There are rooftop restaurants, and then there are rooftops that make you feel like you are on vacation... even if you are in the middle of a bustling city like New York. NYC's new, playful rooftop-restaurant, Golden Child earns its place in the Holiday: VR Summer Club Collection by doing something your group will immediately appreciate: it serves caviar in a lunchbox. Let’s start there.

It will make you feel like the nostalgia of being a kid on vacation at one of those old-school summer resort clubs, where New Yorkers used to spend entire seasons from the 1920s through the 1960s. Part childhood nostalgia, part old-school country club. The kind that inspired the setting of the movie Dirty Dancing, with days built around club activities, and lunches served out of those sweet little metal lunchboxes under striped umbrellas. It just opened on April 7th, so grab your reservations while you can still claim it's your friend group's "niche little spot."

Photography Courtesy of Nicholas Lee Ruiz

Bring Friends on the Most Fashionable Field Trip of Their Lives (Peak Childhood Nostalgia)

It’s country club meets camp, without the membership card, waitlist politics, or inherited rules. Located above Hotel Park Ave in NoMad, the rooftop patio pairs rows of striped umbrellas with layered lounge seating and a polished, slightly collegiate charm that feels lifted from a better era of summer in the city. It’s the perfect setup for a party or group dinner because no one is stuck debating the order or managing the plan. Birthdays, bachelorettes, reunion dinners, spontaneous Friday nights, all handled. Within our Summer Club collection, this is your city stop. Expect the kind of entrance moment every good summer deserves.

Picture this: you’re seated under rows of striped umbrellas, the table’s set, drinks are flowing, everyone’s mid-catch-up. And then, one by one, actual sage-green lunchboxes start landing across the table like a very chic roll call. Open one and it’s a sharp menu: a pear, brie, and jamón sandwich on buttered baguette, a cookie tucked inside like a throwback, and a Capri Sun-style cocktail pouch that makes everyone pause mid-conversation. Add oysters and caviar with chips to the table and suddenly you’re in the middle of a perfect high-low feast, somewhere between uptown summer and the most fashionable field trip of your life.

Country Club Energy, Manhattan Address

Golden Child brings a more considered mood to the rooftop scene, trading bottle-service theatrics for conversation, comfort, and very good taste. Its 3,500-square-foot footprint combines an intimate lounge with an open-air terrace, making it as useful for a birthday dinner as it is for a 350-guest reception. The aesthetic has an Ivy-league sensibility, with layered interiors and polished details that feel inviting from the first round onward. Behind it all is Renwick Hospitality Group, the hospitality group known for creating some of New York’s stylish tables.

The Order, Straight from the Honors Menu

Executive Chef Carsten Johannsen gives the menu its sense of fun, remixing childhood favorites with sharper instincts and very adult appetites. The result is playful, highly shareable, and exactly what you want when the table is full of friends. Our order for the group:

• The Golden Child Lunch Box: with pear, brie, and jamón on buttered baguette, a chocolate chip cookie, and a boozy Capri Sun
• Golden Osetra Caviar: with potato chips, crème fraîche, chives, and caramelized onion
• Montauk Pearl Oysters: with grapefruit and shiso vinaigrette
• Hamachi: with cilantro, jalapeño, yuzu vinaigrette, and tamari aioli
• Hot Pocket-Style Pizzas: in margherita, roasted mushroom, and spicy pepperoni
• Chicken Tendies: with Caesar dip
• The Golden Burger: with double smashed patties and spicy dill pickle aioli
• Mezze Platter: with crispy naan, baba ganoush, hummus, raita, pickles, and roasted meatballs

Meet Me After Class

The drinks follow the same clever brief as the food, organized into "Core Curriculum", "Electives", "Honors Program", and "Study Break" with names that commit to the bit in the best way. For something crisp and refreshing, order The House Standard, a bright mix of Hendrick’s gin, jasmine, celery, lime, and cucumber. If your table prefers heat, The Overachiever brings mezcal, habanero, and rosemary, while The Transfer Student goes richer with bourbon, rum, guava, and mint.

For fruit-forward rounds, Campus Cooler mixes tequila, bergamot, and dragon fruit, while Pinky Swear leans playful with gin, mango, and cardamom. Groups should go straight to the "Class Project" section, where large-format pours like the Golden Child House Punch or Prickly Pear Royale do the hosting for you. And from 4–7 PM, "Golden Hour" keeps the mood especially generous with martinis, wine, beer, and snack specials that make staying for one more feel inevitable.

Keep the Key Card Handy

One of Golden Child’s smartest features is that the elevator ride home is built in. Hotel Park Ave NYC reopened in 2025 as Lore Group’s first New York property, bringing bold interiors, thoughtful details, and 189 art-filled rooms, including nine bespoke suites, to Park Avenue and 30th Street. It also places guests inside a strong food-and-drink lineup, from Park Rose and Seed Library NYC to the rooftop upstairs.

For groups, this is where it really clicks. Out-of-town friends? Everyone checks in, drops their bags, and heads upstairs. No coordinating cars, no splitting the group, no “where are we meeting?” texts. Wedding weekends, birthday party dinners, even corporate offsites, that kind of convenience goes straight on the bulletin board. You can host dinner, linger over drinks, stay the night and pick it right back up the next morning without ever leaving the building. It’s the kind of setup that lends itself to a true holiday weekend. 

Class Dismissed, Summer Commences

Not every holiday escape requires a passport or a coastline. Sometimes its in the city with yellow-striped umbrellas overhead, a skyline in the background, martinis arriving at Golden Hour, and your favorite people reaching for caviar, chicken tendies, and another glass from the punch bowl. That is exactly why Golden Child belongs in the Holiday Summer Club Collection: it captures the joy, novelty, and slight glamour of going somewhere fun, even if you never leave the city.

Book the table for your group and consider your summer plans officially added to the curriculum.

Venue: Golden Child 
Location:
Hotel Park Ave
444 Park Ave South, New York, New York NY 10016
15th floor
Photography: Courtesy of Nicholas Lee Ruiz

You're Invited on Holiday: 

• 🍸 Summer Celebration Spots: Browse our favorite restaurants, rooftop tables, and private dining venues for your next warm-weather party. [Right this way →]
• 🌞 The Holiday: VR Summer Club Collection: Step into our sunniest collection of the season, filled with resort towns, celebratory stays, and summer plans with excellent taste. [Right this way →]
• 🌴 Search more venues for your next getaway: From poolside hotels to design-forward resorts and private estates, discover places made for gathering beautifully. [Right this way →]
• 🍹 More Summer on the Magazine: Read seasonal editorials, hosting guides, destination stories, and warm-weather roundups for every kind of summer agenda. [Right this way →]
• 🛎️ Room Service by Venue Report: Planning a pool-forward trip for a crew? We’ll match you with group-friendly stays that get the vibe right—plus we’ll block rooms, find deals, and help you host like a pro. Free of charge.https://www.venuereport.com/room-blocks/ [Right this way →]