They call (they being New Yorkers, usually the ones who live there) Staten Island “the forgotten borough,” claiming it gets no love from the city of New York. Maybe it should be called Dangerfield Island for its perceived lack of respect, but forgotten? Never. How can we forget it when we hear the horn of the SI ferry every 15 minutes or so? How can we forget the only borough to vote for George W. Bush in 2004? How can we forget the mighty island that gave us Ricky Schroder, Joan Baez, and both the Vanderbilt and Wu Tang clans? And then there are those great Staten Island bars….
No, Staten Island is not forgotten, but it’s probably under-appreciated. I fixed that — on the micro level anyway — a few weeks ago with a road trip over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to check out a few of the island’s favorite bars, our friend Tony (an Islander from way back) as our guide. I will now neither forget nor under-appreciate that island, named by the Dutch in honor of their bicameral legislature, the Staten-Generaal der Nederlanden. There’s your trivia pellet for the day.
I enjoyed our trip enormously, met some mighty nice locals, and discovered a few fine taverns to share with the world. A couple Great Good Places, if you will, places I’d be happy to hang out again soon. If only they were closer.
But listen, I don’t say that to disparage Staten Island. In fact, some of its charm and appeal is definitely due to its inaccessibility. Most of the residents of the island were dead against the bridge that finally, in 1964, opened for business, connecting Staten Island with the riff-raff of Brooklyn. Thousands of Brooklyners did indeed move to SI from the cramped neighborhoods of their borough. Staten Island’s population is still the lowest of the five boroughs, at just under half a million, so it’s not really what I’d call crowded. Its 58 square miles put it at a population density of about 8,448 citizens per mi2, roughly on par with Bridgeport, Conn. and a far cry from the 71,739-ish crush of Manhattan.
So there’s elbow room on Staten Island, and that goes for the bars, too. And I dig that.
In Search of Great Staten Island Bars
Our first stop was a historic spot, Liedy’s Shore Inn, just a stone’s throw from the Kill Van Kull, the tidal strait separating Staten Island from Bayonne, NJ. Liedy’s is a good old-fashioned workingman’s bar with history, a dynamite jukebox and live music on the weekends. We sat in the table by the front window and watched the upper decks of an enormous freighter glide above the berm that separated Richmond Terrace from the waterway on the other side. And that’s not something you see every day. We’ll definitely be heading back to check out owner Larry Liedy’s band play some weekend.
After Liedy’s we trucked a couple blocks up Lafayette Avenue to a sweet little place called Adobe Blues. You just know from the get-go when you’re walking into a place you’ll like, and this was one of them. Nothin’ but smiles and nods from a happy crowd of regulars and the welcoming staff. It’s actually a Mexican restaurant, but you enter the “cantina” portion, and that’s where the action is. Good chips and salsa, excellent bartender and exactly the kind of margaritas you want. I love this place.
From there Tony drove us over to Joyce’s Tavern, a picture-perfect neighborhood Irish pub, not far from where Tony grew up in Eltington. I love all the villagey names the SI neighborhoods still have. Unfortunately, they were remodeling at Joyce’s that day (wha-whaaaaa), so no Guinness for us at this classic. Not THIS time, anyway.
After that (and a quick visit to say hi to Tony’s mom) we travelled over hill and vale to the southwest part of the island. And really, man, Staten Island is hilly. It was never flattened out and gridded up like most of the rest of NYC, so it still feels geographically sort of like it did during colonial times — winding roads connecting neighborhoods that were once independent villages, separated by hills and woods.
Anyway, we made it out to Rossville to visit Killmeyer’s, an old restaurant with a German biergarten out back. And who doesn’t love a biergarten on a gorgeous sunny day in the rolling hills of southwest Staten Island? Not me. I loves it. And good German day-biers at Killmeyer’s did not let me down. The food was fine, but it’s the outdoor biers that I’d go back for. Biers just taste better outdoors. True.
So, yes, I’ll be back to Staten Island. Back for further culinary adventures, music and happy tippling at som great Staten Island bars, assuming Tony is driving. Hopefully he will be. After this last visit we landed back in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and bought him many a quenchy beverage, deserved fare for a safe trip to exotic, faraway lands.
