My wife and I are making a weekend visit to New York City and I was wondering if there are any recommendations of beer-related places to visit or sights to see? We'll be all over the city by bus but mostly down around West 34th st. Cheers!
Visiting New York City
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jtakacs
Well-Known Member
cross the bridge to brooklyn... eat at grimaldis.
the only brewery i hit in NYC last month when i was there was heartland... had a few, but nothing stood out.. service was top notch tho, they realized i was a beer geek and the guy kept bringing me samples without asking.
the only brewery i hit in NYC last month when i was there was heartland... had a few, but nothing stood out.. service was top notch tho, they realized i was a beer geek and the guy kept bringing me samples without asking.
Try going to Gingerman. Very large selection of beers. It changes constantly, but look at the website to get a sense of what they have. If I am meeting people in Manhattan that's where I usually go.
http://www.gingerman-ny.com/
http://www.gingerman-ny.com/
Nateo
Well-Known Member
There are a million high-end beer bars around the Bedford stop on the L train in Brooklyn. I went to one there a few years ago, don't remember the name, but it was a few blocks from the subway stop.
I also like the Brooklyn Brewery.
I also like the Brooklyn Brewery.
daletar said:
I live in the UK and have very little knowledge of NY. Was last there in 1996. But was interested to look at the website for Gingerman. I was astonished to see that they have Harviestoun Schihallion cask conditioned ale from my favourite Scottish brewery. If you get the chance you must try this modern British beer, it's delicious. Harviestoun brew a session bitter called "Bitter and Twisted" which has to be one of my all-time favourites. And at about 3.8 ABV I can drink lots of it.
thisjrp4
Well-Known Member
Take the subway to Williamsburgh Brooklyn and go to the Brooklyn Brewery. Its well worth the quick trip from Manhattan. While there you can eat nearby at Radegast Hall, its a great Biergarten.
Exactly what I was going to recommend. Gingerman is awesome! They have I think 70 beers on tap and hundreds in bottles. Food fare is more bar food though - sandwhich's, hot pretzels, cheeses, and stuff like that. One thing I will say... do NOT go there on a weekday after work hours (ie. 5pm on). The place gets retarded packed - like you can barely even manage to hold your pint in front of you packed. I go during the day and on weekends during the day/early evening as even weekend nights are packed lately.
Rev.
Mongrel
Well-Known Member
McSorley's 15 East 7th Street. Great piece of history. Make sure to point out to your wife how lucky she is that they have to let her in.
Not a beer place, but one of my all time favorite spots (when I lived in NYC) is Sake Bar Decibel 240 East 9th Street (Between 2nd & 3rd AV). Great food, and the sake selection can't be beat.
Not a beer place, but one of my all time favorite spots (when I lived in NYC) is Sake Bar Decibel 240 East 9th Street (Between 2nd & 3rd AV). Great food, and the sake selection can't be beat.
SwayzeExpress
New Member
Manhattan
Gingerman
Blind Tiger
Rattle and Hum
Burp Castle
These all have great selections but are very busy during peak hours so I would plan around that. Show up at 4:45, no problem. It will be packed after that. Not always a bad thing. Burp Castle will have a more limited selection but is much smaller and a decent place.
Brooklyn
If you take the L into Williamsburg brooklyn and get out at the Bedford stop there are some nice beer bars.
DBA - good beer selection, no food, but taco carts a block away.
Brooklyn Brewery - well, pretty good beer, fun with a group
Mugs ale house - good beer selection and good reasonable priced food.
spuyten Duyvil - very rare beers, small, pretty awesome place and right next door to Fette Sau.
Fette Sau - (german for fat pig) is a great bbq place and has a good bourbon selection. Also they carry a bunch of 6 point beers. I'm from KC and this place is my favorite BBQ place EVAR!!
Have fun!!!
Gingerman
Blind Tiger
Rattle and Hum
Burp Castle
These all have great selections but are very busy during peak hours so I would plan around that. Show up at 4:45, no problem. It will be packed after that. Not always a bad thing. Burp Castle will have a more limited selection but is much smaller and a decent place.
Brooklyn
If you take the L into Williamsburg brooklyn and get out at the Bedford stop there are some nice beer bars.
DBA - good beer selection, no food, but taco carts a block away.
Brooklyn Brewery - well, pretty good beer, fun with a group
Mugs ale house - good beer selection and good reasonable priced food.
spuyten Duyvil - very rare beers, small, pretty awesome place and right next door to Fette Sau.
Fette Sau - (german for fat pig) is a great bbq place and has a good bourbon selection. Also they carry a bunch of 6 point beers. I'm from KC and this place is my favorite BBQ place EVAR!!
Have fun!!!
Hey Swayze, is Fette Sau communal seating? My wife and I were gonna check it out friday, but I saw the pics and it looked like communal seating so I skipped it. I'm not a big fan of eating with people I don't know.
Pretty much all you need to know. If you're not going to venture into Brooklyn then Hill Country has good BBQ as well and close enough to R&H and Ginger Man.
SwayzeExpress
New Member
Yeah it is picnic bench seating. If its bad weather or a non peak hours you could get a table to your self. Its worth it and patrons are usually nice. Also have bar seating.
Dome555
Well-Known Member
Just another, likely unnecessary vote for gingerman. It's worth the redundancy. Hope you enjoy your trip as a whole too.
UGH. Thanks. If I'm eating with people I don't know, I'm not paying premium prices. It's just not my thing.
If you are into Belgians, try to hit Burp Castle. I just got there recently and was impressed. As a plus, its a quiet, laid-back atmosphere, which is hard to find in NYC.
Gingerman has a great selection for sure.
For the experience, hit McSorley's. It is unique. Be careful, though, the beers are small, but go down easy. Don't get "McSorlied" (pass-out drunk).
