, 2017 3:54pm
 Three Black Tap milkshakes: the cookie shake, the cotton candy shake and the peanut butter shake.
Three Black Tap milkshakes: the cookie shake, the cotton candy shake and the peanut butter shake.
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Black Tap

HELL’S KITCHEN — Popular burger-and-milkshake joint Black Tap has been picked to take over a waterfront cafe space on the West Side.

The eatery known for its giant, Instagrammable milkshakes is set to open its newest outpost on Pier 84, at West 44th Street, in the spring, Hudson River Park Trust president and CEO Madelyn Wils told Community Board 4’s Waterfront, Parks and the Environment Committee Thursday evening.

Pier 84 Cafe Space

The seating area outside the cafe space on Pier 84. (Hudson River Park Trust)

The eatery on the pier will mark Black Tap’s sixth location, owner Joe Isidori told the committee.

“Black Tap is a concept that’s based around a nostalgic memory of mine,” said Isidori, a Michelin-starred chef from The Bronx, whose father and grandmother were both in the restaurant business.

“My favorite times were when [my father] took me to a local New York City luncheonette, and I got a cheeseburger deluxe and a milkshake,” he said. “And over the years as a New Yorker, I’ve watched a lot of that disappear.”

The new pier location will feature a “greatest hits” menu that includes the eatery’s popular craft burgers, sides like fries and crispy Brussels sprouts, and both its “classic” and “crazy” milkshakes, Isidori said.  

Patrons will be able to order their food inside the cafe and sit either inside or outside. The outpost will also have faster service than Black Tap’s other locations, using biodegradable plates and cups rather than “traditional glass and china,” he and Wils added.

“It’s not about coming there to wait in line for a burger and shake — it’s about coming there to enjoy food and beverages on the water,” said Isidori, adding that the space represents a “hybrid” version of the eatery’s other restaurants.

Black Tap’s lease for the space will be for five years, with a possible extension, Wils noted. The eatery still needs to secure a liquor license.

Isidori reassured committee members with concerns about noise and garbage that neither would be an issue.

“I’m the kind of guy that I wake up in the morning, I have five locations in NYC, I’m at every location every day,” he said. “I’m not a non-existent operator — I’m a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy.”