Beer Island

I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place until memorial day 2011. I was definitely missing out. It’s $ 5 beer on the beach. What more need I say?
If you’re into women, you will love the wait staff. It must be an employee requirement that you have to be in your early 20’s and look great in a bikini.
The place is also dog friendly which is refreshing to know during the no dog beach days in the summer. My little guy loves to chill in the shade of the tables and dig in the sand.
You’re also welcome to purchase food from any of the board walk food venders and partake while you drink. Which I recommend, because I learned from experience, that too many beers in the sun with not enough food and water = not so much fun!

I think this may ending up being one of my favorite reasons to visit Coney Island. HUGE selection of Brooklyn-​heavy brews, including the whole Coney Island line, sand between my toes while I sip them, and a place to SIT AT A TABLE with any food I want off the boardwalk. These are precious things on the CI strip, which gets über crowded after noon when the parks open.
Oh yeah, and there’s a «bathroom» situation in the form of standard stinky port-​a-​potties. Avoid.

Walking around Coney Island and of course I notice this place so we walk in and grab a seat and order some more beers. There were sand, waitress in bikini and of course more beers. We sat around to enjoy the sun and the company. I am happy that we found this place. I am not sure why but I alway found the coolest drinking place to have a beer lol

I love it here for all the wrong reasons!
Come here on a Friday night,
Sit at the wood tables by the bushes & enjoy the music blasting from behind your head,
Lean back,
Smoke if you smoke,
Watch the fireworks at 9:30pm with a beer in your hand which you ordered from a very attractive server,***
And commence the people watching event of a lifetime!
If your night is anything like mine… You may see a fight, get stared at by guys looking for a fight, and watch a drunk dude knock over a table & umbrella which spills the neighboring table’s beers!
*** = If you find yourself here earlier in the day, when it’s still hot out… You’ll see the aforementioned servers hosing themselves off in their bikinis to stay cool ;-)

No need to look out for dirty needles, Beer Island is an upscale establishment located off the corner of Coney Island Boardwalk. It’s an outdoor beer gardenesque (I made that word up, thanks) place, but just add some sand and a juke box that plays the most random selection of songs.
I must say, I was pretty impressed with Beer Island’s overall beer selection. Though our waitress had no clue they sold, whatever we asked for the seemed to have bottled. and cheap. $ 5 for a Brooklyn is pretty nice considering I paid $ 7 for a Blue Moon on the boardwalk.
Also, their porter potties are 150x cleaner than the bathrooms on the boardwalk — which is either very telling of the boardwalk situation or this just makes Beer Island that much more amazing.
P. S. It seems as though no one cares if you smoke weed here. I seriously may have gotten contact high and we were outdoors.

Ah, Beer Island.
Beer Island is not your typical dive off the Coney Island boardwalk. It’s much, much more.
A rusty fence, intermittently garnished with some rusted barbed wire, runs the perimeter and encloses a sandy space that resembles a half-​assed concentration camp or a big sordid sandbox for drunken adults, depending on your level of intoxication. Cheap plastic patio furniture, likely either purchased at a home depot in 1993 or lifted from your uncle Larry’s above ground pool collection, are scattered about the sand.
The bartenders dole out the beer in a long shotgun shack that faces opposite the beach and boardwalk toward the sandy interior and ultimately to the long line of port-​o-​lets at the opposite edge. There are waitresses too, and to be considered as a waitress for Beer Island you must don a skimpy bikini, pretend like SPF was never invented, look suspiciously under the legal drinking age and have 2% body fat.
The beer selection is surprisingly eclectic and strangely egalitarian: every beer is $ 5. Whether you’re ordering a Coors Lite or a Gaffel Kolsch: $ 5.
Beer Island is not directly on the beach, so the sand under your toes has been relocated there, and judging by the strange soggy-​yet-​gritty feel on your toes, it wasn’t hauled there very recently. It seems safe for bare feet, as I have yet to step on a point.
I have seen some strange shit at Beer Island. One time some guy rolled up with a bunch of exotic animals: iguanas, parrots, pythons – all at the same time. He sat down at a table, scattered his animal kingdom cohorts about, ordered a beer and proceeded to let old ladies feed his massive iguana (what looked like) strawberries.
But mostly it’s just occupied by a diverse mix of people who share the common goal of getting shit-​housed in the Coney Island sun while belting a bunch of Def Leppard in the process. The music is usually amped up pretty loud, and it’s controlled by a jukebox that has the kind of fist-​pumping rawk you crave when having a lost Saturday at Coney Island.
Beer Island is a mandatory stop every time I make the trek Coney Island.

