Waterfront Ale House

05/27/2008 Posted by Jacko3

Relaxed, pub-style atmosphere. I was thrilled to find Palm beer on the menu. I fell in love with this beer when I lived in Belgium and have been unable to find it ever since. After four years of searching in many different states and cities I found it on tap at Waterfront Ale House - I was quite excited. The veggie potstickers were also good and the free popcorn was great! Beer and popcorn is definitely a good combo. The service was a bit slow but other than that, I'd recommend the bar for relaxing after work and grabbing a few pints.

05/01/2008 Posted by where2be

Used to live around the corner on Clinton St. and this was our favorite "go to" place. Not living as close now but still worth the trip. It's a local pub not a 4 star establishment, but everything is solidly done and consistently tastes good. The beer selection out does most bar/pubs. The smoked meats are great, (note - the brisket sandwich is a lot of meat and costs a lot less than the plate). As some other reviews point out, the staff can be a little rough around the edges at time, but that just seems to oddly add to the non-pretentious character of the place. On Friday and Saturday it can have a little wait but the popcorn machine and a beer from the bar help it go by fast.

Pros: BBQ, Beer Selection, neighborhood place

Cons: small seating area

12/26/2007 Posted by coqui729

My husband and I have refused to come back after an embarrasing incident where a bartender (who has been rude to us in the past) refused to serve us despite the fact that we were well over 21, because he was refusing to accept our NJ DLs as proof of age. We tried the once again a year later, and was yelled at by a waitress for sitting at a table even though the kitchen was closed. The same bartender once again gave us attitude as well. The beer selection was great, but the food is terrible considering how much they charge. Very little space at the bar to comfortably sit, if you can get a seat. If you can't get a seat, there is no place to stand.

Pros: Great beer selection

Cons: rude staff, overpriced and bland food

10/29/2007 Posted by kipburg

Stopped by to get a beer; I remember having read good things in The Beer Advocate or some similar beer-oriented publication. I especially wanted a cask ale. Well, the beer selection was truly amazing, for example, I didn't know Monk's Sour Ale was available outside of Monk's in Philadelphia. So I ordered a cask IPA. To my astonishment, the beer arrived refrigerated - truly cold. That's a first for a cask beer for me. Now, I can understand wanting to prolong the life of a cask beer, so I sympathized and waited for it to warm up. However, I lost sympathy when my girlfriend ordered a Long Trail (being from Vermont) and received something that tasted like it had been tapped ages ago. Any flavor was masked by an overpowering nasty metallic taste. So, needless to say, this was disappointing (these two beers set us back $13). We headed back to our neighborhood and to Spuyten Duyvil however, and were soon in beer (and cheese I might add) heaven.

Pros: Amazing Beer Selection, Reputedly Good Food

Cons: Stale and/or Improperly Maintained Beers

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

06/24/2007 Posted by memmy16

Better fish and chips than neighboring Chip Shop! Great beer selection complemented by free popcorn and super friendly wait staff.

Pros: fish and chips

04/04/2007 Posted by longkappa

I can't go to other bars any more. They all seem like pretenders to the throne after indulging myself here for a year. The food is fantastic (the specials are the best part, especially the game). The beer selections are great. One or two of the barmen may not be very talkative, but they're all very professional barmen(and women). From a properly mixed martini to a properly chosen scotch or tequila, you can count on their expertise and advice. It ain't cheap (outside of happy hour, when it's pretty reasonable) but they're pretty generous with buy-backs. The music is in general wonderful. Each bartender has his own personality and shows it in the music selections -- mainly jazz and blues, but covering the full gammut.

Pros: Food, selection, music

Cons: a bit expensive

09/05/2006 Posted by boerumbrahmin

One of the more established bars in the area; it made a name for itself when it opened across the street in the spot now occupied by super-hip Last Exit. The crowd has followed, and the service remains quite good and the food ranges from fair to poor. Their established following perhaps explains why they seem willing to rest on their laurels beer-wise, and it still has an atmosphere the Smith Street places can only dream of matching. Don't expect Brooklyn chic here; do expect to find the soul of Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill here.

Pros: Unpretentious, neighborhood-savvy crowd, good beer

Cons: Boring, tasteless food

05/13/2006 Posted by aachilles

I like everything about this place-the food, the beer and atmosphere. The bartender Alan spins his intellectual jazz mix. The smoker in the back produces super smoked meats. I like the fee popcorn. This is a Brooklyn place, a real keeper. Hope it stays around awhile.

Pros: Atmosphere, music, food

10/07/2005 Posted by citylivin

I can't believe my fellow Citysearch reviewers let me down! I've relied on this site and its members to find so many good places, but this one was a huge letdown. We were one of only 2 or 3 tables, but the waitress managed to forget some of our food and a round of drinks! The food was absolutely terrible; no taste, swimming in oil, and overpriced. I have no reason to go back, and I wouldn't recommend a first trip to anyone.

Cons: Bad Food, Overpriced, Poor Service

09/05/2003 Posted by cturek

A pub that does things right. A very good beer selection, delicious pub fare food (try the venison chili or the fries with cheese and jalapenos) and a surprisingly good selection of single malt scotches, bourbons and higher-end liquors. Good staff that knows their business and what's good to eat and drink: if you're not sure what's good, ask. Customers tend towards local Brooklyn Heights/Cobble Hill eccentrics and usually good for a conversation if you are so inclined. The house hot sauce is killer and available to take home by the bottle or jug.

Pros: food, beer, booze