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Bronx

Riverdale

Hudson views, the Bronx's last kosher deli, and Oaxacan mole at the top of the 1 train.

Photo: Anthony22 · CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Riverdale is the Bronx most visitors never picture: a hilly, leafy corner at the northwest edge of the borough, with stone mansions and apartment towers stepping down toward the Hudson, the city's northernmost point at its tip, and views across the river to the Palisades. Along Broadway, where the elevated 1 train runs past the edge of Van Cortlandt Park, it shades into Kingsbridge, a busier, more working neighborhood of pubs, pizzerias and family restaurants.

The eating follows the hill. Up on West 235th Street, Liebman's has cured its own pastrami since 1953 and is now the last kosher deli in the Bronx; on West 238th, an Irish arts café has hosted trad sessions and poetry since 1991. Riverdale Avenue has a Oaxacan restaurant and mezcal bar that draws people up from Manhattan, and down on Broadway there are a craft beer pub by the 238th Street station, a Peruvian kitchen famous for its empanadas and flan, and a steakhouse looking over the park.

Make a day of it. Walk the gardens at Wave Hill in the morning, cross to Van Cortlandt Park and its 1749 manor house in the afternoon, and finish with dinner — the 1 train will have you back in Midtown in under an hour.

Hudson River views and the Palisades from Wave Hill

Hand-cut pastrami at the Bronx's last kosher deli

Trad sessions, poetry and pints on West 238th Street

The 1 train elevated over Broadway at the edge of Van Cortlandt Park

Local notes

Wave Hill

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center on the slope above the Hudson, with views straight across to the Palisades. The oldest part of Wave Hill House dates to 1843; Glyndor House, from 1927, holds an art gallery. Check hours and admission on Wave Hill's site before you go.

Van Cortlandt Park

At 1,146 acres, the city's third-largest park runs along the east side of Broadway, with the Parade Ground, golf courses, trails and cross-country courses. In its southwest corner stands the Van Cortlandt House, finished in 1749 and the oldest known surviving house in the Bronx, now a historic house museum.

Liebman's Deli

Opened in 1953, when the borough had close to a hundred kosher delis, and now the only one left. The Dekel family has run it since 1980. Order pastrami on rye and matzo ball soup, and remember there is no dairy with the meat.

Through the lens

Wave Hill's Hudson lawns face west, so late afternoon and sunset light the Palisades best; a long lens compresses the cliffs across the river. In Van Cortlandt Park, the Parade Ground gives open sky and the 1 train's elevated terminal as a backdrop. Riverdale's side streets are steep and residential — be discreet with homes and people.

Editorial draft — core details last reviewed October 19, 2026. Confirm practical details with the official site before you go.

Where to eat & drink