Burp Castle is close to McSorley's if I remember correctly. Go to Burp Castle first so you can appreciate the Belgian beer before you get McSorlied.
For the experience, hit McSorley's. It is unique. Be careful, though, the beers are small, but go down easy. Don't get "McSorlied" (pass-out drunk).
Burp Castle is close to McSorley's if I remember correctly. Go to Burp Castle first so you can appreciate the Belgian beer before you get McSorlied.
There have been lots of great suggestions. Blind Tiger is supposed to be one of the top beer bars in the country. McSorley's is also neat, just because of how freaking old it is. Also, Brooklyn Brewery is supposed to have a great tour / open house. I'll add that there is a really cool bar down on Stone Street (it is a preserved cobble stone street in the dead center of the down town financial district) called Ulysses.
However, if you are making a trip to NYC, you are going to be dragged through the typical tourist loop. I believe all the best suggestions already given are really off the beaten path for someone who is supposed to be hanging around the theater district, Empire State Building, Rockerfeller Center, etc. So, I have two suggestions that actually work.
If you find youself near 33rd street and 7th ave (right next to MSG and Penn Station) a bar/restaurant just opened called "Feile" (pronounced fay-la; Gaelic for "festival"). It is right next to the uber popular Stout NYC, but do not be confused. Stout is fine, but it is crowded, and has gone down hill a bit since growing in popularity. Feile has a really great Irish/Pub menu, and their tap list blows Stout away. I was there a few weeks ago for a Knicks game and they were featuring about 3 beers from Stone on draft - just to give you an indication of the level of beer to expect. They had plenty of locals as well. I was drinking Stone smoked porter and Ommegang Rare Vos, neither of which I have ever had on tap before.
http://www.feilenyc.com/
If you are closer to Rockerfeller/St. Patrick's Cathedral (52nd and 5th ave), another restaurant just opened called Bill's Bar and Burger Restaurant. Again, unreal beer list. Food is also incredibly reasonable for mid-town Manhatten, and tasty too. Expect a wait there, so get your name on the list, and then walk around the area for 30 minutes or so.
http://www.billsbarandburger.com/
I will do one better. If you are there with family/wife, I have to imagine you need more than beer and pubs for every meal. About 8 years ago, my then girlfriend (now wife) and I walked into an Italian Restaurant because it was close to a show we were seeing and the logistics worked. It was great - awesome food, good service, affordable wine. Years later, I find out it was the second highest rated restaurant in NYC on tripadvisor. It is called the Trattoria Tricolori. I have sent no less than 5 people there, and everyone loved it.
http://www.trattoriatrecolori.com/
Have fun, and don't put your hands on the rails when you walk out of the subway.
Joe
However, if you are making a trip to NYC, you are going to be dragged through the typical tourist loop. I believe all the best suggestions already given are really off the beaten path for someone who is supposed to be hanging around the theater district, Empire State Building, Rockerfeller Center, etc. So, I have two suggestions that actually work.
If you find youself near 33rd street and 7th ave (right next to MSG and Penn Station) a bar/restaurant just opened called "Feile" (pronounced fay-la; Gaelic for "festival"). It is right next to the uber popular Stout NYC, but do not be confused. Stout is fine, but it is crowded, and has gone down hill a bit since growing in popularity. Feile has a really great Irish/Pub menu, and their tap list blows Stout away. I was there a few weeks ago for a Knicks game and they were featuring about 3 beers from Stone on draft - just to give you an indication of the level of beer to expect. They had plenty of locals as well. I was drinking Stone smoked porter and Ommegang Rare Vos, neither of which I have ever had on tap before.
http://www.feilenyc.com/
If you are closer to Rockerfeller/St. Patrick's Cathedral (52nd and 5th ave), another restaurant just opened called Bill's Bar and Burger Restaurant. Again, unreal beer list. Food is also incredibly reasonable for mid-town Manhatten, and tasty too. Expect a wait there, so get your name on the list, and then walk around the area for 30 minutes or so.
http://www.billsbarandburger.com/
I will do one better. If you are there with family/wife, I have to imagine you need more than beer and pubs for every meal. About 8 years ago, my then girlfriend (now wife) and I walked into an Italian Restaurant because it was close to a show we were seeing and the logistics worked. It was great - awesome food, good service, affordable wine. Years later, I find out it was the second highest rated restaurant in NYC on tripadvisor. It is called the Trattoria Tricolori. I have sent no less than 5 people there, and everyone loved it.
http://www.trattoriatrecolori.com/
Have fun, and don't put your hands on the rails when you walk out of the subway.
Joe
Just so the OP knows, Gingerman (the top suggestion so far) is located at 36st between 5th Ave and Madison Ave - so it's right in the area you said you'd be.
But yeah, a lot of other great suggestions like Ulysses above are more at the lower end of Manhattan, not really tour route areas.
Rev.
If you stick to the tourist areas, you're not really seeing NYC. It would be a waste of a trip.
I'll throw in a recommendation for Gramercy Tavern, if you feel like going higher-end. It's one of the best and most famous restaurants in the city, and a great place to drink, including several aged beers. Don't go to the main restaurant in the back, just the tavern area. Expect to wait a long while to eat, but you can drink by the bar. It's on 20th east of Broadway.
Potatosalad
Member
On 33rd and 3rd (east of where you said you were) is place called Cask. Pretty decent beer selection and the food is great. It can get really busy around prime dinner hour though.
Down on the lower east side there is a place called Spitzer's. They have tons of different beers available and some pretty awesome pub food to accompany the beer.
Down on the lower east side there is a place called Spitzer's. They have tons of different beers available and some pretty awesome pub food to accompany the beer.
