The Spot: The Attic
4247 East Indian School Road
602-955-1967
facebook.com/theattic4247
The Hours: Happy hour is from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Perfect for: Finger foods and affordable craft beer while watching the game
The Interior: We're not sure there's any better spot in Arcadia to watch monsoon storms roll in over Camelback Mountain than the Attic. Located on the second floor, this beer garden and wine bar technically is not in an attic, but it's high enough in relation to surrounding buildings to offer great views, even when you're seated inside. The dark paint and dark wood furniture create a cozy feel and the quirky, humorous framed art pieces and used tap handles hanging from the ceiling make for excellent conversation starters. The food took a while to arrive at our table, considering we only ordered appetizers, but otherwise the service was friendly and attentive.
The Food: Almost all of the Attic's apps are $2 off during happy hour. We sampled the Brie and candied pancetta bruschetta ($7), the caprese ($7), and the Arcadia Attic wings ($5.50).
We were pleased to see actual pancetta rather than bacon on the bruschetta. Where bacon would have overpowered the other ingredients, the pancetta added just enough savory fattiness to balance out the fresh tomatoes, creamy Brie, and the unusual combination of pesto and sweet and spicy crack sauce. This definitely was the heartiest bruschetta we've ever had.
The caprese wasn't the best we'd ever had, but the presentation was beautiful. We wish the cheese had been a little more moist. The wings had a nice mixture of smoky and tangy flavors, with heat that crept up on us and continued to build as we ate them.
The Drinks: If you're looking for a killer cocktail, you won't find it at the Attic. Instead, you'll find an interesting list of beers on tap that probably will include at least one brew you've never heard of. For us, that was the La Socarrada from Spain, a spiced beer that simultaneously tasted like Christmas and summer. All the draft beers are $1.50 off during happy hour.
Glasses of wine are $2 off as well. And with more than 20 selections to choose from, we're sure you'll be able to find something worth sipping.
Conclusion: If you're looking for somewhere to watch the game on the weekend and want to enjoy hearty, delicious food and interesting beers, we'd happily point you toward the Attic. The appetizers, which for the most part were finger food, would be perfect to mindlessly graze on while cheering on your favorite team, and craft beers between $5 and $7.50 are hard to argue with.
Don't Miss: The Brie and candied pancetta bruschetta
Skip This: The caprese
Grade: B
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