Best Hangouts in Staten Island
The 10 best bars, breweries, and taverns for a real Staten Island hangout, from a 1937 pizza tavern to a strip-mall tiki bar, verified and ranked.
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- 1Port Richmond · $ · 524 Port Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10302
Also No. 1 on Best Pizza on Staten Island → · No. 6 on Best Pizza in NYC →
A family-run pizzeria-and-full-bar tavern that has kept its ovens going since 1937, with the barroom running as long as the pizza kitchen.
Because Denino's has poured drinks and pulled pies from the same Port Richmond corner since 1937 and still racks up over a thousand reviews on Yelp.
Order A cold pitcher of beer alongside the bar pie with sausage.
Go on a weeknight before 6pm if you want a table without a wait; the bar side seats faster than the dining room once the Friday rush hits.
Photo: H.L.I.T., CC BY 2.0 Photo: H.L.I.T., CC BY 2.0 - 2Tompkinsville · $$ · 40 Minthorne St, Staten Island, NY 10301
Staten Island's flagship craft brewery and taproom, with an outdoor beer garden on the upgraded waterfront a few minutes' walk from the ferry terminal.
Because Flagship was the first brewery to open on Staten Island in more than 50 years, and its taproom still pours 12 beers on tap with harbor and Verrazzano-Bridge views.
Order Whatever flagship IPA is currently on tap, taken out to the beer garden.
Time a visit for weekday happy hour if you want a picnic table in the beer garden; weekends fill up fast once the live-music sets start.
Photo: Shannon McGee (ShanMcG213), CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Shannon McGee (ShanMcG213), CC BY-SA 2.0 - 3St. George · $$$ · 27 Hyatt St, Staten Island, NY 10301
Also No. 1 on Best Italian on Staten Island →
An Italian wine bar and restaurant where a rotating cast of immigrant grandmothers, known as the nonnas, cooks the nightly menu from their home region or country.
Because the entire menu changes depending on which nonna is cooking that night, a rotating-chef concept confirmed by the Michelin Guide and by Yelp's 547 reviews.
Order A glass from the nonna's home-region wine list, paired to whatever she is cooking that night.
Book a table two to three weeks ahead; seating is genuinely limited and walk-ins are rarely accommodated on weekend nights.
@nonnasoftheworld ↗Enoteca Maria
From @nonnasoftheworld on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 4Dongan Hills · $$ · 60 Hancock St, Staten Island, NY 10305
Also No. 3 on Best Pizza on Staten Island →
A cash-only neighborhood pizza tavern and sports bar serving thin-crust bar pies alongside Italian staples since 1940.
Because Lee's has been slinging thin-crust bar pies from the same Hancock and Garrettson corner since 1940 and still only takes cash.
Order A pitcher of beer with the clam pie.
Bring cash, no cards accepted, and expect a wait on weekend nights; the bar area seats walk-ins faster than the dining room.
Photo: Jeffrey Tastes, CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Jeffrey Tastes, CC BY-SA 2.0 - 5Charleston · $$ · 4254 Arthur Kill Rd, Staten Island, NY 10309
Also No. 10 on Best Historic Bars in NYC →
A 19th-century roadhouse-turned-German beer garden with an original bar, pressed-tin ceiling, and a seasonal outdoor Biergarten with 12 taps.
Because Killmeyer's traces its building to the 1850s-1880s and still runs a 12-tap outdoor Biergarten with live oompah bands on weekends.
Order A liter stein of one of the dozen German beers on tap.
Ask for a Biergarten table outside rather than the indoor dining room if the weather holds; it's first-come and fills up fastest right when the band starts.
Photo: H.L.I.T., CC BY 2.0 Photo: H.L.I.T., CC BY 2.0 - 6New Springville · $$ · 2845 Richmond Ave, Staten Island, NY 10314
A retro Polynesian-tiki Chinese-American restaurant and bar in a suburban strip mall, serving scorpion bowls, zombies, and pu pu platters from bamboo booths.
Because Jade Island pours its rum drinks into hollowed coconuts and hula-girl mugs, the kind of only-in-Staten-Island tiki detail The Infatuation has written up directly.
Order A scorpion bowl for the table.
Come with at least three people and split a scorpion bowl; it's built for sharing and the bamboo booths seat groups more comfortably than the bar.
Photo: Krista (goodiesfirst), CC BY 2.0 Photo: Krista (goodiesfirst), CC BY 2.0 - 7St. George · $$ · 70 Bay St, Staten Island, NY 10301
A multi-floor Spanish tapas bar and restaurant a short walk from the ferry, with a balcony, upstairs lounge seating, and shareable small plates.
Because Beso is a Time Out Love NY Awards runner-up built across two floors, with the upstairs lounge specifically laid out for lingering over shared plates.
Order A pitcher of sangria to share over the tapas.
Ask to be seated upstairs in the lounge for a longer, quieter hang; the downstairs bar gets loud and turns tables faster on weekend nights.
From @besonyc11 on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 8West Brighton · $$ · 650 Forest Ave, Staten Island, NY 10310
An old-line Irish pub open since 1985, known for its emerald bar lights, diner-style booths, and generously cheesed burgers.
Because Duffy's has held down the same Forest Avenue spot since 1985 and still runs hand-crafted cocktails alongside its cheese-loaded burger menu.
Order A cold pint alongside the cheeseburger.
Grab a booth if you're eating; the bar stools fill up fast on weekend nights and the booths are the better bet for a full burger-and-a-beer sit-down.
@duffys_tavern_siny ↗Duffy's Tavern
From @duffys_tavern_siny on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 9Tompkinsville · $$ · 208 Bay St, Staten Island, NY 10301
Staten Island's largest used bookstore and community cafe, serving organic coffee and light food alongside vinyl, vintage books, and a small performance stage.
Because Every Thing Goes has hosted free live music and literary events on its small stage since 2005, the kind of standing weekend program that turns a bookstore into a hangout.
Order A cup of their organic coffee, settled into a chair by the stage.
Check their event calendar before you go; they stay open later than the posted 6pm close on nights with live music or open mics.
Photo: Sam Saunders (samsaundersbristol), CC BY-SA 2.0 Photo: Sam Saunders (samsaundersbristol), CC BY-SA 2.0 - 10Great Kills · $$ · 154 Mansion Ave, Staten Island, NY 10308
A harborside Italian-American restaurant with an attached tiki bar overlooking Great Kills Harbor's marina.
Because Marina Cafe has served Great Kills Harbor since 1980 and pairs a full Italian-American dinner menu with a purpose-built, marina-facing tiki bar for sunset drinks.
Order A tropical cocktail from the tiki bar, timed to sunset over the harbor.
Get there before sunset and ask for a tiki bar seat facing the marina; that's the view the whole place is built around.
@marinacafesiny ↗Marina Cafe Restaurant & Tiki Bar
From @marinacafesiny on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
Good to know
- Is anything cash only on Staten Island?
- Lee's Tavern doesn't accept cards, so bring cash, and expect a wait on weekend nights since the bar area seats walk-ins faster than the dining room.
- How far ahead should I book Enoteca Maria?
- Book a table two to three weeks ahead, since seating is genuinely limited and walk-ins are rarely accommodated on weekend nights.
- Which spot works best for a group?
- Jade Island is built for sharing, come with at least three people and split a scorpion bowl, and the bamboo booths seat groups more comfortably than the bar.