Where Was Girls Filmed?

The Short Answer

The HBO series Girls was primarily filmed on location in New York City between 2012 and 2017, especially in Brooklyn neighborhoods like Greenpoint and Williamsburg. Production also used Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, plus various Manhattan locations and upstate New York spots. Hannah's famous apartment exterior is a real stoop on India Street in Greenpoint that fans still visit today.

Girls ran on HBO from 2012 to 2017 and became as closely identified with its city as any New York show of its era. Rather than reconstructing Brooklyn on a backlot, the production shot heavily on real streets, which means a surprising number of locations from the series can still be walked into, ordered at, or photographed today.

Most of the action clusters in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, where Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna lived out their twenties. A few scenes required creative cheats, and the show's apartment interiors were actually studio sets, but the exteriors and many of the bars, cafes and restaurants are genuine businesses open to the public.

Every Location At A Glance

Location	Where	What was filmed	Access
Hannah’s Stoop	Brooklyn	Multiple scenes including Marnie moving out (S1E10), Adam running to Hannah’s (S2E10), Hannah ignoring parents (S5E10)	Free to see
Cafe Grumpy	Brooklyn	Ray manages here; Hannah works briefly; Hannah meets Joshua (S2E5); confrontation scene (S3E1)	Free to see
Lehmann Maupin Gallery	New York	Marnie works here; scenes with Booth Jonathan (S1)	Ticketed
Tom & Jerry’s	New York	Jessa drinks White Russian before abortion plan (S1)	Free to see
Gramercy Park Hotel	New York	Hannah’s listicle party; Marnie meets Desi (S3E8)	Free to see
Roberta’s Pizza	Brooklyn	Marnie and Charlie reconcile outside (S2E10)	Free to see
Peter Luger Steak House	Brooklyn	Jessa meets Thomas John’s parents (S2E4, referenced)	Free to see
Luna Park	Brooklyn	Jessa and Adam at Coney Island (S5E2, doubling as San Gennaro)	Ticketed
Meow Parlour	New York	Shosh works at kitty cafe (S5E5, doubling as Japan)	Free to see
Grand Central Terminal	New York	Various transit and meeting scenes	Free to see

Filming Locations Map

10 locations. The map loads when it scrolls into view.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Location By Location

This residential stoop at 1616 India Street in Greenpoint appeared repeatedly across the series, including Marnie moving out in season one, Adam running to Hannah's apartment in season two, and Hannah ignoring her parents in season five. It is a real home, visible from the street at any time. Fans still make the trip, so be mindful that people live there and keep visits brief and quiet.

The coffee shop where Ray manages and Hannah briefly worked, at 93 Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint, hosted several key scenes. Hannah met Joshua there in season two, and a confrontation played out in the season three premiere. It remains an operating cafe, making it one of the easiest locations to experience properly: order a coffee and sit where the characters argued.

Marnie's art world workplace in season one, where several scenes with Booth Jonathan take place, was filmed at this real Manhattan gallery. It is open to the public and free to visit, though exhibitions rotate, so what you see inside may differ from what appeared on screen. Check current shows before going if art is part of the draw.

This Nolita bar is where Jessa drank a White Russian before her abortion plan in season one. It is still operating, so fans can order a drink in the same room where the scene unfolded. No tickets or planning required, it is simply a working neighborhood bar that happens to be part of the show's geography.

Hannah's listicle party and Marnie's first meeting with Desi in season three both took place at this Manhattan hotel. The bar and lobby are accessible to the public, and the setting retains the elegance the show used. Visitors can walk in for a drink without being a hotel guest, making it an easy stop on a Manhattan locations walk.

The moment Marnie and Charlie reconcile outside the pizzeria in the season two finale was shot at Roberta's in Bushwick, a busy and very popular restaurant in its own right. Expect a crowd, especially at peak hours. It doubles as a genuine food stop on any locations tour of Brooklyn, pairing well with a swing through Williamsburg.

Jessa's dinner meeting with Thomas John's parents in season two is associated with this storied Williamsburg steakhouse. It is a public restaurant, but reservations are recommended given how in demand it is. Even without a table, the exterior makes an easy photo stop on a Williamsburg itinerary alongside the show's other Brooklyn locations.

Jessa and Adam's season five scenes were filmed at this Coney Island amusement park, which doubled as the San Gennaro festival. Access is ticketed and the park operates seasonally, so timing matters: plan a visit between seasons when the rides are running. It pairs naturally with a boardwalk day rather than a dedicated filming location trip.

