Top Ten New York Beer Gardens for Internationals

With spring already here and summer temptingly close, outside dining is once again on the menu for New York. And over the past few years, the city has seen the import of a wonderful European tradition that makes the warmer weather especially enjoyable: beer gardens! These light, open, and relaxed places are perfect for meeting with a group of friends for an informal drink or a leisurely meal, and the atmosphere of your average "biergarten" is pretty far removed from most American bars.There are plenty of beer gardens peppered throughout Manhattan and the outer boroughs, and we’re here to help you sort through the best on offer with our top ten biergarten list.The LoreleyModelled after the Brauhaus beer garden in Cologne, Germany, the Loreley will make you feel as though you're actually in Deutschland, with 12 German beers on tap, wines from the Loreley region, and an expansive menu featuring great German fare. Even the tables were built by a German carpenter, who also builds furniture for brewery pubs in Cologne. Coziness – or gemütlichkeit – is the theme here, with good drink, good food, and home-style traditions making it a sure winner.Bohemian HallBohemian Hall, which is in Queens, has been serving New York for over 101 years, and it's the city’s last original remaining beer garden. Run by the Bohemian Citizens’ Benevolent Society of Astoria, an organization devoted to New York’s Czech and Slovak communities, its menu offers plenty of traditional fare, including sausage, sauerkraut, and dumplings (which pair well with Bohemian Hall's extensive list of beers). You can even order “classic Czech shots,” which include double cross vodka, becherovka, and plum brandies.The setting will remind you of one the larger European beer gardens: Guests mingle at tables, and during any major soccer event, the hall accommodates fans with outdoor screens. In addition, it often holds special events featuring authentic food and entertainment. Check its website to see the events calendar.The Standard GrillThe Meatpacking District has a high-end version of a German biergarten — which also happens to be located right under the High Line — with The Standard Hotel’s beer garden. It offers three beers on tap, a full bar, and a lighter food menu. It’s definitely the beer garden with the trendiest crowd, and the party starts right after work. With one of New York's greatest new attractions overhead, we recommend it as the best beer garden to bring your out-of-town friends when they come to visit.BirreriaFor an Italian twist on the traditional beer garden, there’s Eataly’s rooftop restaurant and brewery, located in the Flatiron District. Birreria serves hearty dishes that recall Italy’s family-style meals. And the brewery, which operates in collaboration with Dogfish Head, Baladin, and Del Borgo, offers unfiltered, unpasteurized, and naturally carbonated cask ales, with specials including peppercorn-wheat and chestnut and thyme. A retractable roof makes this a good option no matter the weather, and with a view that includes the iconic Empire State Building, it's hard to be disappointed here.Beekman Beer Garden Beach ClubThis is the perfect place to go if you’re craving the beach, but you aren’t able to make the trip to the outskirts of the city. Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club is located right on the East River on the north side of Pier 17, and offers dazzling views of Brooklyn Bridge, if not the ocean. The venue features ping pong, pool tables, life-size chess, glowing lounge chairs — and actual sand. And, of course, enough drinks and snacks to help keep you and your friends satisfied. The venue hosts events like concerts and food festivals nearly every weekend.Zum SchneiderA Bavarian indoor biergarten with a seasonal variety of beers on tap and a great atmosphere, Zum Schneider also often hosts the fantastically named Oompah band, Mösl Franzi and the JaJaJa's. Founded by native Bavarian Sylvester Schneider in order to recreate the biergartens he missed from home, the beer menu is particularly impressive and a number of great international events are celebrated here throughout the year. If you are missing Bavaria, this is the place to go — and their schnitzel is particularly amazing!SpritzenhausA nice change from the crowded and claustrophobic bars in much of the city, Spritzenhaus is an airy and spacious bar on the north side of McCarren Park, Brooklyn. It provides an extensive range of beers on tap, and though it’s indoors, large windows provide an openness perfect for those warmer evenings. Long picnic tables provide a casual and communal atmosphere, but be prepared to order from the bar because there’s no table service.Berry ParkEqually relaxing as Spritzenhaus (but with a more international flavor of beer; German offerings are particularly strong) is Berry Park. The venue boasts a rooftop deck with stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, which is great for hot, lazy days, and their seasonal daft beers work well paired with the menu (giant Bavarian pretzel, anyone?). However, most of Berry Park’s magic happens indoors, with bands playing on a stage on the weekends and sports games (including soccer and rugby) often showing on TV, and so you may feel a bit like the true party is downstairs rather than outside.Radegast Hall and BiergartenRadegast Hall will make you feel like you’re stepping back into the Old World. Many aspects of the Austro-Hungarian venue feel authentic Haufbrahaus, right down to the impressive facade and the staff donned in beer maiden outfits. In addition, the hall was constructed out of two adjacent warehouses, which allows for soaring ceilings and two distinct dining areas — one of them constituting a beer garden complete with a retractable roof. The menu offers great German fare in the form of brats and pretzels, and there are plenty of imported beer varieties to choose from. (See their video featuring a jazz band performance below.)Hallo BerlinOriginally started as the first German food cart to open in New York City, Hallo Berlin has since expanded to include a beer hall in Hell's Kitchen that has a nice — but smallish — outdoor beer garden. But you might find that the best reason to come here is rather for the off-the-beaten-path authentic food at budget prices. The menu (which proudly proclaims Hallo Berlin to be “New York’s wurst restaurant”) boasts such dishes as wine herring in cream and konigsberger klopse, as well as the more standard German sausages and sauerkraut.