Thirsty in New York? Not a problem! The city is a beer lover’s paradise and you are never more than a few blocks away from a place offering the sweet, golden nectar – in many variations and great quantities. We’ve crawled trough our New York city guide and selected 7 of the best beer spots in town.
Bierhaus NYC
Polka music fills the room while waiters walk around dressed in lederhosen. The experience at Bierhaus is like you have ended up slap bang in the centre of the largest Oktoberfest festival. The beers are served in large, heavy, glass tankards, and the menu consists of sausages, sauerkraut and other German specialities.
As a guest, you’ll sit on a bench at a long wooden table. The cultural atmosphere gets better and better the later it gets. Bierhaus is just the place for those who want to drink plenty of beer at reasonable prices and be in the midst of good company.
Where: 712 3rd Ave.
Tel: +1 212 867 2337
Nearest station: Grand Central – 42nd St.
The Boat Basin
If you’ve seen the Tom Hanks movie You’ve Got Mail then you may recall his family living on a boat docked in a city harbour. This marina is nestled on the Hudson River within the tree-covered and pedestrianised Riverside Park.
While you will spot locals running by in jogging gear or walking the family dog, this is a picturesque location to watch yachts and sailboats navigating into harbour. The best part? An outdoor beer garden called The Boat Basin Café. Casual prepsters hang out at this limestone rotunda in shorts and sandals throughout the sunny seasons, so kick back on a hot summer’s day to enjoy a cold beer, a cool breeze, and a breathtaking panorama.
Note: The Boat Basin Café is only open during spring and summer – sorry, folks!
Where: 390 West 79th Street
Tel: +1 212 496 5542
Nearest station: 79th Street
Radegast Hall and Biergarten
Live music, craft beer and lots of atmosphere describe Radegast Hall and Biergarten. The venue is a local favourite in Williamsburg. You can go for brunch, take the kids to dinner or simply go there to listen to a little jazz and drink a beer in the evenings when it is a bit livelier. Often, you will run into a beer-tasting session or special culinary events.
As a plus, the atmosphere is always relaxed and cosy. In October, the rustic hall hosts Oktoberfest in its best, most German way.
Where: 113 N. 3rd St. Williamsburg
Tel: +1 718 963 3973
Nearest station: Bedford Ave.
Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery exports beer to the rest of the world and is among the best 40 breweries in the United States. This status probably took the founders, Steve Hindy and Tom Potter, by surprise. They had left their jobs as a Middle East correspondent and broker, respectively, in order to brew beer for the simple love of it. They started small, opening the doors to their brewery in Williamsburg in 1996, brewing and selling the same beer they do in much greater quantities today.
You can take a guided tour and learn more about the products and their stories or simply sit in the unpolished hall of the brewery and enjoy one of the popular beers. Opening hours are limited, so be sure to check out the website before you go.
Where: 79 North 11th St.
Tel: +1 718 486 7422
Nearest station: Bedford Ave.
The Woods
No place epitomises the Williamsburg hipster essence quite like The Woods. With an attractive clientele that likes to appear to be too cool to care, this is where scruffy and chic crisscross. Come early for a patio chill-out session where you can share a picnic table and a bucket of beers with new friends. Arrive late, however, and you’re thronged into a steamy dance party full of cute singles and a killer DJ spinning remixed house jams or retro hip hop.
The bartenders could easily double for another eye-catching face in the crowd, but attend to your drinking needs as you choose from an expansive chalkboard menu. There’s also a taco cart in the greenhouse-like structure out back, serving Mexican munchies until the night’s wee hours.
Where: 48 S 4th Street
Tel: +1 718 782 4955
Nearest station: Bedford Ave
Top Hops Beer Shop
Is it a shop with a bar or a bar with a shop? If you’re fortunate enough to meet the owner, he’ll modestly answer that Top Hops is a celebration of beer – and he retails 700 varieties to prove it.
At a first glance you’ll notice an oversized chalkboard that lists a rotating selection of twenty craft beers on tap. You can sample four at once by ordering a flight. However, if you head to the bulky refrigerators in the back, your selection is infinite. A functioning gallery of beer culture, you can purchase coffee lager from Hawaii, bourbon ale from Kentucky, Oktoberfest brews imported from Bavaria, or national brands ranging from the Philippines to Peru. The entire world of beer is your oyster!
Where: 94 Orchard Street
Tel: +1 212 254 4677
Nearest station: Essex Street
The Porterhouse at Fraunces Tavern
History and beer join hands at Fraunces Tavern. It encompasses a restaurant, a museum, and a bar which serving one of the city’s largest selections of beer.
Fraunces Tavern is located in New York’s oldest surviving building. It was here that general George Washington gathered his officers for a farewell dinner after they had won the Revolutionary War against the Brits. History resonates in this old building, especially after hours when it is bustling with life. The newly renovated bar is certainly a box-office draw – not least due to the many different beers served directly from the cask.
Where: 54 Pearl St.
Tel: +1 212 968 1776
Nearest station: Whitehall
