2008 Woodie Awards
Review: An Beal Bocht
Uptown Girl
Suzy Kenly
Issue date: 10/13/04 Section: Features
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"That is the best Guinness I have ever had," said a woman, sitting at the bar at An Beal Bocht. "And I used to live in Dublin."
Most beer lovers will agree that the only place to find an outstanding Guinness is in Ireland. There are bars in New York that offer decent Guinness's, but nothing compares with the thick frothy beer on the island where it was invented.
Obviously, these beer lovers haven't been to An Beal Bocht, the café/bar at West 238th Street.
An Beal Bocht, translated in Gaelic, "A Poor Mouth", was rated the best Irish bar in New York City by Time Out New York Magazine, which described An Beal as "cozy, jovial, crowded and brimming with thick pints of Guinness and even thicker brogue."
Locals have been streaming into this charming café/bar for 11 years, when it first opened. Upon entering, they are greeted by a group of kegs in the dimly lit bar.
Past reviews written about An Beal plaster the blithesome walls. There is one by Newsday, which calls the bar "The Cream of Irish Coffeehouses", another by The Riverdale Press, which stated that "To Hear New Irish Tunes, You have to be in Riverdale." There are also dozens of framed photographs speckled around the bar, one of when Brad Pitt filmed The Devil's Own in Riverdale, a few of James Joyce and Van Morrison.
The furniture is as hearty as the beer, with large wooden clunky tables and benches by windows, giving customers the chance to sip their Guinness and enjoy the affectionate atmosphere. Complete with the old stone fireplace, An Beal Bocht and its customers could easily be transported to Dublin.
The bar tenders are all Irish, and have excellent memories of their regular customers. The sandwiches, with pastrami, turkey and roast beef, among other types of meat, are $4, with the recommended Irish stew priced at a reasonable $3. All of the bartenders cite the Shepard's pie as their most popular dish, priced at $8. Drinks on tap are $4.
Customers who glance up at the ceiling are often surprised to see a tin pitcher hanging from the ceiling, seemingly an invite for more beer. But what is most astonishing is the boat also hanging from the ceiling. According to Bronagh, one of the bartenders, the boat was brought over to the States from its native Ireland.