Sorry mimosas, we’re here for the cult craft brews.
Ahhh, Sunday! After a busy week, you can go back to bed, or you can get up and get your brunch on. (It is cheat day, after all). Even if the rest of your weekend revolved around cocktails, wine, and fancy food, it’s time to switch it up for pints, carbs, and meat. At these three beer-focused brunch spots, drafts and hard-to-find can releases will fuel your midday meal — and a quality nap shortly thereafter.
Growlers Beer Bistro
25 Main St Depot, Tuckahoe; 914.793.0608
Growlers, with an inventory of more than 100 different beers, makes almost every list that includes the word “beer,” and they’re a perennial Best of Westchester winner for their craft-beer credibility. During brunch, expect a list of what Growlers is known for: a solid mix of styles from the hottest New York breweries like Grimm and SingleCut, plus a few European beers. (Don’t forget about OGs like Brooklyn Brewery and Dogfish Head, either.) While most taps are occupied by NYS beer, cans (look for drops of Heady Topper and Focal Banger from The Alchemist) and bottles cast a wider net. For Sunday brunch, expect food you want to eat with quality beer, like a weekly burger special; piled-high breakfast nachos smothered with chili, bacon, cheddar, home fries, and two yolky eggs; and a smoked pork brisket and eggs po’boy to remedy the Sunday blues.
Smokehouse Tailgate Grill
320 Mamaroneck Ave, Mamaroneck; 914.341.1655
“BBQ. Burgers. Beer.” is Smokehouse Tailgate Grill’s tagline, but it’s time to add another B-word: Brunch. At BBQ brunch, SHT breaks out the meats in full force for smoked tri-tip steak and eggs with chimichurri and fries; a soul-food spin on eggs Benedict, done with a fried chicken thigh, poached egg, and creamy hollandaise atop a thick, fluffy waffle; and BBQ Totchos (the cure to last night’s sins), with pulled pork, mozzarella, scallions, and aioli. As the tagline says, “Beer” is part of what SHT is all about — it’s a legit craft-beer haven in Westchester. And while SHT doesn’t exclude the Budweiser and PBR crowd, its 19-deep draft list shines with liquid gold from the best breweries in New York, middle America, and the West Coast.
Birdsall House
970 Main St, Peekskill; 914.930.1880
Birdsall House may have raised the price of its two-course Sunday brunch a couple bucks to $23 since it was featured in our 13 Best Brunches in Westchester feature, but it’s still a damn good deal. Choose a starter, then one of 10 different hearty morning classics like cinnamon French toast, huevos rancheros, corned beef hash, or a breakfast sandwich with house-made sausage, scrambled eggs, malt-vinegar mayo, arugula, and cheddar on brioche. (The sourcing is impeccable, too, with eggs from Feather Ridge Farm, thick-cut Peter Luger bacon, and Eli Zabar whole-grain toast.) Did we mention this two-course meal comes with a beer? The 20-deep draft list represents an array of styles from breweries you know nearby and those you need to know from afar. Chances are you’ll opt for a second round (not included), especially when they’re getting cans from The Alchemist, Bissel Brothers, and the occasional line of Hill Farmstead. Saturday à la carte brunch is available, too, in case you need to beer brunch both days.
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