The 26 best outdoor bars in NYC

After closing its doors for fifteen months, this New Orleans-style oyster bar reopened during the summer of 2021 to cheers throughout the neighborhood and beyond. The popular salon's 1,000-square-foot, flora-filled garden is open from May through November for all manner of food and drinks, including Maison Premiere's famed absinthe and martinis. 

This modest patch of land adjacent to a bagel shop is also as close to the subway as almost any bar can be. Expect beer and wine in plastic cups, plus burgers and hotdogs at the popular, cash-only spot. 

Although it’s had a long run on Grand Street, Maracuja’s back garden was closed to the public for six years until 2021. Now you can access it through a door marked “private” and sip $6 beer, $8 wines and $9 cocktails and frozens among the greenery during happy hour every day from 5pm-7pm. 

This West Village spot on a relatively intimate block has 1970s design vibes inside and, in addition to a particularly polished streetery setup, a few tables and chairs out on the sidewalk for a casual, just strolled by kind of drink. Sip pints and frozens as you watch the world pass by on Bedford Street. 

This pan-Latin inspired favorite is just as terrific as its predecessor, Clover Club, across the street. "Best American Bartender" honoree Ivy Mix's spot is dotted with Indio candles, lined with cathedral pew seating and topped with a golden tin ceiling inside, with outdoor imbimbing opportunities up front and in the back. 

New York harbor was once a hotbed of oyster production, home to nearly 220,000 acres of reefs. Governors Island pays tribute to that bivalve legacy with this outdoor oyster bar and beer garden from the brothers, sailors and restaurateurs behind the popular boat bar Grand Banks and the newer Holywater. Island Oyster's waterfront bar, separate white-marble oyster bar and large, communal mahogany tables span 32,000 square-feet. 

In a city overflowing with dive-themed dive bars, Ice House is the real deal. It’s dark inside, its booths are battered and the bar’s been known to get a little sticky. It’s honestly a breath of fresh air, and so is the big, sunny yard out back. 

Freehand has yet another hot spot inside this Manhattan hotel with its Miami-imported Caribbean-inspired rooftop bar. The James-Beared-nominated locale has a wraparound terrace, funky, laid-back decor, cocktails and $12 daily punch. 

This neighborhood restaurant serves drinks like dirty pickle martinis, Bonnie punch and a house PB&J shot along with beer and wine in its convivial picnic table-filled patio. Brunch, dinner and late-night snacks are available, too, should the essence of pickle not quite slake your appetite. 

With its top-flight sound system, sophisticated menu, dance floor and events, there are a lot of ways to enjoy Nowadays. Its large outdoor space is open now, menu items like burgers, sandwiches salads and nachos are available until 11pm on weekdays and 1am on weekends. 

Kareem Bunton, a musical collaborator of Run the Jewels, Prefuse 73 and TV on the Radio, fashioned his 'world famous' bar to feel like the 90s. Its interior is particularly photogenic, awash in jewel tones and flattering lighting, and the 1,400 square-foot patio is the perfect place to have a dancing night-out, particularly in the spring and summer. 

This walk-in only bi-level bar and event space sprawls across 5,000 square-feet in Gowanus. All the fantastic brews you'd expect from Threes' are on the menu, in addition to terrific cocktails that you might not.

Drinks? Trivia nights? DJs? Screenings? Tacos, tlayudas, queso, guac and churros? It’s all available at Parklife. This fun Gowanus open-air bar, located around the corner from Littlefield, is a spacious, laid back one stop shop for a full evening out.

Pass through the gently-lit bar area in front and head to Doris’s backyard, where you’ll find a ping pong table, couples on first dates and even occasional chef pop-ups. The vibe is laid-back (with a great collection vintage LPs) and the cocktails are well-crafted.

Find terrific drinks at this approachable, neighborly bar, where the back patio feels like a getaway from the middle of industrial Bushwick. The Narrows also serves small bites and has a great happy hour from 5pm-7pm, when cocktails are $10. Cash only. 

Brooklyn bars with DJ-scored electricity inside and a relaxing kick-back-with-drinks space outside can be surprisingly hard to come by. Midnights has it all, and it's bursting with style, too. Fortunately, all the cool is softened in its tranquil backyard with unpretentious cocktails, which are all $15 and under. 

Sunny weather and margaritas are a match made in heaven, and the cucumber version at this Dumbo Mexican restaurant is the perfect example. Nurse your hangover in its ivy-covered backyard with tacos, spicy guacamole and black bean frijoles.

If you're looking for an elegant seaside experience that rivals a day in the Hamptons, step aboard Grand Banks, the historic schooner turned oyster bar docked at Tribeca Piers. Two brass-tapped bars flank the bow and mizzenmast, offering prime seats to sip and watch the sunset.

Good Judy, “a home for queers + allies to join together in unity and solidarity” has it all: A piano bar, lounge, dance floor and a patio all at one address. Toast to longer days and warmer nights all season long with cocktails, beer, wine and frozen drinks. 

Despite the delight of dining on takeaway tacos off handheld paper plates at Rockaway Taco, the sit-down setup at this offshoot housed inside the Rockaway Beach Surf Club is a much-welcome upgrade. Like at that OG taco shack, the chef is fueling off-duty surfers and beach-bound locals with exemplary eats, but Tacoway boasts one major feature its forebearer was missing: alcohol.

Brooklyn brew hounds can kick back at this massive 13,000-square-foot beer garden. Sixty taps dispense more than 20 different craft brews. In warmer climes, order yours with a burger or hot dog at outdoor picnic tables. 

Inspired by breweries in Cologne, this beer garden pours German brews like Gaffel Kölsch and Radeberger Pilsner, plus wines from its namesake region. Populate picnic tables for hearty fare like bratwurst with sauerkraut and schnitzels with fries. No lederhosen required. 

Danny Meyer's candy-colored taqueria recalls his first Shake Shack at Madison Square Park, which started as one simple stand. Order tacos stuffed with pork and salsa verde, mushrooms and cheese, or fried cod with cabbage slaw on Williamsburg’s waterfront.

Dock yourself next to a bucket of beers on this multi-level floating lighthouse bar at Chelsea Piers—complete with prime sunset seating and views of the West Side. Bring a group of friends for the NYC-est summer Sunday fundays. 

Stroll up on your own, or gather several hundred of your closest friends for Hudson River views, cocktails to stay or to-go and crowd pleasing menu items like pizza, burgers, hot dogs and an abundance of bar food standards right inside Riverside Park at 105th Street. 

A big reason we love Lucky Dog? Our four-legged friends are welcome. Twenty or so beers on-tap plus the ability to drink 'em alongside our canine companions is enough to keep us coming back.