Alewife NYC

Just had a party at Alewife. The service was absolutely terrible. Actually horrendous. The upstairs was still dirty from the night before (dirty chicken bones etc.) Aside from that, I had 55 people and they had one person taking orders for drinks and then running them upstairs, with the one bartender serving my guests and the whole bar and restaurant downstairs. Very slow. No one cleaned the tables as the guests were eating, and never once did anyone asked how things were going the whole 4 hours. There was a bar upstairs and they couldn’t even staff that so drinks could flow better.
Honestly, it was if I rented a dirty space with no help. Staff had a horrible attitude as if I was putting them out to help me. You figure if I was gonna spend a couple grand for a party, they at least could have staffed it better.

More like 3.5, but what the heck.
My first impression: college town. Big screens, big space, people with beer glass in hand standing chatting and discussing their favorite beer.
It’s a local joint with great selection of beer.
Unfortunately, I don’t drink beer so can’t comment on how good the beer list is.
Irish nachos, great; Soak up that alcohol in your system.
Best scenario would be: Go for dinner around LIC, need more drinks then hit up Alewife, it might be packed but there always will be standing room.

Order beers downstairs, then take them upstairs to the outdoor space.

Awesome spot for groups I felt like I was in a cabin. But please seat yourselves as the sign tells you. We got a spot in the back for a Friday night at 9pm it wasn’t packed.
Our server was very nice and attended to us quickly. We ordered the ALEWIFE BURGER and I’m very pleased. The fries are garlic fries that come with ketchup. It will run you $ 14.00. They have a pool table upstairs and a photo booth downstairs if you’re interested. Then there is an outside part upstairs. I feel like renovations were made I just haven’t been here in a long time.
:Bathroom Alert:;:
Disgusting bathroom this is why they lost a star. Holes in the wall just a straight up mess. I used the downstairs bathroom. There is trash in a lot of spots and on top of the trash bin like seriously? You couldn’t get it in the trash were you that lazy?
The drinks were very strong my jack and coke tasted like coke and jack. Its not far from the 7 train which is pretty awesome. Very loud place but in a great way rock music played the whole 2 hours we were there.
The bartender gave us a free drinks because he forgot about two of our drinks. The bartender is fucking awesome. $ 5 for 3 drinks pretty awesome a old fashioned, jack & coke and a screwdriver. The screwdriver was very good and you taste the pulp in it.

Would not go back for AYCD brunch. Great burger but service was slow and didn’t justify the high price compared to the other 1,000 AYCD brunch spots in the city.
Food: Got the breakfast burger. Best part of the experience. Best burger I’ve had in a while, although did not make up for the slow service or hefty price tag.
Atmosphere: Cool place, reclaimed wood tables, pretty neat.
Service: Slooow. You go to AYCD brunch so you can get a decent number of drinks for a fixed price, and I think they know that. Coffee, water, and alcohol refills were slow.
Price: At $ 40 for AYCD brunch, you can find plenty of other places with equivalent food, faster service, and a smaller price tag anywhere else in the city.

At first I mistakenly thought Alewife stood for a sassy bar matron with ruddy cheeks and broad arms. On cold winter days, she’d hold court over her pub like a benevolent empress infecting everyone with her warm laughter — no one would escape her notice (and welcomely so) except of course her thin but gracious husband who like any good man behind a strong woman would look on with loving eyes and remark to the uninitiated, «Oh that’s just me Bessie. She’s a hoot.»
Unfortunately, after a google, I learned that Alewife is actually a type of fish. A moniker with a decidedly less charming backstory but probably more apt for the actual experience at this bar. With its mediocre food and slow but surly service I can only imagine this place being great for large groups of drunken people (too wasted to care) or maybe … yeah that’s it.
My advice on the menu items? Stick with the basics (i.e. burger or beer). After one cocktail that tasted of artificial flavoring and not much else you would think I learnt my lesson. Not so! I went on to order a phở salad looked like something a college stoner would make with a pack of cup noodle and wilted kale from the back of the fridge. Then sabotaged my friend to get the chicken and waffles — burnt chicken tenders paired with the kind of limp waffles you get at the free breakfast at Holiday Inn… except the Holiday Inn waffles are probably better as they wouldn’t smothered by cooked onions (Why Alewife? Why??!).
Someone in the kitchen obviously has a hate for vampires/​romance as the fries (served with nearly every main) were smothered with a small mountain of chopped garlic. The one runaway surprise of the night though were the Irish Nachos for the table — potatoes smothered in cheese, bacon sour cream and guac but honestly, you could probably smother an old shoe in that and I’d happily eat it.
The best part about the restaurant — the space. The worst part? Pretty much everything else.

