NYCGuide
The Most Pleasant Outdoor Bars In NYC Right Now
photo credit: Kate Previte
New York City has a ridiculous number of bars. Dive bars, sports bars, cocktail bars, beer bars, bars with DJs, bars with bathroom mirrors that are particularly flattering, speakeasy bars inside of subway stations, and more. But you’re not reading this guide because you want to know about every bar in New York City. You’re here because you want to know about the most pleasant places to sit outside on a hot summer day, perhaps with an interesting glass of wine, an expertly made cocktail, or a cold beer. Behold, garden patios, sidewalk cafes, and backyards where you can cross your legs, lean back, and enjoy fresh air with slightly fewer inhibitions.
THE SPOTS
photo credit: Alex Staniloff
Behind this Bed-Stuy spot, you’ll find a pebble-filled backyard that’s similar to one of those tidy parks you stumble across every few blocks in Paris. It has leafy trees and mint green patio furniture, and it’s perfect for when you want to read a book alone or chat with a friend for a couple hours. At night, it basically turns into a summer house party. There are only seven wines by the glass (starting at $13) offered every day, but you can also browse bottles arranged along a wall inside the café-like space.
Jaffa isn’t the only outdoor terrace near the water in Williamsburg, but it’s probably the only one where you won’t rupture an eardrum or go home with the DJ. It’s a sprawling indoor-outdoor cocktail bar on the second floor of the Hoxton Hotel, from the team behind Laser Wolf and K’Far (which are also in the same hotel). The frozen cocktails and bucket of beer on the menu are a nod to the rooftop rager, but there’s no ear-splitting music—instead there's much better food on the short Israeli raw bar menu, like oysters with schug and scallops with shipka peppers.
photo credit: Ida's Nearabout
Ida's Nearabout is a neighborhood bar in Sunnyside with taxidermy, brick walls, dim lights, and lots of whiskey. They serve plenty of food like burgers, sandwiches, salads, and tater tots, and the cocktails—such as the passion fruit daiquiri and the lemon-basil-vodka drink—are surprisingly delicious here. Despite being about 50 feet from Queens Boulevard, the backyard feels quiet and residential. It's surrounded by walls covered in fake ivy, and there are around 10 tables where you can hang out and eat mozzarella sticks.
Even weeknights feel like weekends at Rogers Garden. The huge patio at this rum bar on the border of Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Flatbush has lawn chairs, turf, and murals, with tons of special programming, like live music and food pop-ups. If you’re lucky, there might be jerk chicken and other goodies on the grill outside. (And if there isn’t, you’re allowed to bring food from other places inside.) Check out their Instagram page so you don’t miss one of their special events.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Harlem Hops on Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard serves a lot of hard-to-find beer, specifically from small-batch breweries and businesses owned by people of color. It’s a great place to bring anyone who likes to try new beer, and even if you don’t really care about the different flavor notes in East and West Coast IPAs, you’ll at least appreciate the backyard with string lights and barrel tables.
We love Focal Point (the LIC brewery formerly known as ICONYC) both for its very good beer—one pitcher of Lens Flare, please—and for its very good outdoor seating options. There’s a covered and heated patio next to the taproom, which also opens onto a spacious plaza filled with plenty of picnic tables. It's out here that you'll find a large glacial rock of mysterious origin, which adults, kids, and dogs alike all enjoy standing on, for no particular reason. (Compelled by an ancient, powerful force beyond our understanding? Probably.)
