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André Balazs's Standard Hotel has something more proletarian to offer: the Standard Beer Garden, replete with communal seating for 200, ping-pong tables, and a unique selection of beer (Bitburger, Kostrizer & Licher) to complement the full bar. Still, expect the usual after-work, meatpacking crowd: mini-dressed ladies straddling the cobblestone pavement in heels, with suited bankers and lawyers hobbling among them. The picnic tables and pastel color scheme don't do much for the decor. Neither do the gritty wholesale meat and beer distributors across the street or the metal beams from the High Line cutting into the space. But for all its grittiness, the beer garden is a lush meatpacking alternative with surrounding plants and the gorgeous view of the High Line right above—and the lines on the weekend seem to prove it. For a cozy date, try snagging a high-top table with pastel-green high chairs. — Yelena Shuster