Long Island City’s beer garden prayers answered by Studio Square
Bratwurst & Beer at Studio Square, 35-33 36th St, LIC (718-383-1001)
Long Island City has a new biergarten! Ok, well it’s technically in LIC at 36th St & 36th Ave, but realistically and vibe-wise it’s Astoria. That should not stop you, Hunters Pointers, from venturing north of the Queensboro Bridge. There’s a whole world out there full of amazing restaurants and bars, including the latest addition, Studio Square, a German-style beer garden.
Astoria, and Queens in general, has a legacy of biergartens, however in our current state of existence, only the popular Bohemian Beer Garden remains. Not any more. Situated right next to Kaufman Astoria Studios, the 18,000 sq. ft. Studio Square offers a huge selection of beer on tap, affordable fare, and a well-executed variety of massive indoor and outdoor spaces.
Studio Square, 35-33 36th St, LIC (718-383-1001)
The owners of Studio Square, also the masterminds behind Astoria’s popular Mediterranean restaurant, Cavo, took a hands-on approach to designing their entire space, from laying the cobblestone in the garden to hand-making many of the unique tables. The interior spaces are multiple, each with their distinct flavor, and with shiny, shellacked concrete floors that bounce the overhead lights in a really nice way. Since the summer’s coming, the outdoor ‘garden’ area, complete with fire pit, is really the spatial highlight. Nicely gardened, which in a few seasons will mature into gorgeous greenery.
The atmosphere is made that much more enjoyable by their reasonably priced eats which include spicy Greek sausages, bratwurst, kielbasa, Black Angus burgers, and properly fried French fries. Drown all that in some of their specially blended mustards & condiments, and wash it down with a half or full Liter of one of the zillion beers on tap. Or, if Sangria is more your thing, they have that on tap as well.
Studio Square, 35-33 36th St, LIC (718-383-1001)
Studio Square, located at 35-33 36th St., is subway accessible: Take the R/V to Steinway or 36th St, or the N/W to 36th Ave. Then go biergarten the afternoon away.
- Studio Square [website]
Put some pants on that bratwurst.
I think we need to take back that area from the creeping Astoria claims!
Somehow LIC gets conflated with Hunters Point — let’s keep a hold on our rightful territory!
North of the bridge Lic is amazing. Very international. More so than Hunters Point.
I love 36th Ave east and west of the N/W station.
I like the Northern Blvd./Astoria/LIC/Sunnyside border area. You’ve got factories, some residential development and great retail with anchor stores like Home Depot and Best Buy.
#6, I HATE that strip-mall area. Holy suburbia. However, there are some amazing residential blocks just north of Northern Blvd. And I really love that bizarre little diner.
It would be awesome if this was closer to the waterfront area.
There’s a lot of housing in Northern LIC… does anyone who lives up there read this blog? Maybe not as its pretty Hunters Point (esp. Vernon/Jackson) centric?
I have to say, I wasn’t all that impressed by Studio Square. The staff behind the counter were incredibly nice and knew their brews (though I spoke to one who said that they hated beer which was a bit off-putting when you’re in a beer garden). I liked the American take on the biergarten with Spin Doctors and Queen on the speakers, and sitting at the table enjoying a beer was a nice way to unwind with friends on a Friday evening.
However, the food was way too salty. I’m a sauerkraut junkie, but I could barely get in three forkfuls of their stuff. The weisswurst was nothing to write home about, and the pretzels were on par with the street cart vendors. It almost felt like they were trying to get me to drink more overpriced beer by completely dehydrating me. Smart move if that’s the case.
I’m thrilled that the biergarten is making a comeback, and I’ll definitely return to the Square with friends for drinks (pitchers seemed like the most economical choice), but I’ll stick with Astoria or take the N/W into Hell’s Kitchen for Hallo Berlin’s grub.
Most people don’t go to beer gardens for the food. But maybe that’s just me and my drunk friends.
But Spin Doctors, seriously? I guess it is Queens.
“Most people don’t go to beer gardens for the food. But maybe that’s just me and my drunk friends.”
Granted, but it would still be nice if it were edible. Some of the best food I had in Germany/Austria was in their biergartens.
And no, seriously, “Two Princes” was piped out last Friday eve. It was like a flashback to 1994. Ah, simpler times…
As long as there is no Dave Matthews Band or SmashMouth I will check it out.
As a life-long Queens man, I gotta say that 36th and 36th is indeed LIC.
Growing up (I’m 30), this area was always considered LIC. That and all the pj’s.
Astoria was more north- Steinway, Ditmars etc.
But south of QP was neither. To the extent that we thought of it at all, it was Hunts Point. And it should have another name, because that area is fairly far and pretty distinct from that above the Plaza.
Oh, and I’m only writing this right now ’cause I’m high, if anyone cares.
#14, if you grew up in Queens, you’d realize Hunts Point is in the Bronx.
To be fair, I live in Hunters Point (near Court Square, not the water-towers) and I usually tell people I live in Queens or Long Island City, not Hunters Point. I should use the name more, but maybe I blame the media for not using it as much so people from other boroughs have no idea where Hunters Point is.
I was born and raised in the Vernon-Jackson neighborhood (baby boomer) and never recall anyone (except maybe local agencies) using the term “Hunters Point” to refer to our neck of the woods. Everyone called it Long Island City, and we used Ravenswood, Sunnyside, and Astoria to refer to the other sections north and east of us.
The local Queens papers seem to use Hunters Point more than general “Long Island City” to refer to the area south of the bridge, for what its worth. And I have a button from rezoning battles years back that say “Save Hunters Point”, so at least some locals seemed to be using the term.
This place is great a must visit. The beer is actually cheaper than bohemian halls bc there pitchers are 48 oz and studio square is 60 oz. this place is a must check out the staff is great and the owners are hand on (at least the ones that i seen). This is going to be my hang out for the summer for sure.
How the fuck do you get there?!
So, I finally went here. It is huge and whatever else you want to say, and good beers, but man, on Saturday night, anyway, the crowd was completely a New Jersey/Long Island packed-to-the-gills fratparty scene. Like an outdoor sports bar or Meatpacking district club. Seems like the sort of place that would hand out glossy party promotion postcards.
Maybe it’s better in the afternoon or on weekdays, but on the same night Bohemian was still its pretty chill and friendly self. I think I’ll stick with the classic.
I agree.. The crowd there is too rough. Id much rather be at a laid back SAFE bar, then the beer garden.
ITS HORRIBLE THEY HAVE NO METAL DETECTORS AT THE DOOR! DOWN RIGHT DANGEROUS..
If you really want to enjoy honest conversation with a touch of flame..this is the place to be. You can drink till the fluids are flowing out of your ears, eat fresh food, and meet great people. Most importantly you can come dressed to impress or relaxed. Its a fabulous venue to start your night right or end it relaxed or with a Bang. The prices are just right so you can have a few drinks and still have money to eat. With the variety of beverages that they have there is no way that you will not be happy. This place gets two thumbs up in my book. Literally!!!
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Make sure the V is running, if you are going to take that line to Studio Square.