STATEN ISLAND:

8. Killmeyer’s Old Bavarian Inn (1859)

By 1860, about 200,000 Germans had immigrated to New York City, and many chose to settle down in Staten Island. Killmeyer’s Old Bavarian Inn, established in the nineteenth century in the Kresicherville neighborhood, is a lasting vestige of that time period, when Staten Island breweries constituted a major player in the industry before Prohibition. Over the years, the property has operated as a barbershop, a hotel (on the second floor) and a tavern. However, its current owner, Ken Tirado purchased the space with the intention of returning it back to its German roots. In the aftermath of World War I and World War II, anti-German sentiments quickly flooded through the neighborhood (as noted by Brienza in the guidebook Kresicherville was renamed Charleston to appear more Anglo-Saxon), causing businesses with German ties to either close or rebrand themselves. Seeking to fill a void for the German community, Tirado traveled to Munich for inspiration; his establishment now features a menu of classic German fare (schnitzels, goulash, brisket, etc.), and is based off of the aesthetic of German breweries and beer gardens.