Visitors to Prospect Park's iconic boathouse now have another excuse to hang out and enjoy the view of the lake as the brand-new Purslane Cafe opened on July Fourth.

Early reviews from neighbors welcomed the new addition, with Will Hart from Prospect Heights saying, "it's nice to be able to participate in this kind of area...and we're all very jealous."

Open seven days a week, the menu features coffee, sandwiches and pastries, along with beer and wine.

"I could see myself sitting all day here with a book, meeting people," said Charlie Craft from Prospect Heights. "It's nice, it kind of harkens back to old school European café vibe."

The Prospect Park Alliance says everything at the café is made with an emphasis on locally sourced, sustainable ingredients, while the utensils and serving wear are either recyclable, or compostable.

Morgan Monaco, the president of the Alliance explains, "because we are Brooklyn's backyard and one of the premiere open spaces in the city, it's very important to think about everything we do from an environmental sustainability lens."

While hours most days will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., there are plans for the café be open later some nights, and also host live music and pop-up events - an idea that was very exciting to some neighbors, like Hazel Clark, who lives across the street from the park. "During the pandemic, it was really great here, people were doing music, so it's lovely if it's going to be a focus again," she said.

Craft, meanwhile, pointed out that, "people have been concerned about coming to the park at night, so it will be nice to have a more central location that has more traffic."

The Prospect Park Alliance says all of the evening and event plans will be announced on social media.