December spoiled us all with balmy 60 degree weekends, but the temperature is threatening to plummet into a traditional winter range for the beginning of the new year. But your response should not be to sit in your apartment and mope! These five Brooklyn spots will help you fight those humbug feelings with cozy, heated patio spaces. Embrace the great outdoors under a propane space heater, drink in hand, just like nature intended!
A Yard of beer
Bay Ridge beer garden Lock Yard blooms all year ’round. Inside it dons the style of a carnival attraction, and the menu boasts refined Boardwalk fare. In the greenery-lined back yard, heaters and strings of warm lighting overhead cast a glow onto revelers seated at a row of picnic tables. Hanging out back, eating a broccoli rabe covered sausage-dog and drinking a craft beer, is sure to recall memories of late summer evenings.
Lock Yard [9221 5th Ave. between 92nd Street and 94th Street in Bay Ridge, (718) 333–5282, www.locky
Let’s get high
Perched atop the Aloft hotel, the Kimoto Rooftop Beer Garden boasts a Zen-like atmosphere, a view of Brooklyn’s bustling downtown neighborhood, and a heated terrace. For winter, much of its usual patio is covered by a tent, but the best views are still open to the sky, and heaters tucked high on the walls keep you warm while looking out on the Statue of Liberty. The menu contains Asian-fusion versions of classic bar bites, along with an impressive number of Japanese beer varieties. And the Ronin tequila cocktail heats things up with a splash of chili pepper liqueur.
Kimoto Rooftop Beer Garden [216 Duffield St. between Willoughby Street and Fulton Street Downtown, (718) 858–8940, www.kimot
Getting away
The back porch at Battery Harris feels like vacation in the heart of Williamsburg. Not an umbrella-in-your-cocktail vacation, but more like a college road trip spent at the bar within walking distance of your campground. The Caribbean food here is spicy and comforting, and the outdoor benches, though enclosed within a tent, still feel like the great outdoors. And the unique mixed drinks will help to push away the winter blues. And the pineapple, rhubarb, and jalapeno-flavored Ultimate Warrior even comes with a tiny umbrella!
Battery Harris [64 Frost St. at Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 384–8900, www.batte
Fire and water
Williamsburg mainstay Union Pool used to be a pool supply outlet, but now it is a bar and music venue. The backyard regularly hosts a taco truck, and when it gets cold, you can gather around the fire pit, or crowd around the free-standing propane heaters. The taco truck is the only thing on the menu and the drinks are nothing fancy, but the prices are good and the crowd is lively. Swing by and relive your chlorine-soaked youth.
Union Pool [484 Union Ave. at Meeker Avenue in Williamsburg, (718) 609–0484, www.union
Hipsters in heat
Despite the trendy reputation of Bushwick staple Roberta’s Pizza, it still has a universal appeal. Maybe it’s the beer. Maybe biting into a slice of gooey, cheesy pizza is the great equalizer, no matter how artisanal its toppings. Maybe the stripped down decor and expansive, tented backyard, complete with heat lamps for chilly evenings, just feels comforting. Whatever the reason, Roberta’s is a solid choice for those looking to fight off seasonal depression with a cold beer and a warm slice.
Roberta’s Pizza [261 Moore St. at Bogart Street in Bushwick, (718) 417–1118, www.rober
