Zagat editor Kelly Dobkin looks at two Downtown Manhattan poolside dining options for the summer season.

The first choice is The Beach, a restaurant and poolside lounge at the Dream Downtown in Chelsea.

While the pool is only open to hotel guests during the day, The Beach's patio dining space is open to the public for both lunch and dinner, featuring a menu by "Top Chef" alumni Manuel Treviño.

Executive Chef Manuel on the food: “The inspiration comes from my heritage. I come from a Mexican-American family. What we thought to do this summer was more of a taqueria, kind of a fun, beach-type cabana menu. Some of my favorite items are the kobe asada tacos that we do and I also really enjoy the street-style corn on the cob," says Treviño. "We want to create a fun, open, lively atmosphere. We have the beautiful pool, it’s sunny out, we serve some really fresh Mexican food and I think it’s just a great recipe for success here."

The next poolside dining option is La Piscine at the brand-new Hotel Americano. It's an outdoor lounge and eatery with an adjacent pool area and an outdoor grill that offers up a taste of the Mediterranean on a West Chelsea rooftop.

The stunning views from this skyline restaurant overlook the High Line below.

“It’s meant to be a space that when you come you feel like you’re on holiday in the Mediterranean," says Carlos Couturier, the owner of La Piscine. "We have a pool, we have a lounge, we have a grill. We serve this great food.”

“It’s simple, everything’s grilled," says executive chef Joseph Buenconsejo. "My favorite dish is the branzino. We grill it whole, we season it with different kind of herbs, lemon confit, and we make our olive butter, and we serve it with a wedge of lemon.”

“We’re recreating almost being in Rio de Janeiro or Mykonos or St. Tropez but in Manhattan. That’s the objective,” says Couturier.