A South Bronx coffee shop and a Venezuelan street-style hot dog cart are among the new food vendors joining the High Line-up this year.
Three vendors in total made their debut Saturday at the elevated Meatpacking District park, taking their place alongside returning favorites.
“Each of these vendors echoes the High Line’s commitment to community,” High Line co-founder and executive director Robert Hammond said in a statement describing Boogie Down Grind as “a coffee café incubated in the South Bronx [that] prioritizes hiring local neighborhood residents”; Perros Y Vainas as “a true street vendor bringing traditional Venezuelan food to New Yorkers who may have never experienced it before”; and Tastalu as a maker of “authentic Italian paninis.”
Boogie Down Grind is offering hot espresso beverages, cold brew and other iced drinks, according to the release. Perros Y Vainas is selling steamed buns and sausages (perros) loaded with toppings (vainas) like crunchy potato sticks, sweet corn and white cheese and sauces like a garlic variety and guacamole. And Tastalu is preparing its sandwiches with freshly baked bread and locally sourced produce.
Returning vendors — the majority of which will open at 11 a.m. seven days a week — include the seasonal wine bar Terroir at The Porch, L’Arte del Gelato, Mexican sweet shop La Newyorkina, ice cream sandwich company Melt, Chelsea’s La Sonrisa Empanadas and the handmade ice pop maker People’s Pops. All except the latter, which sets up shop in Gansevoort Plaza below the High Line in May, are now open for the season.
A tourist magnet that also draws New Yorkers in the less crowded evening hours, the High Line was founded in 1999 by neighbors who advocated for the preservation of the 30-feet-high rail track with Hudson River views on Manhattan’s west side. The park is maintained and operated by the Friends of the High Line nonprofit, and it hosts not only food vendors, but public programs and art installations.
