New York City's best beer gardens

Clinton Hall is a place where you find out that your finance bro colleague can down an impressive amount of IPAs and eliminate everyone at Connect 4. Their flagship location in the Financial District is a hotbed for stressed office workers, families fresh off the ferry, and friends from college having their annual get-together. Oversized versions of games like Chess and Jenga are available to play, next to regular-sized card games like Uno, ping pong and foosball tables. Challenge a friend or a stranger, and dissolve the tension with a drink or two.

An in-house chief beer officer ( a thing, apparently) curates a changing selection imported from around the U.S. and the globe, with unique flavor notes like banana, oatmeal, and guava. You can find classic and slightly twisted grub on the menu, like nachos, philly cheesesteak sliders, and a donut grilled cheese. Yes. You read that correctly.

Private events can host up to 250 guests (125 indoor, 125 outdoor).

If you’ve ever attended Oktoberfest in New York, there’s a pretty good chance it was at Randegast Hall, a famed beer garden in Williamsburg. That energy extends all year round, with live music on almost daily and an excited, boisterous crowd that thrives in the sunshine. Long, communal tables make it a popular spot for last-minute birthday bashes or large get-togethers. Exposed brick and slated wooden walls feel almost medieval, but instead of Gregorian chants, you’re more likely to hear a classic rock cover band.

Food includes a Munich pretzel with beer cheese (duh), latkes, and goulash. A grill menu has Bratwurst and the like, as well as schnitzel (again, duh). An extensive list has authentic draught beer from places like Austria, Belgium, and Germany.

The Main Hall, which includes the front bar and garden, has a capacity of 200-300, and is available to rent. The Bier Haus is great for more private functions, with a separate entrance, bathroom, and bar and a capacity of up to 125.

Tucked beneath the trestles of the High Line, The Standard’s Biergarten is a simple, picnic-like watering hole in the Meatpacking District. Cool and shaded in the summer and heated in the winter, you can snag a spot at one of the communal tables and strike up a conversation with someone new, or challenge a friend to a game of ping pong. In the warmer months, you can rent out the Stammtisch, the Biergarten’s open-air tables that allow you to pour beer from taps built right into them.

To fully establish their place as an authentic biergarten, the menu is mainly in German – but don’t worry, you won’t need a translator. Of course, German beers are the start of the Trinken menu, and you can accompany them with bratwurst, and pretzels, or get a little bit of everything with a Biergarten platter for the table.

The Stammtisch tables are available to book for 20 seated and 40 standing guests, and the entire Biergarten buyout accompanies 450.

We know we’re getting a bit repetitive with the beer and the schnitzel and the bratwursts. It’s not our fault that alongside cars and declaring war, the Germans excel at drinking beer in gardens. Still, Loreley stands out as a more traditional option, and it doesn’t feel like it's masquerading. Modeled after the Brauhaus in Cologne, Germany, it’s arguably the closest you can get this side of the Atlantic.

Stand-out imported beers on tap are available in many forms, including steins, pitchers, and Kranz Kölsch. For food, there are the German classics, but you can also find American favorites like burger sliders, popcorn shrimp, kale Caesar salad, and buffalo wings with ranch.

There are a few different event spaces to rent, and the outdoor garden and indoor beer hall combined can accommodate up to 150. Decorated with lush florals and a seasonal flower wall, the garden can be rented by itself for 40-65 guests. Food and beverage packages are available for larger groups, and smaller groups can book in the dedicated garden party space for 16 guests across two 8-person tables.

If you’ve been reading along for something a little different, here it is. Santiago’s Beer Garden serves Dominican comfort food in El Barrio. The outdoor space has flowering trees, palms, and colorful murals to match the vibrancy of the dishes.

Dishes highlight Latin cultural dishes and serve as an ode to the neighborhood, offering Oxtail, Empanadas, Jalapeño Cheese Poppers, and Garlic Shrimp. Though the beer garden was inspired by the owner’s distaste for hard liquor, Latin-inspired cocktails are still available, like coladas, mojitos, and sangrias. The beers come from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamacia, as well as local IPAs from Brooklyn.

Private events are available, contact the venue for more information.