Pack your picnic basket

Photograph: James Tutor

Alfresco season is in full swing, and all that outdoor time is bound to stoke young appetites. Whether you’re taking your little ones to a concert in Brooklyn or just looking for some prime Frisbee-throwing space uptown, you’ll want to make certain your wicker hamper is well stocked. En route to the lawn of your choice, venture beyond the classic three-bean salad at one of these purveyors.

Battery Park
Planning on making the journey to Ellis Island? Await the next ferry in delicious style, with French goods from Financier Patisserie. The ratatouille-and-goat-cheese tart will make you glad you didn’t attempt a quiche at home, and the turkey wrap with low-fat basil mayo should do the trick for finicky palates. Ethereal meringue-like sandwich cookies called macarons are worth risking a sugar tantrum. 3–4 World Financial Center, Vesey St at West St (212-786-3220, financierpastries.com). See website for other locations downtown.

Central Park
No matter whether you’ll be entering the park from the East Side or the West, there’s a Gourmet Garage nearby. Load up on purple Peruvian potato salad, ginger-plum tofu with Asian spring vegetables, and teddy bear–shaped animal crackers. The marketplace also makes its own potato chips, so grab a bag of the barbecue style. Skip the soda and give tots their own containers of Horizon’s low-fat strawberry milk. • 2567 Broadway at 96th St (212-663-0656, gourmetgarage.com); • 1245 Park Ave at 96th St (212-348-5850)

Fort Tryon Park
Before stretching out in the glorious green space in northern Washington Heights, stop off at Mediterranean-inspired Emilou’s Café for a tagine chicken wrap with pepper-garlic spread, a platter of house-made hummus, and falafel with pita bread. Sip fresh carrot juice while showing the kids some stellar views of the lower Hudson Valley. 827 W 181st St between Cabrini Blvd and Pinehurst Ave (212-795-9312)

McCarren Park
Unroll your blanket at this Greenpoint oasis and tuck into sandwiches from charming Urban Rustic Market and Café. The Colvin combines roast beef, cheddar, lettuce and tomato on rosemary-garlic bread, but youngsters may be more tempted by the Macomb, an organic peanut-butter sandwich with honey and banana on multigrain. Keep your eyes peeled for some kickball action. 236 North 12th St between Driggs and Union Aves, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-388-9444, urbanrusticnyc.com)

Prospect Park
The affable dudes at Russo Mozzarella and Pasta will gladly make an Italian-style sandwich with all the fixins. But it’s more fun to assemble your own. Start with buttery fresh mozzarella and a loaf of semolina bread, and add some disks of spicy soppressata. Plump green olives make for a savory side treat, while wildflower honey mixed into homemade ricotta is a just-sweet-enough dessert that could convert even young ice cream addicts. 363 Seventh Ave between 10th and 11th Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-369-2874)

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park
In homage to the neighborhood’s bustling Chinatown, pack a picnic full of Asian flair. Sun Mary’s hefty pork sandwiches satisfy big appetites, but cheap, filling buns are really the wayto go. Wash down a crunchy-topped pineapple- or taro-filled bun with honey-sweetened lemon tea, then gaze at blooming crape myrtles and butterfly bushes at the lush Queens Botanical Garden. 133-57 41st Rd between College Point Blvd and Main St, Flushing, Queens (718-460-8800)