Wait just a cotton pickin’ minute. The USA Today Best Beach Bar for 2026 is in…Queens?
Fresh off a recent visit to Ocean Deck, the 2025 winner, we had no choice but to drag ourselves to New York and see what the fuss was about. Sworn obligation and all that.
The Full Story
Tucked near the Crossbay Bridge, Bungalow Bar is unassuming enough that we blew right past it on the first pass. Once we got our bearings and found the door, we walked into a genuinely welcoming spot sitting right on Jamaica Bay — and immediately ran headlong into the age-old “is it a beach bar without a beach?” debate. As we always do in these situations, we ordered beers and let the question marinate.
Here’s the thing about Bungalow Bar: somebody actually thought this place through. The layout is outstanding — and that’s not a compliment we hand out freely. Too many bars with killer water views waste them on interior seating and awkward sightlines. Not here. The whole place is oriented toward the bay, and it’s roomier than the exterior lets on. Local secret? For now. Not for long.
Service was New York efficient — quick, no-nonsense, but nobody made us feel like we were on the clock. The food held up its end of the bargain. And their claim to the coldest beer in Queens? We can personally vouch for that.
Did USA Today get it right this year? Same answer we always give: that’s your call, not ours. What we can tell you is that the water views are legitimate, the vibe is easy, and the whole package works. Palm trees and white sand would be a nice addition, sure. But how many beach bars sit 15 miles from Lower Manhattan?
Beach Bar Bum’s Prime Seat
The layout shines along the side bar — straight shot from the front entrance. Grab the corner table. You’ll catch glimpses of the city skyline while watching ships work their way across the bay. Cold beer in hand, ships rolling past, Manhattan on the horizon. Worse problems to have.
front entrance), grab a table right in the corner. You’ll get glimpses of the city skyline while still watching the ships come in.
