Gowanus Yacht Club

In a city overrun with excessively styled nightspots, there’s a lot to be said for the “come in and drink beer” manifesto of one seasonal haunt. Squeezed next to an F-G subway entrance and Bagels by the Park, the GYC an outdoor beer garden for ironic, scruffy types has a garage sale–meets–fraternity house decor. On cool nights, bartenders may fire up the potbellied stove to take the chill off. The half-barrel grill is usually glowing, so you can chow down on bockwurst, then slake your thirst with a pitcher of Dentengem’s Witbier.