Waterfront Ale House - Where Everybody Knows Your Name?

I've eaten at Pete's Waterfront Ale House a few times. The last time I ate there my friend and I sat in a booth near the swinging kitchen doors. There was a photograph on the wall right above our booth. In that photograph it appeared that the entire bar, with that drunken, friendly camaraderie, was celebrating something -- New Years Eve or the World Series, perhaps. That got me wondering if this darkly lit and rather plain looking bar is the Cheers of Brooklyn?

In all reality there are many neighborhood taverns in the borough, but do they all have food so satisfying and such an extensive international beer and wine list? I love the new-fangled bistros that are helping to define many neighborhoods as much as the next Brooklynite, but sometimes all we want is pub grub and Waterfront Ale House certainly fits the bill.

It's not easy to make good nachos. I shudder to think about how many bad nachos I've had -- a pile of chips with melted fake cheese and fake guacamole, and sour cream and jarred salsa on the side? No thank you. The nachos at Waterfront Ale House rank as some of the best I've had with melted cheese and jalapenos evenly spread throughout the pile of tortilla chips. They add their own unique twist by serving their standard nachos with chili. The chips are super crisp and slightly charred thereby avoiding one soggy mess. Equally impressive are the beef burgers. (For the more health conscious, they also have decent bison burgers.) Mine came out just as ordered, perfectly medium with pungent blue cheese. The accompanying fries were meaty yet crisp. Also, worthy of mention is the German wurst platter with a selection of plump German sausages. Feel free to grab any one of the numerous condiments lining the shelf along the tables.

Admittedly, I've never tried any of the Ale House's attempts at "more sophisticated" plates, but why would I when, I could go to a bistro for that? It's the burger, nachos and beer that lure me to this place. And if the Waterfront Ale House were in my neighborhood they would certainly get to know my name.


Not on the waterfront, but close Waterfront Ale House is located at 155 Atlantic Avenue,
718-522-3794.