To Susan D down there who brought in her own alcohol in the form of Jell-​O shots, and got mad about the staff taking it away… It’s a BAR!!! It’s not a house party. This place is amazing and the staff is super funny, knowledgable, and attentive. We went there for an LGBT meetup and the GM Alexa was incredibly attentive, helpful, and made sure we had a great time. The music was amazing, as well as the food. I will keep coming back here… and hopefully they’ll do a a Jell-​O shot special in homage to SUSAN D JELLO SHOT down there!!! lol.

Had a nice birthday brunch for my girlfriend’s fiancé and a few of their friends. There’s street parking so as you drive into the area, you might be tempter to park in the municipal lot but I suggest you drive closer to the restaurant; you will most likely get lucky.
We got a table with no problem, as it wasn’t packed, and our server was very nice and accommodating. They have brunch specials on craft beers, well drinks and the usual brunch accompaniments like mimosas. She sat us at one of those large communal picnic tables which was nice. It allowed us to grab some of the board games they have on hand to keep the customers calm. We chose Jenga and Operation. You never know how much you miss your childhood until you drunkenly play kid’s games.
Hubby had the Steak & Eggs which he liked; nothing particularly spectacular about it but the meal was good, served with Fries and ketchup. I had the Cheddar Scramble which was really good; it was fluffy with mushrooms and served with a side salad and I opted for an English Muffin.
All in all, Alewife NYC is definitely a nice spot in which to have brunch on a warm day. We would definitely venture out there again if we were invited and if we lived close by we would probably go there regularly. I was a solid eatery but as with most places, I wish they offered non-​pork meats. I mean, what’s wrong with turkey bacon?

I first came here for a work function on Thursday and I absolutely loved their fries and pulled pork sliders. So… When my friend said that she wanted to meet for a drink tonight here, I was pretty excited.
She got the Alewife Burger with truffle fries and I had the duck confit poutine. Both were delicious. I had ordered my dish without cheese and they’d forgotten but the kitchen was more than happy to remake it for me.
As for the beer list, it was fairly extensive but beer isn’t for everyone. The beer was mostly from American craft breweries. Sadly, the beer list wasn’t to my liking and had too many dark beers. I had to settle for their Austin Cider. My friend got the house white wine on tap. I guess it was as good as a wine on tap could be.
Service was efficient and friendly!

The food is on point. The beers are delcious. The wings hit that football craving you need.
I came here last night to watch the Giants get an a$$ kicking. Although the game was depressing, the food made up for it.
We ordered the Chipotle bbq wings and the Buffalo wings. They are HUGE. And they’re not filled with fatty tissue like you may assume. The sauces were perfect and the Buffalo sauce had a nice kick to it.
My boyfriend and I split the chicken and waffles. Never in my life had I experienced such euphoria until I took a bite of the chicken and waffles. Dear lord.
I almost gave this spot a 4 out of 5 because the service is somewhat bad– bad attitude/​slow however my friend who comes here frequently explained that the waitress’/waiters are actually bar backs and this isn’t really a restaurant as opposed to a very large (I’ll give it to them — pretty cool looking) bar.
Will definitely come here again and will definitely just sit at the bar!

Really great bar with an awesome interior and spacious design. Most of the staff was pretty helpful and gave us extraordinary service.
The food and drink options were pretty budget friendly too. I had an open bar for a friend’s birthday that was around 60 for 2 hours. All of us were happily drunk and satisfied. Thinking of possibly having a birthday celebration here as well.
Thanks for the great time! Looking forward to checking out the other 2 sister bars in the city as well :).

