Everyone is talking about Stapleton’s new pub, and for good reason

by Jenn vikse

The resurgence of the North Shore, including Stapleton, has been a long time coming. Now, as the community prepares to for a shift in development and population, the restaurants in the area are responding.

Enter The Hop Shoppe.
From exposed brick walls to murals of Staten Island life, this business simply knows what it is—a great place to get a beer, a burger, and play a game of skee ball.

“If I had to describe it, I’d call it urban-hip,” noted co-owner Carmine Gualtieri. “If you really look at the area, the neighborhood—it’s urban, industrial. We wanted to be along those lines.”

The result is a Stapleton gastropub where 200 varieties of beer and authentic mixed drinks are available.

“We feel we’re the first place on Staten Island to do what we are doing— based around craft beer and handmade cocktails,” Gualtieri explained. “Everything is made from scratch, too—the juices, the bitters, ingredients. It’s a mixologist’s cocktail list.”

Specialty drinks, priced from $10-$12, include the ode to the neighborhood—the Tappen Park, made with bourbon, Fresh lemon juice, triple sec, raspberries, and mint, and The Hop Shoppe Garden, which includes a homemade pickle.

The menu is also a far cry from tired bar standards, with rice balls, mac n’ cheese, and signature burgers as standouts.

“My favorites on the menu are burgers,” said Gualtieri, who opened the Van Duzer spot barely five months ago. “Everyone loves the chorizo empanadas…the General Tso’s cauliflower. The response has been great, too. There’s really nothing like it on Staten Island,” added the owner, who has been in the restaurant and bar business his whole life. “And there was a need for it. Right now, we are basically a restaurant, but we want to expand into late night live music, too.”

The Hop Shoppe
372 Van Duzer Street
718.448.3400
thehopshoppe.com