An Beal Bocht Cafe

Visited with my family on a Sunday afternoon — maybe two other tables in the place. Service slow but fairly pleasant at first. Ordered soup for my kid who was really hungry. It took a long time but tasted great when it arrived. We finished our meal (very tasty) but we’re still hungry and ordered a side of fries. After about 15 minutes, we requested the check and tried to cancel the fries (15 minutes?!!). Our server said they were coming. When she brought the check, she tossed it on the table. What?!! I’ve worked in restaurants and that was not cool. My husband told me to take a deep breath. The fries were still on the check. No problem; I did order them. I left no tip and we left the restaurant. On the way to the door, the server said, «You don’t want the fries?» I said, «No sweetie. You keep ‘em.» Will not be going back. Slow service. Stank server. No fries.

Love this place! Particularly when the Manhattan College students are on break… cosy, warm, nice bartenders, yummy food.

Had a great lunch and enjoyed the surroundings. Food was delicious, house beer was great but please get real COKE. The soda some of us received was terrible. We’ll be back again and will bring a can of COKE like some of the other people we saw.

Simple good food with veggie options. Quirky interesting place in the north Bronx. Come for show. Eat a good meal. Linger over a pint. Neighborhood feel.

Went to see our friend Maeve Price perform in «The Donohue Sisters» and have a Guinness and dinner. Very cool bar /​restaurant /​adjoining theater space — small, fun, cool, eclectic. Had a avocado sandwich with salad. Lovely!

A very clickish neighborhood bar, with a distinctly «New York feel», for better or worse. If you’re not one of the locals with a monosyllabic vocabulary you’re somehow viewed as deficient. Bar staff has the warmth of a hermit crab and seem to lack in the social graces. There’s a lot of Irish and Americana «kitch» on the interior, but that doesn’t seem to make up for the amount of prepubescent college brats gabbing loudly in the corner, or the austere and conspicuous Amish beardsman who is really a bouncer, or the sallow-​cheeked, sullen Euros I had to drink with. No, it’s a typical New York, Irish-​owned pub, with a weird Irish name, and a fake history behind it, having been opened some twenty-​odd years ago.
It’s too bad also, because there is a stage and the occasional talented performance, be it burlesque, jazz, or juggling, but it’s too calculated an effort and lacks the joy and merriment of an authentic Irish pub, perhaps because most people from Riverdale are total conceited a-​holes! As Chris Rock would say, «it’s all about the company», for which this bar, anyway, can hold no candle.

A nice little Irish pub with good food, live local music. There’s not a lot in this area, and it’s kind of a singular place. It has the kind of mom-​and-​pop old-​school charm that you can’t fake.

So much fun even on the first major snow storm of 2016. The crowd was great, the music wonderful and the setting very relaxed and warm. This is a place that will grow on you and become a local favorite. Next time we will try the kitchen. Cheers!

Good food, great beer, friendly service. Service is a little on the slow side though.

I’ve been living in Riverdale, Bronx, for almost 15 years and from day one this bar/​restaurant is the best in town. Always incredible craic — music, theater, open mic, poetry — and you never have a bad time. The food is grand! And you get loads of it for a decent price. The service is excellent, friendly and they remember you. Of the bands that have played there — all of them really solid — I can recommend Jerry Scaringe and the Slippery Chickens for metal rockability with a folk heart. And Mary Courtney will swell your heart with her extraordinary voice and songs. Whether on a snowy quiet winter afternoon reading a book, or at their crowded weekend bashes, you’ll have a great time. Give them a try. Best in the Bronx for my money and time.

Well, I ordered the steak sandwich with fries. Let me say, I’ve never gotten a steak sandwich, that was not nicely sliced sirloin, maybe skirt steak!
This sandwich was a challenge! The meat was not sliced, and was in one piece!!!
I didn’t find it the freshest either! The fries were preparred to request, crispy!
Cold beverage, refreshing, and pleasant!
Needless to say, will not venture back anytime soon.
Too many places that do it right!

A cozy, welcoming pub. Staff and clientele consistently good-​spirited.

