The 10 Best Bars With Outdoor Space In NYC
May 8, 2013, 12:25 p.m.
It's time to evaluate all those backyard drinking spots that have been hidden behind our favorite bars all winter.
We've already rounded up our favorite rooftop bars, so now it's time to evaluate all those backyard drinking spots that have been hidden behind our favorite bars all winter, visited only by smokers and cheerful natives from the Great Lakes states. Here are a few of our favorites; as always, list your own suggestions in the comments:
LIC BAR: We've long been fans of the little brick-walled backyard of this Queens pub, with its many tables to relax at and listen to the breeze through the willow trees. During happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m., domestic bottles, well drinks and pints of Heineken and Dos Equis are a mere $3, with ice cold margaritas only a few bucks more at $5. Arrive early and settle in for one of the live music sets the venue offers regularly, starting with the first outdoor show of the season on Monday, May 26th from 6 to 8 p.m. (Nell Casey)
LIC Bar is located at 45-58 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queens; 718-786-5400
Backyard at No Name Bar (Rebecca Fishbein/Gothamist)
NO NAME BAR: This Greenpoint bar's tried to stay "underground" without a real name, website and phone since opening in 2011, but at this point, its massive backyard isn't much of a secret, and the place gets packed quickly on warm weekend nights. But with its long picnic tables, wooden swing and big, blooming tree smack-dab in the middle, it's still one of the loveliest outdoor spots in the area. Grab a $6 brew on tap—they've got Brooklyn Lager and Allagash White, among others—or a $3 can of Genesse and take a seat out back; the bar's also got a noodle shop downstairs if you want to grab a quick bite, or you can check out some of the neighborhood's top-notch dining spots pre or post-boozing.
No Name is located at 597 Manhattan Ave between Driggs and Nassau Aves in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
ZOMBIE HUT: This Carroll Gardens spot is technically a tiki bar, but while tiki bars can get a little overpriced and hokey sometimes, Zombie Huts' cheap, sugary frozen and island drinks make up for the kitschy plastic monkeys and drink umbrellas. The bar's backyard is outfitted with bright blue and red tables and benches, tiki-hut roofs and funky Pacific Island-themed torches and decor. It's a fun little hidden gem, perfect for sharing a flaming four-person Scorpion bowl—a $26 monster of a concoction made with Bacardi rum and brandy, or $5 sweet Mai Tais for the single drinker. Best of all, they've got a beefy selection of board games like Jenga and Apples-to-Apples, and free Goldfish to snack on when all that rum starts to go to your head.
Zombie Hut is located at 273 Smith Street between Degraw and Sackett Streets in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (718-875-3433). Follow them on Facebook.
CROWN VICTORIA: Don't be fooled by the scattered picnic tables sitting outside in front of this Williamsburg beer bar; that puny porch is just a preview of the vast outdoor space on the other side. Walk through Crown Vic's narrow wood-paneled, burger-scented interior and head to the concrete yard out back, where you can play bocce ball and drink a $6 draft of Shiner Bock, fresh off the plane from Texas; they've got 25 other beers on tap, too, including Sixpoint Crisp and Peek Organic Summer Ale, and happy hour knocks draft beers down to $4 from noon to 7 p.m. daily. And on Sundays, the bar does a weekly afternoon pig roast in the backyard, where they carve up two one-hundred pound pigs and serve roasted pork and sides until the food runs out (and it will definitely run out).
Crown Vic is located at 60 South 2nd Street between Wythe and Kent Aves in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (917-719-6072, crownvicbar.com). Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
BOAT BASIN CAFE: The Hudson River might be filled with giant floating statue heads and occasional sewage discharge, but it sure is pretty in the summer. And all that aquatic beauty is even better when appreciated with one of the Boat Basin Cafe's electric lemonades in hand, an $8 cocktail consisting of frozen lemonade, vodka and blue curacao. This summer, they're also serving Huckleberry lemonade, also $8, made with a rare huckleberry vodka mixed with homemade lemonade, along with 14 beers on draft for $6-$7 and a solid selection of bottled beers like Shock Top and Nantucket. For $30, you can get a combination of six of any $6-$7 bottles in a bucket on ice; they've also got basic lunch fare like burgers and and grilled chicken sandwiches, but no fries, so if you're looking to pair on some fried potatoes with your drink, you'll have to stick with potato chips.