HORRIBLE!!!
If I could I would give Negative Stars!!!
Service is Slow!
Bar food is overpriced!
How do you call yourself a sports bar when all the 30 something parents are bringing there kids here???
If I post a pick of all the kids I would… don’t want to put their face on the net.
It’s more like romper room with alcohol than a sports bar.
PATHETIC!!!

I came out here for drinks over the weekend for a friend who was throwing a party there. Alewife is tucked away on a side street. It is easy to miss in my opinion and looks small from the outside.
Once inside, it is a different story. It is quite large, with high ceilings, and lots of TVs playing sports. It was jammin’ in there with lots of people watching baseball. It is a bit noisy inside, but it is a bar, so that is to be expected. If you are looking for a quiet, more intimate experience, head upstairs, where you will find some couches and long tables where you can hang out with a large group. There is also a pool table up there.
Service was a bit spotty at times as the server was one of the bartenders from downstairs. Aside from that, Alewife is a pretty good spot in LIC for drinks.

I’ll start by saying I am huge fans of their other properties — The Jeffrey in the UES and Fools Gold in the LES. I’m always very impressed by their craft beer selection especially because it’s ever changing. I will say I went in to Alewife with a bias because I’m a huge fan of the other two properties. I found it to be not quite as inviting as the other two. First of all, the space is much larger (probably because of its LIC location) which is usually a huge advantage but it didn’t feel charming or filled. It felt more like a big warehouse with picnic tables. The little bar area did feel a bit cozier but the large projector television on the back wall did take away from the ambiance quite a bit. I love and recommend the other properties for those rainy/​snowy days where you want to go enjoy a few beers in a warm and inviting atmosphere, but I didn’t get that feeling at Alewife.
They still had the same great beer selection and I had a rose cider which was delicious. Also, I do like their «bar food» because it’s a step up from the bar food favorites. For instance, you can get a cheese plate, a truffle cheddar pretzel or Irish nachos with fried chicken on top. They are taking the traditional bar favorites like pretzels and fries but really kicking it up a notch… perhaps it could be categorized as «sophisticated bar food.» I was expecting more of a chill craft beer bar and felt like I got more of sports bar, so it’s doubtful I would venture out to LIC from Manhattan to go here but would probably frequent the place if I lived in LIC.

Alewife has the reputation of being one of the top beer bars in the city. I’ve met people who worked with them or are regulars at beer events before and read articles about it online, so when I heard my girlfriend’s cousin was having a birthday party, I was stoked (that’s a word people still say, right?). After trekking out to LIC we went to the upstairs loft space in Alewife; the place looks like a typical craft beer bar except with moodier lighting which worked for a Friday night. We had food and while I didn’t get to try it as I’d just eaten, it did look good.
Beer list was decent for a regular bar, but for one of the most famous craft beer bars in NYC? Downright ordinary. A couple of decent options (Other Half Small Green Everything, a Finback Sour) but nothing really special. Service was slow to us upstairs and it also was when I went downstairs at one point. The bar wasn’t busy but the waitstaff was chatting it up. They also weren’t that enthusiastic in terms of recommendations. This wasn’t a bad experience by any means but it fell well short of what I hoped for. Color me unimpressed but I’d give it one more try if nearby.

Friendly Bartenders and Chill Spot.
Good deals for Happy Hour.
Tons of Craft Beer to choose from!
Daily Food Specials.
Relaxed vibe, good music that makes for an all-​around good experience!
Ale-​Wife NYC good job!

