World's Top Beer Gardens

Scene: Long live the dirndl! This 1589 brewery clings to its historic roots with traditional Bavarian outfits and fare. The center courtyard is stocked with ancient chestnut trees, providing cool shade and a transporting atmosphere. During Oktoberfest celebrations, the focus moves from the beer garden to the Hofbräu-Festzelt tent, a separate structure set up in the heart of Munich’s festivities.

Sustenance: Pork reigns supreme (even salad comes with suckling pig). Try the Brotzeit platter, featuring three varieties of pig, or opt for veal sausages served with a fresh pretzel and mustard.

Suds: The house beer comes in three varieties: dark, light, and white. For a refreshing twist, order yours mixed with lemonade.

Scene: Dating to 1515, this is the oldest pub in Bruges, hidden in the quiet neighborhood of St. Anna. Revelers quaff lagers and play boccie in the ancient stone-walled garden. During inclement weather, they have the option of gathering around the fire in the cozy, wood-beamed interior.

Sustenance: The menu ranges from highbrow bar food like bacon-wrapped goat cheese with honey to comfort food like macaroni and cheese, a salami and cheese board, or simple toasted sandwiches.

Suds: The beer garden keeps three staples on tap: Jupiler, Brugse Zot Blonde, and Leffe Brune. Plumb the list of 20 bottled brews for more interesting options like Tripel Karmeliet or the Framboise Belle Vue.

Scene: The space is set up like a county fair, with a bustling energy to match. Food and beer stalls surround a center tent, where a buzzing crowd of young tastemakers and foreign students parties into the night.

Sustenance: The food choices are vast and cheap—from Chinese dumplings or hot pots, to Korean barbecue, to American hot dogs. Do a culinary round-the-world tour before settling in for some Chinese beer and multilingual eavesdropping.

Suds: Yangjing and Tsingtao flow liberally (at under a dollar for a big bottle, with drafts for even less).

Scene: Location, location, location. Perched atop Letenske Park, this beer garden offers sweeping views of Prague’s Old City, historic bridges, and ambling Vltava river.

Sustenance: The garden restaurant (as opposed to Brasserie Ullmann, a more upscale and pricey option) churns out tasty pizzas; try the quattro stagioni, topped with mushrooms, artichokes, olives, and ham.

Suds: Crisp Gambrinus (a Czech beer) is on tap and served in unpretentious plastic cups. Practice ordering a beer in Czech—pivo prosim (pee-vo proh-seem)!

Scene: A favorite urban escape for yuppies, hipsters, and immigrants alike, the Bohemian’s spacious garden and long communal tables rarely feel unmanageably crowded. With plentiful trees for summer shade and a removable cover for damp days, the spot is a year-round treat—you’re even welcome in the snow.

Sustenance: Authentic Czech fare like pierogi and kielbasa, prepared on an outdoor grill that sends tempting aromas through the garden, is especially pleasing to the Astoria neighborhood’s Eastern European transplants.

Suds: Beers on tap include Staropramen, Hoegaarden, and Krusovice—$15 for a share-friendly pitcher.

Scene: Set up in stables built in 1663, the rustic Flask is said to be haunted by a barmaid who killed herself there over unrequited love. The wood-paneled retreat was also a popular haunt for satirist and painter William Hogarth. Outside, the rollicking garden is decked out with fairy lights and space heaters, to combat the English chill.

Sustenance: In the summer, the beer garden features a seasonal barbecue serving up burgers, steaks, and pork sausages. In the fall, the menu is quintessential pub fare, including a top-notch fish and chips.

Suds: Everything you’d expect from an authentic English pub; regulars favor Bulmers cider and Westons.

Scene: Full of locals perched on plastic chairs, this inexpensive barbecue joint is as welcoming to outsiders as it is cherished by locals. Though the venue seats hundreds, the service doesn’t suffer (and the waiters speak English).

Sustenance: Food is actually the main attraction. The do-it-yourself barbecue ranges from simple (the garlic beef Bo Tung Xeo) to scary (deep-fried scorpion) to squirmy (kill-your-own shrimp).

Suds: The pitchers of Saigon beer are cold and refreshing, a perfect accompaniment to the DIY grill menu.

Scene: Located on the Singelgracht canal, this split-level beer garden has an edgy vibe (live alternative music, graffiti, darts) that’s both gritty and nonthreatening. Sit at sun-drenched communal tables and take in the charming views of boats and barges outside.

Sustenance: The tradition here is to bring in fare from the surrounding multicultural neighborhood. Lamb kebab from the Turkish restaurant Mesut 2 pairs nicely with a crisp brew on the garden patio.

Suds: Since beer prices at this youthful, casual spot are considerably less expensive ($2.50 for a Poperings Hommelbier) than at other Amsterdam establishments, sip the afternoon away on a rotating selection of bottled (around 15 varieties) and tap (five kinds) beers, including Schneider Weizen and Budels Parel.

Scene: Don’t worry about finding a seat at this 17th-century brewery—there are 1,500 available spots in the impressive beer garden.

Sustenance: Walk through the attached Delicatessen Arcade to sample traditional fare from local food stalls. Tuck into a hearty smoked mackerel matched with a crisp radish salad.

Suds: Fasting for Lent? Drinking Augustiner Lenten beer doesn’t count as eating! Non-Catholics can enjoy any of Augustiner’s nine varieties, some of which are seasonally produced.

Scene: Melbourne’s biggest beer garden aims to re-create Belgium’s outdoor drinking traditions. The umbrella-topped picnic tables are packed with young beer enthusiasts and the occasional business group out for a little “team building.”

Sustenance: In the Belgian spirit, the beer garden serves up hearty pots of mussels and fries. During summer, grilled bratwurst and rotisserie chickens are added to the menu.

Suds: The beers on draft (Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Leffe Blonde, Leffe Brune, and Belle-Vue Kriek) are served after a nine-step pouring process, meant to achieve the ideal carbonation and foam height.