The Boat Basin is located at West 79th Street at Riverside Drive on the Upper West Side (212-496-5542, boatbasincafe.com). Follow them on Facebook.
La Bottega.
LA BOTTEGA: The outdoor patio at the Maritime Hotel's Italian eatery really looks a bit like a Mediterranean oasis, complete with magnolia trees, a rustic terrazzo floor, umbrella-ed tables and glowing orange lantern lights at night. It doesn't feel like the Meatpacking District, which is exactly what you need sometimes in the Meatpacking District. The bar serves Italian cocktails with an American twist, like the Italian sidecar ($13), made with grappa, orangecello and orange juice, and a classic negroni made with Campari, Tanqueray #10 and sweet vermouth ($14). They've also got a selection of wines, prosecco and beer, which you can pair with classic antipasti dishes and pastas like ravioli with short ribs ($15) and lobster risotto ($23).
La Bottega is located at the Maritime Hotel at 88 Ninth Ave in Chelsea (212-243-8400, themaritimehotel.com.
(Hugh Merwin/Gothamist)
BROOKLYN ICE HOUSE: Nothing says summer like barbecue and beer, and this Red Hook standby, with its gravel-floored backyard, does both better than any other spot in the 'hood. The bar's friendly bartenders offer daily $5 beer-and-shot specials (beer cans come in cozies!), plus they're known for making stellar pulled pork sandwiches that run two-for-$5; Brooklyn Ice House's backyard also boasts a selection of board games, brightly colored, bolted down patio furniture, vintage storefront signs and a funky fresco featuring a pig and a grill, lending to its casual neighborhood hang kind of feel.
Brooklyn Ice House is located at 318 Van Brunt Street between Pioneer and King Streets in Red Hook, Brooklyn (718-222-1865).
LORELEY RESTAURANT AND BIERGARTEN: Hurricane Sandy ravaged Loreley's Williamsburg outpost last fall, shuttering it permanently. But the Lower East Side flagship's still standing strong, serving up German fare and beers in mugs the size of a human head in a sizable, picnic table-filled backyard. Classic Deutsche brews include Bitburger Pilsner, Gaffel Kölsch, Hofbräu and Spaten Lager, which come in .3 liter mugs ($5) and full liters ($14-$16) in addition to 16 ounce drafts for $7; you might need a few gouda-filled soft pretzels ($10) and Weisswurst sausages ($10) to soak up all the barley and hops.
Loreley is located at 7 Rivington Street between Christie Street and Freeman Alley on the Lower East Side (212-253-7077, loreleynyc.com). Follow them on Facebook.
LAVENDER LAKE: We loved Lavender Lake when it opened in Gowanus last summer, and this year we think it's going to be better than ever. The big patio's stocked with wooden deck furniture, potted plants and other suburban outdoor comforts, making it feel like a friendly spot to sit outside and knock back a few drinks. They serve a rotating selection of $6 craft beers like Founders All Day IPA and Kelso Pilsner, specialty cocktails (this season's menu is themed after Keanu Reeves, like the tequila-and-ginger heavy Street King, $11) and other drinks, plus Lavender Lake offers a menu featuring tasty entrees, appetizers and bar snacks—though, at $4 a plate, you can probably find a better local deal on smoked almonds and potato chips. Instead, try the bar's classic angus beef burger ($11) and the kale caesar salad made with pine-nuts ($8), sip a cold brew and enjoy the sunshine.
Lavender Lake is located at 383 Carroll Street at Bond Street in Gowanus, Brooklyn (347-799-2154, lavenderlake.com). Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
SEA WITCH: This vaguely nautical South Slope joint draws in the crowds for its good beer selection, tasty comfort food and, during the warmer months, the zen-like backyard area. The space boasts ample seating room for large and small parties on no-frills, oversized wooden benches. The garden is bisected by a charming, boulder-lined stream, where you can watch tiny fish flit about as you sip on Six Point, Smuttynose and Stella. If you're hankering for something fried to line your belly, opt for the filling pork schnitzel sandwich ($6.50) with banana peppers and chopped onion or the fried whole belly clam roll ($11) with housemade tartar sauce. (Nell Casey)
Sea Witch is located at 703 5th Avenue, South Slope, Brooklyn; 347-227-7166