Le Cheile hosts similar events to An Beal, including trivia and live performances from featured musicians.
LE CHEILE/COURTESY
By Jill Tuthill, Asst. Arts and Entertainment Editor
Riverdale’s beloved An Beal Bocht has been a staple for Manhattan University students since its establishment in 1991. What many students don’t know, however, is that the cherished Irish pub has several sister restaurants and pubs stretching into the heart of the city.
Caitlin Seward, a long-time employee of An Beal Bocht, told The Quadrangle about some of the establishments that share the same owner as An Beal.
“We have Scratcher’s, which is downtown, and Arlene’s Grocery, and that one’s a music venue,” Seward said. “And then there’s this awesome gay club called 3 Dollar Bill, and that’s in Brooklyn.”
In addition to Scratcher’s, Arlene’s Grocery and 3 Dollar Bill, an additional sister establishment of An Beal’s is an Irish bar in Washington Heights called Le Cheile, which occasionally crosses over into An Beal with a few similarities. Le Cheile hosts similar events to An Beal, including trivia and live performances from featured musicians.
Although Arlene’s Grocery, Scratcher’s, 3 Dollar Bill and Le Cheile are independent establishments, Seward said that in regard to Le Cheile they do sometimes help out with staffing and have a unique relationship with them due to the nature of their location.
“We definitely poach some servers and bartenders from Le Cheile,” Seward said. “But typically, with the farther down south places, they kind of just stick down there.”
According to An Beal Bocht’s website, the establishment echoes the sentiment of wonderful staff and employees that make up the establishments.
“Our warm and friendly staff, sometimes ribald, will make sure your visit is enjoyable,” the website states. “Get to know them now because if they’re not up-and-coming, they’ve already gone on to fame!”
The environment cultivated by An Beal is appreciated by students new and old.
Isabella Kola, senior biochemistry major, said that her recent time at An Beal Bocht was spent in celebration welcoming a newly hired professor to Manhattan University. Kola said the environment that An Beal cultivated was exactly what she needed after a hard day’s work.
“I needed to cool down from all the people I was seeing that day, and hyping up our school to everyone,” Kola said. “I needed to get out of my head, my put-on personality and just calm down and be me.”
Kola also spoke fondly about the ambience created by the pub’s live performers.
“The music was so pretty,” Kola said. “I could hear from inside. There were violins, all very stringy instruments, and the waiter was so nice.”
Kola mentioned that her experience was in part due to the time of day that she went.
“[The] time of day we went was three to six, and that was the golden hour because of daylight savings,” Kola said. “I went with my friends and my professor and I felt comfortable going with them and felt comfortable being there, and so I felt like I could bring my mom, my dad and my brothers.”
When The Quadrangle told Kola about the sister restaurants associated with An Beal Bocht, she said that she would definitely like to visit them based on her experience.
“Absolutely,” Kola said. “I feel like it’s not only a place you can bring your friends and have fun with them, I think it’s a family friendly place as well.”
The wide variety of establishments, from restaurants to pubs to bars, provides endless opportunities to get to know the places that stand by An Beal in the industry and the people that create them.