The buzz: An unassuming, quiet little café on the perennially cool Arab Street has been attracting craft beer fans on the down-low.
The décor: Thrift store chic with mismatched furniture rescued from the dumpsters and retro knick-knacks like floppy disks.
The drinks: A small but tasty selection of brews at close to retail prices. We were stoked to find US favorites like the feisty Deschutes Black Butte Porter ($9), nerdy-sexy Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout ($8) and rotating selections from hipster Brooklyn brewery Evil Twin. Less hop-heavy drinks include Lindemans fruit beers ($7.50) and Crabbies Ginger Beer ($8).
The food: Really simple bites, the kind you’d whip up as an afternoon snack—think egg salad or apple/cheddar/peanut butter sandwiches ($5), truffle tater tots ($5) and pizzas ($4/slice, $12/whole). Oh, and they stock the now-ubiquitous (but still very tasty) Windowsill Pies as well.
The music: There’s an acoustic guitar in the corner if you want to strum your own tunes.
The crowd: Scruffy backpackers—there’s a hostel upstairs—and a stream of beer geeks who come in to ask questions like, “Have you brought in that IPA I recommended?”
Why you’ll be back: Because the craft beers here cost little more than what you now have to pay for a latte at the city’s speciality coffee joints.
