Outdoor dining is officially back across the five boroughs, even if the roads won't be quite as packed with diners as they were at the height of the trend.

In total, around 2,600 establishments have been approved to serve diners outside, either on the sidewalk or at roadside dining set-ups, according to the city Department of Transportation.

What You Need To Know

  • Outdoor dining is back across the five boroughs, even if the roads won't be quite as packed with diners as they were at the height of the trend

  • Around 2,600 establishments have been approved to serve diners outside

  • The number is only a fraction of the more than 12,000 outdoor dining spaces that existed during the early stages of the pandemic, when the program’s numbers peaked

Roughly 600 those eateries applied for roadway dining setups, while about 2,000 applied for sidewalk setups, the DOT said.

The number is only a fraction of the more than 12,000 outdoor dining spaces that existed during the early stages of the pandemic, when the program’s numbers peaked.

Still, speaking with NY1 Tuesday, DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said that, given the proper context, the program is actually flourishing.

“Before COVID, we only had 1,200 sidewalk [dining spaces] for the whole city of New York,” Rodriguez said.

He added that there are “hundreds more” applicants in the process of getting approved for the city’s new program.

Asked whether the City Council made it too complicated for restaurants to apply for outdoor dining permits, Rodriguez said officials at the DOT are working to get applications approved expeditiously.

"You know the Council, as you say, established a process. We at DOT, we are approving every single application that is in front of our planning and reviewing,” he said. “New Yorkers love this program, but New Yorkers also say, ‘Take care of the quality-of-life issues.’”

The Dining Out NYC program allows restaurants to operate outdoor dining setups. Eateries can either build structures — compliant with the city’s design rules — or rent city-approved roadway dining structures.

The city’s permanent outdoor dining program bans curbside sheds and requires all seating areas to be open — with umbrellas or coverings overhead — rather than roofing structures. Removable flooring that gets cleaned once a week is also required.

While restaurants can operate sidewalk setups year-round, the season for roadway setups will wrap up Nov. 29.

For more information, visit diningoutnyc.info.