Shoshanna's season five kitty cafe job, doubling as Japan, was shot at this cat cafe in Chinatown. It is open to visitors, though cat cafes typically require reservations and time slots. It is one of the more playful stops on the Girls map, and one of the few where the filming location experience is essentially the same activity shown on screen.

Various transit and meeting scenes used the terminal, which needs no introduction as a Manhattan landmark. It is free to enter and open to the public, so it costs nothing to add to any itinerary. Standing in the main concourse puts visitors in the same space used for the show's arrivals, departures and chance encounters.

Where It Is Set Versus Where It Was Filmed

Girls was both set and filmed in New York City, primarily Brooklyn, which is rarer than it sounds for a TV production. Some cheats existed: Staten Island doubled for Iowa in season four, and upstate New York locations stood in for other settings. The apartment interiors, however, were built on sets rather than real locations, giving the production control and realism indoors while exteriors used genuine addresses.

The Studio Side

Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens served as the show's studio home, where the apartment sets were built. The production also filmed in Queens neighborhoods like Astoria. Silvercup is a working studio and not open to the public, so it cannot be visited, but much of the series was shot on the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan with minimal studio work, which is why so many locations remain accessible.

Tours That Visit These Locations

There is no dedicated guided tour for HBO's Girls, but the page also lists tours for a different Girls entirely: Derry Girls, the Channel 4 comedy set in Northern Ireland. For travelers drawn to Girls-adjacent television tourism, these guided walks and private taxi tours of Derry cover another beloved show's real filming locations.

Small-Group Locations Tour, From $35

Derry: Derry Girls TV Show Filming Locations Tour

The most reviewed option at 4.9 from 136 reviews, at $35 per person, hitting the show's filming locations in a small group.

4.9 out of 5 · 136 reviews

From$35Check availability

Guided Public Walk

Derry: Guided Derry Girls TV Show Public Tour

A guided public tour with a 4.8 rating from 6 reviews, suited to visitors who prefer a group walk with a local guide.

4.8 out of 5 · 6 reviews

From$20Check availability

Private Taxi Tour, 2 Hours

Private 2-hour Derry Girls Tour by Taxi

A private two hour taxi tour with a 5 rating, priced at $398, for travelers who want a guide and vehicle to themselves.

5.0 out of 5 · 2 reviews

From$398Check availability

Private Guide From Belfast

Belfast: Derry Girls Taxi Tour with Private Guide

A private taxi tour departing from Belfast at $383.96, convenient for travelers based in Belfast rather than Derry.

5.0 out of 5 · 2 reviews

From$384Check availability

Frequently Asked Questions

Was Girls actually filmed in Brooklyn?

Yes. The series shot extensively on location in Brooklyn, especially Greenpoint and Williamsburg, along with Manhattan streets and some Queens neighborhoods like Astoria. The apartment interiors were built as sets at Silvercup Studios, but the exteriors are real addresses.

Can you visit Hannah's apartment from Girls?

The exterior is a real stoop at 1616 India Street in Greenpoint, visible from the public street. It remains a private residence, so visitors should view it from outside and respect the people living there.

Is the Cafe Grumpy from Girls a real cafe?

Yes, it is an operating cafe at 93 Meserole Avenue in Greenpoint. You can order a coffee and sit inside, making it one of the few Girls locations you can experience much as the characters did.

Where was the Girls Iowa storyline filmed?

Staten Island doubled for Iowa in season four. Additional shooting also took place at upstate New York locations for scenes set outside the city.

Can you tour Silvercup Studios where Girls was filmed?

No. Silvercup Studios in Long Island City is a working production facility and is not open to the public. The show relied heavily on location shooting anyway, so most of its filming sites are streets, bars and businesses anyone can visit.

Are there guided tours of Girls filming locations?

There is no dedicated Girls tour. The guided tours listed on this page are for Derry Girls, the Northern Ireland comedy, and cover that show's locations in and around Derry and Belfast.

Girls left behind one of the most visitable filming footprints in television, precisely because it shot on real streets rather than soundstage replicas. A fan can trace the show in a single day: morning coffee at Cafe Grumpy, a respectful stop at the India Street stoop, pizza at Roberta's, and a drink at Tom and Jerry's or the Gramercy Park Hotel. Nothing requires tickets except the gallery, the cat cafe and Luna Park in season.

Sources

The Short Answer

Every Location At A Glance

Filming Locations Map

Location By Location

Hannah’s Stoop

Cafe Grumpy

Lehmann Maupin Gallery

Tom & Jerry’s

Gramercy Park Hotel

Roberta’s Pizza

Peter Luger Steak House

Luna Park

Meow Parlour

Grand Central Terminal