Ambrose Hall opens at the South Street Seaport

Since 2001, the annual opening of the Beekman Beer Garden Beach Club marked the unofficial start of summer for the tie-loosening FiDi set. With the waterfront biergartenshuttered due to Pier 17 construction, financiers can savor the warm-weather season at this South Street Seaport sibling, named after the nearby Lightship Ambrose. Black-iron tap towers offer a rotation of 12 local brews (Kelso Nut Brown Lager, Coney Island Watermelon Wheat) in the indoor bar, located inside the historic Schermerhorn Row building. 

Along with small-batch whiskeys and cocktails like a rum-and-pineapple Nelson’s Folly, the bar menu includes grub like Schaller & Weber brats (spicy pork, smoked veal), lobster rolls and kettle-cooked chips smothered in beer-blended cheese. Next door, find a 14,000-square-foot cobblestoned beer garden stocked with German suds, as well as a brightly hued surf club perched atop shipping containers. 18 Fulton St between Front and South Sts (212-785-0018)