New York City’s outdoor drinking scene just got swankier: Studio Square, in Long Island City, Queens, is a new 30,000-square-foot beer garden that marries German tradition with modern sensibility. The sprawling indoor-outdoor space is punctuated by exposed brick walls, sleek cement floors, a stone fire pit, and, of course, communal picnic tables -- hand-carved from pine -- that invite hours of beer-swilling.
“We went crazy with this place,” admits co-owner and Queens native Larry Cerullo, citing the heavy African Wenge wood bars inside and the Belgian blocks comprising the leafy courtyard. “We put a little contemporary, a little funky, a little of our own flair into it,” rather than stick to the traditional biergarten style, he explains. The effect is minimalist chic, fitting for the arty, industrial ’hood. The rotating taps -- generally 19, though capacity’s 60 -- span from German classics to regional U.S. craft brews (think Dogfish Head and New York-based Captain Lawrence). The best-selling drink? Homemade sangria (gasp!), served on tap.
Oompa-band old-school it ain’t, but Studio Square is planning a traditional weeklong Oktoberfest party, complete with dancers and kegs of Munich-imported Hofbräu. If the space is any indication, no expense will be spared -- down to the last lederhosen-laden detail.