Biergarten

The fancy Standard Hotel, Andre Balazs's hedonistic playground in Manhattan's Meatpacking District, has five bars and restaurants, including Le Bain (also on this list). Unlike the club feel upstairs, the humble Biergarten is an open-air space that lies right below the southernmost entrance to the High Line. The noisy, convivial crowd spans hotel guests, chattering NYU co-eds and group office outings with a singular purpose: get drunk. Hit the bar for a stein of German lager, wheat beer or stout, then put in an order for a grilled wurst or an almost comically large soft pretzel, served with spicy German dipping mustard. The menu was created by none other than Austrian chef extraordinaire Kurt Gutenbrunner.