Nightlife in Clifton

Oak Ale House is an eatery divided in half—one side is a sports bar, and the other is an old-fashioned Italian restaurant. Paintings of Italy hang in the latter section, where families crowd long tables piled high with plates of pasta, pizza, and burgers. The menu unfolds to reveal a mélange of American-Italian staples such as penne in a creamy vodka sauce, and rib-eye steaks that sizzle out the national anthem as they’re cooked. Back in the kitchen, ovens bake thick and thin pizzas to a bubbly golden brown, and grills heat up eight types of hamburgers to sate hamburgervores.

Beyond the guarded border dividing the two establishments lies a sports bar, where frothy brews pour from kegs and live music beckons toes to start tapping. The bar also houses seven flat-screen TVs, billiards, darts, and karaoke on select nights.

Three Wise Monks first threw open the doors of its welcoming, renovated saloon in spring of 2012, unveiling gleaming pint glasses and the malty scent of freshly crafted brews. Barkeeps rotate more than 14 craft beers through the tap lines, supplementing suds with bottles from breweries such as Founders, Flying Dog, Rogue, and Smuttynose. Three Wise Monks updates visitors online on the daily contents of its hop rocket, a Randallizer that infuses beer with basic hops or flavors such as coffee beans, fruit, and Clydesdales' tears.

Every once in a while the muddled sounds of conversation, music, and cue balls clanking against pool tables spill onto the corner of 236th Street and Broadway. The source of the sounds is The Bridge Tavern, a neighborhood pub with an emphasis on the community. Its ceiling stretches over the establishment with a mural dedicated to Kingsbridge and another mural celebrating the Yankees. Amid a row of Bronx street signs and a wraparound bar, servers fuel the chatter with beer, wings, and half-pound burgers.

Gold-leaf writing inscribed across the towering red portico at the entrance to The Shannon Rose Irish Pub announces what one might expect to find inside: “Premium Stouts,” “Irish Whiskies,” and other culinary staples of the Emerald Isles. Behind this imposing entryway lies a series of dining rooms that have a markedly different effect; chandeliers create a sense of intimacy as they illuminate Gaelic artwork and aged hardcovers resting on lofty bookshelves.

With a kitchen that stays open until 1 a.m. every night of the week, Woodrow's chefs help keep the revelry alive with 24 beers on tap and a menu of traditional pub fare. They specialize in grilling thick-cut steaks and sirloin burger patties, occasionally accessorizing the freshly fired meats with blue-cheese crumbles or a whiskey-peppercorn sauce. The kitchen's grills sear entrees from brunch to dinner, and the chefs stir pots of house-made chili and slice sides of regular, parmesan-truffle, and Cajun-style fries by hand.

Downstairs, the recently renovated whiskey lounge's plush couches and armchairs cradle patrons sipping the distilled beverage amid black-and-red-brick walls and knotted wood floors. Intimate lighting helps create a laid-back mood, encouraging guests to enjoy one of the hops-heavy or malt-laden beers from the bar or re-create episodes of The Twilight Zone with shadow puppets.