From politics to pilsners: Ex-NYC Councilman opens beer garden
Former New York City Council Republican Minority Leader Joe Borelli has opened an outdoor beer garden called The Garden at the Staten Island Mall. Borelli, who served from 2015 to 2025, partnered with local restaurateur Carmine Gualtieri on the seasonal venture. The beer garden features games, live entertainment, and a menu inspired by Gualtieri's pub The Hop Shoppe.
- ▪Joe Borelli served on the NYC Council from 2015 to 2025 and was its minority leader from 2021 to 2025.
- ▪The Garden is located in the pedestrian plaza at Staten Island Mall on Richmond Avenue in New Springville.
- ▪The beer garden includes picnic tables, games like cornhole and foosball, and plans for live music, bingo, and doggy brunches.
- ▪Borelli partnered with Carmine Gualtieri, who owns The Hop Shoppe in Stapleton.
- ▪The venue briefly opened for a Cinco de Mayo event and aims to operate permanently by Memorial Day weekend.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Metro exclusive From politics to pilsners: Ex-NYC Councilman opens beer garden By Rich Calder Published May 16, 2026, 11:11 a.m. ET A former GOP elected official has gone from serving his Staten Island constituents in the City Council to serving them frosty brews in his new outdoor beer garden. Joe Borelli was a member of the Council from 2015 to 2025, and its minority leader from 2021 to 2025, and often ripped lefty politics for driving businesses out of the Big Apple. He’s now gambling on his own venture, called simply The Garden, in the pedestrian plaza at Staten Island Mall on Richmond Avenue in New Springville.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at New York Post.
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