Loves it!
Looks like there is a Reincarnation of Coney Island lately.
If your driving Parking can really suck on the weekenda and the traffic to get into the area of Beer Island can be ferocious
HOWEVER!!!
Once you step onto the sand filled floor of Beer Island and park yourself under a umbrella and sit in a nice plastic chair you have your choice of many beers-​draft or bottles-​and are refreshed by the sounds of music and feeling like your on a mini vacation.
There is no food here but they do allow you to bring food from other sources.
Downside-​Port-​a-​potties however right outside of beer island is a nicely upkept public restroom.
I dont get to go on vacation very often but this place makes me feel like Im on a mini-​vaca.
You can fetch the beer yourself or wait for a waitress who are always eager to serve you.

OK, admittedly, Beer Island is kinda gross. I mean, take some sand, some beer add a whole buncha drunk people and some porta-​potties and… yeah. Who knows what you’re stepping on, or what kind of nasty bacteria’s in that sand between your toes?
However, it’s still somehow appealing. Especially when you are one of those drunk persons. And they actually have pretty good beer at pretty good prices, with pretty good music. Plus a great view of the fireworks someone was setting off Saturday night.
You’re outside. It’s the beach. There’s beer. Really, how can you complain?

* Coming to Coney Island on a Sunday afternoon turned out to be such a good call. After some beach fun, I dropped by Beer Island for some drinks and a Unilocaler bumped into me quite unexpectedly.
* We started with some cigarettes and beers and some general casual conversation. Surprisingly we hit the right note and got along soo well. Later we went for some purse shopping for her, followed by dinner and beers before finally making it to my place. Beer Island, you made my day :) It was indeed a ‘memorial’ weekend for me…

Love Beer Island, the only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because they close as soon as I get there.
The beers are $ 5 each! The sand is awesome, take off your sandals and put your walking sticks right in.
Say hello to the cute servers and bring a group to hang witj.
Too bad it’s too cold to hang out these days.

Beer? Good. Sand? Um, all right, I guess. Portapotty? No. Frickin. Way.
Coors makes you have to pee. If you drink your Coors at Ruby’s, you can at least pee in a shitty bathroom. And don’t have to worry about catching some disease from the sand below your feet (actually, maybe you do. it is Coney after all.)

A granny apple Woodchuck + an INCREDIBLE chicken taco from the tacos and tortas stand + Beach Boys tunes so loud your ears are still bleeding days later + Nathan’s French Fries + dirty plastic chairs that sink into the sand rather comically= A perfect Sunday afternoon at Beer Garden.
You wouldn’t think all of those things would combine into a perfect combination of awesomesauce, but, baby, they do. They do, they do, they do!
The bikini-​clad waitresses are always making sure you are refilled properly. Just be prepared to explain to them what a Woodchuck is, lest you have to walk them up to the giant glass window filled with beer bottles in order to point it out.
It’s Coney Island. It ain’t the Ritz. Get some sun. Be a little boozy and gluttonous.

Beer Island prides itself in offering one thing and one thing only: booze!
At $ 5 a pop for most brews, Beer Island is affordable and accomodating. I know of bars that let you BYOF because they don’t have a kitchen, and Beer Island is on that list! You can bring your own snacks from home or go down the street for some Nathan’s, Popeye’s, or Funnel Cake.
The waitresses are all dressed appropriately for the beach and they’re awfully nice.
Beer Island is officially my favorite spot in Coney Island!

Not only my favorite place in Coney Island but one of my favorite bars ever. Beer Island usually has lots of people there but there’s always at least a few chairs and tables free. Yes the music here is a little on the loud side but without the sweet notes of rock music the cacophony of mixed sounds of people yelling and Latin salsa music coming from beyond the confounds of Beer Island would be much more annoying to say the least. Which brings me to another point, if you’ve ever been to Coney Island you know how ghetto it can get but Beer Island truly is an island oasis with a completely different crowd.
Slowly but surely I believe they’re replacing the wobbly pastic chairs which are prone to breaking in the sand with much sturdier red plastic chairs. The sand is warm, soft, and clean, the waitresses (some of which are quite hot and stroll around in bikini tops) are nice, and the beer is ultra cold and very reasonably priced (many drafts are $ 5). They even have connecting food stand with some Italian and Spanish fare. Unfortunately it’s cash only and there’s no ATM on premises but there’s just way to much to love about this place to give them anything less than 5 stars.

