If all the rides and the freaks at this legendary beach don’t do it for you, don’t despair. Coney Island also offers a truly wide range of boozy entertainment.

If you go to Coney Island and walk away without a Nathan’s hotdog, you’ve made a mistake. If you walk away with no hotdog and no beer, then you’ve made a grave mistake. (1310 Surf Ave., Brooklyn; 718-946-2202)

There’s a looong story behind this bar’s namesake, and if your server won’t tell it to you, the place’s website will. While you partake of the full bar, you can also eat like you’re at a carnival…which, well, you are. Overall, this is a solid hangout that’s quintessential Coney Island. (1213 Boardwalk W, Brooklyn;718-975-7829)

With consistently great Italian food (and consistency means a lot, considering how long this restaurant has been around), Gargiulo’s deserves your respect. A little further away from the beach, it won’t tolerate beach attire, but it will get you as drunk on wine as you got earlier in the day on the sun. (2911 W 15th St., Brooklyn; 718-266-4891)
Tom’s Coney Island

With a sister restaurant that’s been around for ages in Prospect Heights, Tom’s has the instant feeling of a fixture. The food isn’t anything special, but it’s comforting, and there’s a full bar. Definitely give the margaritas a try. (1229 Boardwalk W, Brooklyn; 718-942-4200)
 

If you’re looking for something that’s sexier than lasagna and wine, Coney Island offers a strip club basically a stone’s throw from the beach. What’s so great about a strip club in Coney Island? The drinks are way cheaper than a strip club most anywhere else in New York. It opens at 8 PM every night. (1201 Surf Ave., Brooklyn; 718-449-1240)

Add an Irish pub into the mix of a family-run Italian restaurant, Nathan’s hot dogs, carnival snacks, and a gentlemen’s club, and you’ve pretty much covered the bases of classic, American pleasures. Bar snacks are solid, and you can start drinking here early sans judgment. It opens at 11 AM every day. (1904 Surf Ave., Brooklyn; 718-449-3200)

And where there’s beach, there’s also often the opportunity to wash down Mexican food with the fruitiest, iciest forms of tequila drinks. Enter Place to Beach, where margaritas ranging in flavor from cherry to cucumber to red chili all cost $9 and Long Island Ice Teas are actually worth their $15 in alcohol content. (1301 Boardwalk W, Brooklyn; 516-500-2953)