Somewhere amid the cliffs and sand of Germany's Baltic coast, there must be a surfside beer garden that serves seafood, and German probably has one long word to describe the hybrid. New Yorkers who crave a stein of Weihenstephan to go with their bowl of chowder have PIER 116, a meeresfrüchtebiergarten in Cobble Hill. Inside, diners down bluepoint oysters ($9) and Hofbrau ($4.75) under boat-like yellow lights. In the garden, beer lovers find a mini-Munich of communal tables, where they savor a brew from an ever changing menu and hoist their mugs to an early Oktoberfest: warm summer nights served with shrimp rolls and fries. Pier 116, 116 Smith Street, Brooklyn, 718.260.8900ADKISON
photo: Tara Engberg
Find out what the brewhaha is all about at the Bohemian Hall and Garden.
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KILLMEYER'S OLD BAVARIA INN emerges from the landscape like a hotel in a Nabokov fairy tale. Through the dark-wooded interior, and into the night! The beer garden, lit with white bulbs and hugged by blossoming dogwood trees, offers a selection of nine beers on tap—six German, three non—as well as 34 bottles from the land of lederhosen. Spaten, Warsteiner, Einbecher, Franziskaner: The list reads like a directory of psychoanalysts. And the waitresses, puffy of sleeve, are atmosphere personified. Live music in the garden Friday thorough Sunday, in season. Killmeyer's Old Bavaria Inn, 4254 Arthur Kill Road, Staten Island, 718.984.1202SOTTILE
The worldly collection of draft and bottled beer at D.B.A. is famous. Less talked about is the quaint outdoor deck, hidden in the back: A greenhouse-like atrium, adorned with trees, plants, wooden benches, and patio furniture, is your instant communion with Mother Nature. It's even more natural-feeling when you're slurping down some cold, great, hard-to-find tap beer: Paulaner Hefe-Weizen, Beamish Irish Stout ($5), and rare "hand-drawn cask ales" such as Old Speckled Hen. D.B.A., 41 First Avenue, 212.475.5097BOSLER
The mission at L.I.C. is simple—just look at the windowpane outside, which reads "Cordials" and "Draughts." There's no gimmick here, just some good ol' drinking to be done: 10 beers by the bottle, another 12 on tap, and hardly any pub fare, save for grilled-cheese sandwiches for the weak in spirit. Bypass the interior and head to the backyard garden, a concrete retreat where you can while away the hours unfettered by the bustle of Manhattan. Sit back with a stein of Belgian Corsendonk ($6) in hand and just relax—you're in Queens now, and here, what you see is what you get. 45–58 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, Queens, 718.786.5400BASTIDAS
All Decked Out: Cocktails Al Fresco
Tucked away from view a flight above street level, the courtyard at the HUDSON HOTEL feels like an exotic garden party dreamed up by a precocious child—an Eloise with a Philippe Starck fetish and a yen for $15 martinis. The outlandish scale of the mix-and-match furniture, lanterns, and cheeky ordinary-garden-object sculptures (including an enormous tin watering can brimming with flowers in full bloom) only enhances the sensation that you've slipped away from midtown. Hudson Hotel, 356 West 58th Street, 212.554.6000, hudsonhotel.comWEINSTEIN
The Greeks come out at night—and in droves if you're in Astoria. On any given evening, just follow the veil of smoke to one of the many bars off Steinway Street or hold out for Olympic-size debauchery at CAVO CAFÉ, a 4,000-square-foot lounge where patrons get their Greek freak on. A massive outdoor garden, not unlike a Mediterranean oasis, awaits out back. There you can philosophize on which martini to order—apple, watermelon, peach, mango, chocolate, raspberry, or mandarin ($10)—or just sit back and people-watch as girls in tight skirts and guys in crisp button-downs walk on by. This scene, mingled with the sultry summer air and the Europop playing throughout, will transport you to Mykonos in no time. Cavo Café, 42–18 31st Avenue, Astoria, Queens, 718.721.1001BASTIDAS
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, nurse forlorn pining or budding romance at CLOISTER CAFÉ's garden. A backlit stained-glass facade of medieval mortals illuminates from within while ivy creeps up the brick wall into a canopy of vines, and lights hang over potted tulips and water-spouting gargoyles. Open late for one last nibble, Cloister Café has a wine list that boasts many reds and whites (house wine, $5 a glass), as well as ports and dessert wines ($7 to $8). The Ruffino Chianti ($8 a glass, $32 a bottle) is especially recommended, with caution: When the world starts to shine, you know you've had too much wine. Cloister Café, 238 East 9th Street, 212.777.9128KIM
It might look a little Disney-ish, but the retractable-roofed garden at the SUNBURNT COW in Alphabet City offers one of the city's unique outdoor settings. The walls are carved to look like Australian sandstone, giving the patio a dank, dark, "I'm a drunken caveman" feel. You won't be mistaken for an aboriginal, however, while sipping on an $8 Coolangatta Gold (muddled watermelon, banana rum, and a splash of sour pineapple Stoli), one of a dozen "mootinis" and "moo juices" on the Cow's menu. The Sunburnt Cow, 137 Avenue C, 212.529.0005STEINBERG