This place is the best. My parents come every Sunday for a session, usually with a sibling or two in tow. The walls are covered with Guinness advertisements, Joyce/​Beckett/​Wilde etc. portraits/​play-​opening bills, some old concert announcements in Ireland, and Irish letters/​proclamations and what not. Which is rather standard Irish pub fare. But then you also have paintings for sale and an upside down canoe filled with lights hanging from the ceiling, making you realize this is rather far from typical.
This place is very well-​connected with the community. There are often plays going on in the side room, live music on weekends (traditional stuff and more modern bands alike), live poetry readings and things like that.
A couple years ago they redid the food menu, and it’s surprisingly very good! I had penne alla vodka with chicken and it was great, good portions, tasted nice, all proper. They have Irish breakfasts, burgers, wings, really anything you’d want now.
They also now have more rotating taps than they used to, as well as a pretty decent bottle/​can selection. I usually stick to Lagunitas, but if there’s something interesting rotating I’ll go for that. If they still have it (it’s a bottle), you should try the Andean Mountain Brewing Co.‘s banana nut beer. It’s a dessert beer, rather thick but amazing. Like liquid banana bread. You could only really have one because it’s so sweet, but do have one.
Summary: great place to start and end a night. Go take a table, have a session, and enjoy the great live music and the craic with the locals.

Live music, an eclectic local (typically older) crowd, not crowded, chill vibe, great food/​beer selection. One of the few places I’ve found in NYC that you can just hang out and relax without much pretense. A go-​to with my friends in the evening, and great for brunch when my siblings are in town. I bet it’d be a good place to study during the day too. I love this place!

This little bar has a really cool vibe to it. The décor is very funky and cool. And the music is great! Super relaxing and perfect for a lazy Sunday evening.
The staff is super friendly and accommodating.
We orders the Penne Vodka and the Gaelic Burger… Both were really good!
Highly recommend!

This is some of the best Riverdale has to offer (wings! Local, Craft beer! Good burgers! Hearty salads! Irish breakfast!) plus, a staff of waitresses and a host of neighborhood regulars that’ll make you feel welcome. This is my go-​to place to bring out of town friends when we need a relaxed place to eat and chill.
They do have a heavy rotation of regular musicians so many nights there are live acts later in the evening.

Excellent, authentic Irish pub. I had a great time here with a friend. I’m a vegetarian, so I cannot vouch for the quite Irish food (so read my review with a grain of salt), but anywhere I can have good crisps, a beer, hear good music, and also hear my friend — I’m a happy camper. The staff were incredibly friendly and giving. We left before the live music started, but it looked to be exciting.
I’d recommend this place for a relaxing hang, a dinner date, or just go by yourself to see the live music. It certainly seems worthwhile and a great place to chat someone up at the bar.

I was at Mr. McGoo’s enjoying one of their many backyard venues, when I ran into this cat who suggested that I head over to An Beal Bocht Café if I really loved music. I do. I do. I really do.
As soon as a stepped into this establishment the vibe of the place sank into my marrow. It could have had a lot to do with the croonings of Burning Spear on Keith’s iPod. An Beal Bocht Café and I became fast friends. In the following… sorry blanked out for a minute, Al Green just came on. Speaking of which, in the following weeks after this, I was awed by open mic talent in the neighborhood, treated to Blue Vision [pictured] and some fine Nawlands second line, and others nights lots of indy, folk, blues, and reggae. And as I list these genres, the names do little justice to the intensity with which the bands here play. I love intimate settings just for that. An Beal Bocht Café has been an institution in the Riverdale hood for 23 years according to Keith. It has expanded to two rooms. They put on a plethora of events.
Okay the food. Excellent. Burger [pictured], I’ve had a few times. Definitely making my top 100 burgers in NYC list. The Shepard’s Pie was suggested to me by a patron. Yeah, I could see why he orders it pretty much every time. The dessert is… sinful. I know a lot of people throw this word around, especially in advertising. This don’t know what the heck they’re talking about. When I say sinful, I mean the makers are thinking only of taste in the preparation. And from the first bite you must refrain yourself from ordering another plate prior to finishing the first. Then they throw in the occasional backyard barbeque to sweeten the pot.
If I sound like I’m gushing. It’s because I am. This place saved my experience here in the Bronx. Brooklyn, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and now the Boogie Down Bronx with a lot more boogie thanks to An Beal Bocht.

It’s in the middle of nowhere Riverdale. I honestly don’t think you can get here unless it’s with a car. I suggest you find that car or that person that’s gonna drive you there because this place is on point!
Happy hour (4−7PM)
$ 4 well drinks
$ 5 wines
$ 3 beers on draft
They have poetry Tuesday, open Mic night, comedians & bands. A creative, festive, genuine decoration theme and the Irish men are everywhere. Service is great, drinks not watered down.
This is the kind of place you can adopt as your own. Come here and support!

Came here with three others to support a friend during their Tuesday Open Mic Night. Was really impressed by the quality of the performances. So many impressive musical performances.
The food was also surprisingly good! The burger I got was superb. Everyone else liked the food they ordered too. A bit hard to get a drink at the bar but nice drink selection. Decent prices. I would totally come here more often if it wasn’t so far away.