BRC looks like something HGTV would build in a bachelor’s basement on a $1,000 budget. (We mean that in a good way.) The vintage cream-and-white wallpaper is very chic, the billiards-green and beef-brown Naugahyde banquettes are old-school clubby, and the long bar evokes Grandpa’s quartz-streaked bowling ball. Restrooms are unisex, the lighting is low, and at peak hours, it’s as loud and crowded as a roadhouse.

The beer selection is better than a roadhouse’s, with about two dozen taps pouring American microbrews (macros, too). Forget the wines—most here are in the Big, Oaky Motor-oil (BOM, or Fruit BOM) style—or try a homemade wine cooler (it tastes like sangría).

Pimento cheese dip, a staff favorite, is creamy, tangy, and addictive. There’s a daily changing mac and cheese whose success varies: the blue cheese is salty but mild enough to really work; dryish chile con queso’s perhaps too mild. Fish and chips (called “fries”…take that, Redcoats!) have a crisp pale ale batter and good, pickly tartar sauce; the fish within is tender and steamy. Daily changing mussels and fries (called “Coastal American versions”…take that, Belgians!) come with fun saucy accoutrements. But you really should be ordering a scrumptious burger with thick slices of maple-kissed bacon, aged cheddar, and “secret sauce,” all smooshed into a Slow Dough pretzel bun. Late-night Americana at its best.