Ale N' Angus Pub

If you happen to stop by the Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub, keep two things in mind.
One, it’s going to be hard not to finish your plate and two, you should definitely save room for dessert. Located just across from the War Memorial Arena at Oncenter at 238 Harrison St., the Ale ‘n’ Angus covers all of the staples of American pub food, from crispy fries and hearty burgers to sandwiches, wraps, and pasta dishes. And while it may be the beer induced hunger pangs of late-night Syracuse Crunch hockey games that first gets customers through the door, it’s the food that keeps them coming back for more.

“I love the crowd that we have, especially during the course of the week,” says Ale 'n' Angus owner Randy Beach. “We definitely have our regulars.” Beach doesn’t deny, however, that his pub’s prime city location packs in the crowds during Oncenter events. “You take a night when the Crunch is playing here, and the bar is five deep and the dining room is full, and we seat 62!” he insists. Still, Beach notes that his pub and restaurant caters to every kind of customer, from the sometimes-rowdy post-hockey game crowd to the arts and symphony aficionados.
Ale ‘n’ Angus is located in broad-windowed, corner building, illuminated by colorful neon beer signs. It’s a site that may look a little familiar to past patrons of the Union Square Café, also owned by the Beach family, the venue’s name recently switched to the Ale ‘n’ Angus after a slight conflict with another Union Square Café in New York City. Beach says that little has changed, however, save the restaurant’s name.

Like the Union Square Café, the Ale ‘n’ Angus is a family-operated venue, with Randy Beach running the front end of the restaurant and his son, Matt Beach, cooking in back. “My wife also works a full time job but comes to help out after work where need be,” says Beach. “Most everyone who works here is either family or friends of the family.”
The Ale ‘n’ Angus menu features many American cuisine favorites. And while the name suggests that the fare may be a little heavy on the beef, with chicken, fish, pasta, and even vegetarian options, there’s a little something to satisfy every appetite. Entrees come with a choice of sides, like steamed vegetables and mashed or baked potato. Sandwiches and wraps include either homemade potato chips or crunchy, golden French fries reminiscent of your favorite fast-food joints. The Ale ‘n’ Angus also offers homemade soups, such as French Onion and Cheddar Baked Potato, plus an array of fresh salads including the California Cobb and a Tropical Salad made with Romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh pineapple, toasted coconut and scallions. The spinach artichoke dip, made with a blend of creamy cheeses and a hint of bacon, is served with a confetti-like pile of red and-blue colored tortilla chips, making for a delicious starter.

A small yellow beer icon next to several menu items indicates a ‘Bixby and friends’ house favorite. And, if the buffalo chicken sandwich is any indication, these selections are well chosen. The tender white meat chicken breast, with its fiery, red-orange hue, is hot and tangy on the tongue, and good enough to rival any self-important, Buffalo-city wing establishment. On the other hand, for those who arrive with the kind of nagging urge that only a honking slab of red meat can satisfy, Beach says the Ale ‘n’ Angus Burger and Bixby’s Prime-Rib Cheese Steak are very popular, as are the restaurant’s fillet mignon and sirloin strip steak.
Finally, Ale ‘n’ Angus offers a seafood selection that’s worthy of a try. “We have limited seafood,” says Beach, “but what we have, people say, is very good.” The light and flavorful broiled Icelandic haddock, for example, provides a relatively healthy alternative to the house favorite fish and chips, and is crusted with aromatic black pepper and herbs, then brightened by fresh cuts of lemon.

While there’s plenty of good food and truly friendly service to enjoy at Ale ‘n’ Angus, if you run out of room for dessert, you will miss out on one of the real wonders of the Central New York dining scene: the Mud Ball. In true, Willy Wonka fashion, the Mud Ball is a hulking boulder of some of two of the best things on earth--Oreo cookie crumbs and creamy ice cream. Sure, the combination isn’t exactly revolutionary. But somehow when that sweet, fudgey softball arrives at your table, you can’t help but get a little giddy. While it’s definitely best when split between two people, if you’re going straight home, you can take the rest of your mud ball to go and save yourself a little something to look forward to tomorrow.
Ale ‘n’ Angus Pub; 238 Harrison St. Syracuse, NY 13202(315) 426-9672 Kitchen Hours (takeout available): Mon.-Thurs.: 11 a.m.- 9p.m.Fri.: 11 a.m.-10 p.m.Sat.: 4 p.m.-10 p.m.(Closed on Sundays.)

Back to Top