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
This seasonal outdoor Upper West Side bar has tons of umbrella-covered tables and open space right on the Hudson River at the south end of Riverside Park. It’s a good spot to meet someone for a summery cocktail or a bottle of wine in the $30 range, and they serve seafood like lobster rolls and fries covered in Old Bay seasoning. Plus, there’s no table service, which makes the whole place feel even more casual. You’ll be notified by a buzzer when your order is ready at the counter.
photo credit: Kate Previte
We suspect that half the people scoping out Bar Vinazo’s patio in Park Slope are hunting for wedding venues. It’s completely enclosed by tall, vine-covered walls, with a mezzanine overlooking a sunken, plant-filled area. Spend a hot summer night here under those twinkling fairy lights, and you might just fall in love yourself. The tapas and small plates are more like snacks, so order more than you think you’ll need, alongside their large selection of Spanish wines.
photo credit: Noah Devereaux
Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights has an inordinate amount of great places to eat: Olmsted, Oxalis, Faun, Chuko, Maison Yaki, and more. But of all of the spots on this stretch just north of Prospect Park, LaLou is the best place for a low-key wine-and-snacks meal. The long wine list is mostly made up of natural wines, with a big selection of varietals from famous regions in France and Italy, as well some options from lesser-known regions.
Orchard Street on the Lower East Side tends to be a parade of public drunkenness. Part of the allure of this wine bar’s sidewalk patio is that you get courtside seats to the surrounding scene, while sipping a glass of delicious, potentially unusual natural wine. Even if you know next to nothing about wine, the condensed list of options and friendly staff will help you find something exciting without paying a ton of money—most of the glasses cost $13-$15.
This beer garden on the Lower East Side feels like a spot you’d find on a side street in Germany. It’s a great place to hang with a group in a roomy backyard with picnic tables, and they serve beer garden-type food like pretzels, sausages, and schnitzel fingers. They also go all out with themed decorations for every season and major holidays—check out their Instagram to see when they switch it up for Christmas and Valentine’s Day. It’s heated and covered in cold weather, so it’s comfortable year-round.
photo credit: Dane Isaac
The Bronx Brewery in Port Morris has a huge backyard. Like, huge enough to celebrate your birthday with 30 of your closest friends. There’s plenty of umbrella coverage at the picnic tables, and a big stage for live music. Beverage options change often, but expect to find everything from imperial stouts and various IPAs to hard seltzer and pumpkin beer. In between beers, you can refuel with empanadas and personal pizzas from Empanology. Also, you can bring your dog. (But please do not bring 30 dogs though.)
photo credit: Monika Davis
Strong Rope Brewery in Red Hook has a large patio with a standout view of Lady Liberty, where you can watch the sunset and pretend Brooklyn is a beach town. Bring a big group here in the summer, or stop by after a long bike ride when all you have the energy of is to sit under an umbrella with a pilsner. They don’t have anything to eat, but sometimes there are food trucks parked outside, or you can bring your own food—Defonte’s and Hoek Pizza are both close by. Strong Rope also has a second, smaller location in Park Slope.
You know that feeling of finally making a friend with a killer backyard? Possibly one with plants and twinkle lights and a disco ball? Well, if you have no such friend (or if they’ve banned you from coming over three times a week), you can get that feeling in the backyard at Sauced in Williamsburg. Bring someone who loves wines that taste like kombucha, macramé chairs hanging from trees, and getting a little wild.
photo credit: Matt Taylor-Gross
If you’d like to get a picnic table with seven of your closest friends and drink bottles of very nice wine for several blissful hours, head to Whoopsie Daisy, a wine bar in Crown Heights. It’s the sort of backyard that'll come to mind every time you want to drink outside in the summer, and also at least once in November, when you’re trying to ignore the inevitable return of winter hibernation. They also pour beer and vermouth, as well as pre-batched cocktails that you can make a two-sipper for $8. (In other words, a teeny martini could be in your future.) They also have a short food menu, which includes conservas, olives, and cookies from L'imprimerie, with glasses of milk.
This Bay Ridge beer garden is made for lazy Sundays. Enclosed by brick walls and barn doors, the spacious yard is outfitted with umbrellas and a retractable roof, so you can sit out there year-round. People spill out to the yard after watching the game inside, to throw back more brews and eat hot dogs named after Johnny Cash. It’s a great late-night hang too—especially when they have live music. Feel free to bring your dad.
