The Schooner the Better: Pilot Oyster Bar Reopens on the Brooklyn Waterfront This Week

The schooner-slash-seasonal-oyster-bar, Pilot, reopens for its first full season this Thursday, May 24 at Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pilot—along with other waterfront restaurants Grand Banks and Island Oyster—was co-founded by brothers Alex and Miles Pincus. They turned their lifelong love of sailing into a unique dining extravaganza for seafood lovers aboard this majestic boat.

Since last season, sustainable seafood expert and chef Kerry Heffernan has retooled the dining options, which include, of course, oysters, along with a tempting soft-shell crab po-boy and a wonderfully punny Seabrined Martini. For the oyster-averse, there are small dishes like ceviche made of Montauk sea bream with avocado.

Pilot isn’t just a gustatory or aesthetic experience—it’s an educational one, too. The 140-foot Pilot—one of the rare remaining Grand Banks schooners—was originally a racing vessel that went on to become the longest serving pilot ship in U.S. maritime history. As a sustainable bonus, the restaurants have earned acclaim for their near zero-waste reputation and stellar partnership with the Billion Oyster Project.

So get ready to sip some cocktails and chow down on nature’s treasures while watching the sun set over New York Harbor. It’s the perfect summertime dining experience.