While on a business trip, and based on many Unilocal recommendations, I rode the subway over to get me near the quiet, residential street where Alewife sits mid-​block. The setting is sparse by city standards but no need for fancy settings when the food and beer is *this* fantastic.
There are tons of local options for the enthusiast. But there are also tons of imports from everywhere. The food coming from the non-​assuming kitchen is worthy of the setting. Nothing fancy here. Just pure deliciousness. The burger was perfectly cooked and expertly constructed although I did require a fork to finish it (who wants to waste any of the perfect food morsels on the plate?). The french fries were very enjoyable and crispy.
Alewife can only be compared to my beloved Philly standby for fantastic pub grub, Prohibition Tap Room. Yeah, it’s that good.
Just a note: unlike Prohibition, there are TVs tuned in to sports. Although this is something I don’t really enjoy, most people were busy with trivia and didn’t bother with the creativity-​empty sports transmissions of various sorts.

Came here for brunch today as I wanted to try something new in the area. The service and food was a bit sketchy. The service was kind of non existent, but as it is a bar and not a restaurant I don’t know if that was maybe the reason?
I ordered pancakes and my husband ordered the breakfast burger. The burger and fries were great, but the pancakes came out burnt. I was willing to live with it but once I started eating them all I could taste was the burnt taste. I asked if I could send them back, the server took them back but didn’t acknowledge it, nor checked in on me after a new lot of pancakes was sent over. (They were still kinda burnt). My husband had eaten his meal by the time my new pancakes had come out. Nobody came and asked us if the food was ok or if we wanted a refill on drinks or even the cheque.
I’m not sure there is anything here to rush back for. The prices aren’t particularly cheap either and there are plenty of other options in LIC that I rate more highly.

I had never actually been here before but based on reviews from trusted fellow Unilocalers, it seemed like a suitable place to throw my birthday shindig. thanks for the guidance, comrades.
with just a few emails (thanks, Roz!), I had gotten an area reserved for my goon squad to hang out, plus some food to snack on. I ordered crunchy pita chips with white bean dip as well as cocktail weenies with an excellent spicy mustard. as I told my posse, «it isn’t an official party unless there’s cocktail weenies.»
it’s spacious, laid-​back, the beer/​drinks list is diverse and has something for everyone, and they have a solid assortment of food.
good music bumping too — lots of classic rock and 80s rock — but not too loud that you can’t have a conversation.
pool tables and darts upstairs — pool costs just a dollar (but it’s coin operated, so you’ll need quarters — the bar should have some laying around).
service was very friendly and they had no problem handling separate checks for about 20 people. I’d definitely come back.

It’s our neighborhood watering hole. The staff is super cool, beers are awesome and they have paint nite on Mondays!!!
Today, we got the Singlecut Kim– a sour made of hibiscus & blk currants. Sours are all the rage now, and this one is pretty damn good. Refreshing, a bit of honey and lots sour-​ness.
I’m a cider kinda gal and the Descendant hits all the right spot.
Did I mention they got pretty awesome snacks: truffle shoestring fries, buffalo wings, salads, burgers, etc

Having celebrated many a birthdays and special gatherings at this place Alewife holds a special place for me and is one of my favorite hang out spots in LIC. With so many different beers on tap and being very spacious, Alewife is the ideal place to have a gathering or just a great place to grab a beer.
With a hipsterish vibe to it, the interior is dimly lit which makes it a great place to lay low for a nice chill night with the boys. There are benches and tables sprawled through out the place so you don’t have to worry about feeling cramped or fighting your way to the bar. Plus they serve great bar food ! Total hidden GEM !

Come to Alewife NYC for the beer and you won’t be disappointed!
Deciding what I want to try was the hardest part: 33+ on taps alone + bottles + cans + kegs…
The beer menu is detailed with a small description including taste profile and ingredients used. Or if you like my friend that don’t even know what is crafted beer and what he wants, server was super patient and let him sample a few.
For me that could not decide on one, a 4X4 oz sample of any beers for $ 13 maybe a good choice.
Grand Scheme by Other Half
White Aphro by Empire Brewing
Tarte Nouveau by Weyerbacher Brewing
Farmhouse Ale by Smuttynose Brewing Co.
Sun Block Witte by Captain Lawrence Brewing
Nitro Oatmeal Stout by Founders Brewing
Bring a group of friends as there are enough of varieties and styles that would make everyone happy.