Bronx Alehouse

A few steps from the elevated 1 train at 238th Street, the Bronx Alehouse took over a tired old neighborhood bar and within a couple of years had become a craft beer hub for the borough. By 2011 it was hosting the launch party for the Bronx Brewery's first pale ale, and it has been the Kingsbridge end of the city's beer scene ever since: a rotating tap list, a beer club that counts what members have tried, and guest-brewer nights.

It is a pub, not a museum, and the kitchen is a real reason to come. House-smoked St. Louis ribs, a smoked brisket poutine, cheesesteak egg rolls and the Bronx Scramble — a basket of wings, tenders, onion rings and fried pickles for the table — make a case for staying through a second round. Weekend brunch comes with a free drink, and weeknights bring darts, trivia and the Wednesday beer club.