Beer island reminds me of Club Safari in Tijuana, Mexico. Actually, that is an insult to the memory of Safari’s. They had indoor plumbing.
My favorite moment of the night:
My friend is allergic to wheat gluten, so I inquired with the bartender which beers might be gluten free. His exact response, in full Brooklyn accent:
«Wutt the fuck is gloootin!»
If the customer service does not win you over, the port-​a-​potties, broken Walmart lawn chairs and the worst selection of music ever experienced might do the trick.
Seriously people… 5 stars? You should be ashamed of yourselves!!!

Now I love me some Samuel Adams. Seasons can go ahead and change — I give them permission — if that means Sam A.‘s winter brew is around the corner. Now. Having said that, I didn’t know there were like 15 varieties of my beloved Sam As. Black Lager, Cream Stout, Honey Porter, Scotch Ale! Heaven.
But guess what? Beer Island just happens to stock them all and wants to give you three of them for $ 10 while you listen to Bob Seger played at top volume and drink them on their questionable plastic furniture on the sand. Tell me you have a problem with any of that. Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Beer Island. An enchanting, sandy getaway off the coast of Coney Island.
Actually, it’s on the coast. And it’s not that enchanting. The magic is somewhat tempered by the fact that you have to use porta-​potties that appear to have never been cleaned. Ever. But there’s sand. And beer. I like sand and beer.
Things you can do at Beer Island:
Buy one of many, many $ 5 beers.
Buy one of several (larger) $ 10 beers.
Have a nice conversation with friends, until someone you don’t like walks up to the jukebox, and you subsequently hear «I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It,» deafening you forever and drowning out all said conversation.
Laugh at the people who fall over in the sand.
Fall over in the sand.
Get laughed at.
Get inappropriately drunk and try not to (1) pass out or (2) piss yourself on the train home.

«BEER ISLAND» Now, does that sound like the most magical place or what?
This is an adult paradise in an otherwise very family-​friendly boardwalk and beach. This is one area where kids aren’t allowed, and adults are free to sit in the sun and get as loaded as they want with brew.
Oh and the BREW. We’re talking a wall of various bottled beer to choose from. They also have around 10 draft handles offering a selection of local Coney Island brews to national brands. The bartender’s very nice and will let you sample off the tap before you pick your poison. Oh and each beer is $ 5, which is just fine.
So that’s the beer, now the island. Well, it’s not really an island. It’s more like a parking lot just behind the boardwalk that they filled with sand and cheap patio furniture. They have a grill on the side that serves food, but they’ll let you bring in your hot dogs and tacos from other vendors as well.
Chill out in the sun with some friends over a few rounds. One of my fondest moments in New York is here as we sat around listening to 90’s jams from the speakers and reminiscing on our old high school days.

4^th of July — there was sand and sun and tables and beer. All things I enjoy. Drinking outside, that’s got to be one of America’s favorite past times, right?
$ 5 gets you one of any beer on the menu — PBR or Hoegaarden, so why not live it up? It’s a strange policy, but when it’s a policy that leads me to treat myself to a tasty brew I can’t say I disagree.
There’s a strange mix of way-​too-​loud U2 and questionable parenting skills going on here. But hey, if I ever should make that procreating decision, let’s hope the kid is happy to sit and dig in some sand while Mommy tosses back a few.
Just a few doors down there are rides, games, nathan’s and ice cream… and really what’s not to like. Young and alive and living in NY city and not at work and cold beer in hand, and all this is just a short train ride from home. But we won’t be heading back while the sun still shines. (Unless one of those porta pottys finally overflows?) You know, I hope Coney Island never gets classy.
As the sun sets, the DJ plays New York State of Mind, and it’s too loud and the sound is clipping on the high end, but really what I’m thinking is, Beer Island, I love you just the way you are.

In 2008, the Beer Island was great. It had a truck serving up grub, a hut serving beers, and lots of lawn furniture stuck in sand to enjoy the outdoors of Coney Island.
In 2009, Beer Island expanded. It’s bigger, with more sand and more tables, and the same great times! I’m not sure if they have more beer options than in 2008, but there are no less than 35 beers available in bottles. I love this place.
They don’t mind if you bring in Nathan’s or anything else for that matter. There’s even a guy who brings his huge snake & parrot (there’s a joke here, isn’t there?) into the Beer Island all the time!
The music is jukebox and blasted throughout Beer Island. If you’re looking for a place to chillax at Coney Island, this place is a great option!