There’s a Huge New Outdoor Restaurant, Bar, and Kid-Friendly Hangout in Southie

Park City. / Photo by Mike Diskin

The people who’ve been feeding South Boston oysters and tacos for a decade (and fusion-y sushi rolls for nearly as long) are giving the neighborhood a giant outdoor gathering spot. The new restaurant slash bar slash hangout Park City opens today, with 30,000 square feet of cozy Adirondack chairs, bars, and space to enjoy comfort food and wide-ranging entertainment.

“The motto of this place is ‘summer fun,’” says owner Mike Shaw (Loco Taqueria & Oyster Bar, Fat Baby). Think: “summer camp for adults,” he says—but also kids and dogs. “We can’t emphasize enough that this is going to be a family-friendly venue. I have three kids under the age of four who live in Southie. One of the biggest calls to action for us [in opening Park City] was that my friends and I who have families here don’t have a place like this to go in the summer.”

Park City’s fish tacos. / Photo by Sarah Healy

The space alone would undoubtedly attract crowds, with or without creative food; in fact, in the early planning stages, Shaw was thinking of “just putting a couple of grills out here.” But the team ended up building a kitchen, and “it snowballed into an actual food program,” says Shaw.

“We didn’t limit ourselves to any one cuisine, but I really tried to bring New England summer nostalgia through,” says executive chef Chelven Randolph, previously of Nosh and Grog in Canton. He’s particularly excited about the fish tacos, in which local haddock is battered in crushed Takis Fuego chips, and the salt-and-pepper wings, an ode to culinary director Mike Sanchez’ favorites at Peter Woo’s in Revere (where Sanchez grew up).

Park City’s salt and pepper wings. / Photo by Sarah Healy

Also on the menu: dry-aged smash burgers; all-beef hot dogs with beer mustard; fried chicken sandwiches with Korean soy glaze; lobster rolls; lomo saltado; an “adult Lunchable” (basically a cheese and charcuterie board); and more. (There’s also food meant for dogs, in a menu section labeled, naturally, “Bark City”—simple beef patties and chicken tenders for order, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the MSPCA.)

For the (human) grownups, festive drinks abound, including four different spritzes and magnums of rosé. “I envision myself, some friends, and 10 kids running around; we’re just drinking rosé and their [playful] screams don’t bother us,” says Shaw. Also notable: freshly canned cocktails. Mixed drinks are made to order and then canned lightning-fast right at the bar, garnishes and all. “We’ve seen [this self-canning apparatus] being used down in Florida a little bit, and it’s so badass,” says Shaw. For a sizable venue where patrons will grab their own drinks at the bar and head back to, say, playing a lawn game or chasing their kids around the open space, it’s ideal not to have an open cup, drink sloshing over the edges.

Park City cocktails. / Photo by Sinna Studios

While Park City’s eventual cold-weather future is yet to be determined, Shaw and the team are hoping to keep the space up and running as long as weather permits, and there’ll be fire pits and heaters ready for the cooler months. But now, all thoughts are on summer, and Park City joins Greater Boston’s growing collection of beer gardens and outdoor restaurants (see also: the new Island Creek Raw Bar in the Seaport).

“I cannot say more sincerely how awesome the city has been about activating these outdoor spaces,” says Shaw. “I think it does a ton for Boston to be a contemporary desirable city for the people who are living here. There’s always been this tendency to think that people want to escape in the summer, but [these outdoor venues] increased over the last few years, and people want to stay in town. We’re really happy to be a part of that.”

Park City’s fried chicken sando. / Photo by Sinna Studios

Shaw might not want people to physically leave Boston for the season, but he does hope Park City feels transportive. “The ethos [of our restaurant group] is that we don’t really care where [our restaurants] take you, as long as they take you out of your daily routine. We just want to have an element of escape.”

383 Dorchester Ave., South Boston, parkcitysouthie.com.

Park City’s lobster roll. / Photo by Sarah Healy