21 comments
One of my fondest memories of my younger years in both joyful and sad….as it is mixed with feelings and is ambivalent. I am a native islander from West Brighton and am now 62. I am a lesbian and growing up gay here on Staten Island was not easy. I recall with much nostalgia going to Staten Island’s most popular gay bar “Club Brazil” in the 1970’s. It was located at 86 Mills Avenue in a big blue and wooden frame house, right smack in the middle of a residential street. It was the ground floor and put there purposely to avoid unwanted attention in more hostile times towards homosexuals. It was a real mecca and meeting place for gays during the disco-era and everyone knew each other and had so much fun there. I recall it fondly from c. 1976 to 1982. Later, it became Abracadabra and later again The Sandcastle. However, it always was a gay bar with dance floor. Sometime in the mid 1990’s it was torn down and a row of ugly attached town house took it’s place.
CLUB BRAZIL is definitely one of those clandestine “hide-away” bars I recall from the late 70’s and right through the 80’s. It was a gay bar, tucked away in the basement of a spooky old house in South Beach on Mills Avenue on a quiet street that was all residential. Back in those dark days, being gay was totally taboo and gay men and lesbians were oppressed and lived in constant fear of being found “out !” I was bi and snuck around in these joints in my 20’s, but was basically straight. Today, things have changed drastically for gays and they no longer have to “sneak around” and remain invisible….and why should they ?
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Yes! I recall fondly “CLUB BRAZIL” was the gay bar during the disco kraze from 1976-82 and later the nae changed to “ABRACADABRA” when Joann Woznewskcski sold the business to Billy Roder. It actuually was there as a gay-friendly piano-bar/restaurant since the mid 1950’s as “CARMINE’S SAND-PIPER” and later was renamed once again as “THE SANDCASTLE” around 1988 when Denise Demian took it over. Sadly,circa 1995 the building was leveled to make way for attached town homes.This bar was mecca for gay people on the island through the decades in a far more hostile and less tolerant time for homosexuals. It truly represents a real piece of LGBT history for Staten Island and those that remember it.
does anyone remember a dive bar called the Red Lantern??
does anyone remember a dive bar called the Red Lantern??
Sure do. Had a balcony off the second floor. On Targee st if I recall. Lots of Bayonne NJ folks went there Great place. Is it still there?
Great site but missing any references to, photos of ( if any exist ) of Tuzzo’s Bar on St. Marys Ave., in Rosebank. Frank Tuzzo, owner and sole proprietor had only one arm. The Demyan Brothers used to go there after closing hour at The Hofbrau. Frank lived above the bar and room or 2 in the back. He made ham sandwiches toasting the bread in the old style toasters. They cost $1.00. Wagner College students, mainly 1 fraternity, but only about 10 total members hung out there. Had a pool table and Frank sometimes played 8 ball shooting with his one arm. Many guys were customers for 20 years or more. A classic guy and a classic place.
Addition to comments above Tuzzo’s bar. Believe it was open from early 50’s to middle to late 70’s.
Absolutely remember the Red Lantern. Last went there on double date with summer love 1965 and friends date who would become the Governor of New Jersey one day. Hofbrau House was nearby also. Also did many a beer run over the Outerbridge Bridge to package good’s store just after bridge. Rt. 287 really opened up Staten Island for us central New Jersey teens.
Does anyone remember the bar restaurant on Richmond Road that was referred to as Val’s.
Hung out at Frankie Tuzzo’s bar when a student at Wagner College in the early 70’s. The fraternity referred to above by Bruce Amann was Phi Sigma Kappa. It was our fraternity bar! Beers were 25 cents each!
I have a great picture of Frankie but can’t figure out how to post it here.
Trying to locate an old bar that was called Shulls on Barnard Ave. I was born in Staten Island in 1953 and moved to California when I turned 6. My Uncle owned Shulls and we lived right behind it. Spent many times in there learning to play shuffle board. Would love to see some old pictures. Can anyone help please.