About
Beatstro celebrates the Bronx as well as its rich Puerto Rican and African-American presence.
Beatstro’s open kitchen showcases a subway car mural, done by TMT Crew. Photo Credit: Scott Lynch
The brainchild of Alfredo Anguiera, and partner, Junior Martinez, dining here is a singular experience.
The entrance foyer features bright green walls and shelves lined with original vinyl LP’s. Behind the velvet curtain, you’ll find a stylish room donning the artwork of Andre Trenier and photos from local legend, Joe Conzo. And yet, the best part of Beatstro is its food.
The menu, flaunting a cross-cultural blend of cooking styles, features ethereally light pork rinds with barbecue seasoning and lemon, as well as golden-fried green tomatoes. Also save room for mojo chicken, with roasted potatoes, collard greens, and salsa verde.
Mott Haven’s roots are on display in the midst of a neighborhood re-branding with the opening of Beatstro, a dining and entertainment venue that boasts Bronx pride with graffiti art, soul food and hip-hop-influenced decor.
Walking into Beatstro, diners will think they’ve stumbled upon a record store plucked from the ’70s or ’80s. The speakeasy concept is a creative “insider” interpretation of the borough’s Hip-Hop block parties, like the ones pioneer Grandmaster Flash used to host, before finding fame in the ’70s. We don’t want people to feel like we came in and changed things; we want to keep it as familiar as possible. We’re very sensitive to what’s going on in the Bronx. Shelves full of X Clan and Def Jam vinyl — with a few more current options, like Wu-Tang Clan — set up the “speakeasy” entrance, separated from the dining space by a black curtain.
Owned and operated by Bronx natives, the owners hired local artist Andre Trenier to create the wall murals, which in one case portrays a famous Harry Chalfant photograph of DJ Kay Slay. Bronx-based graffiti writer SKEME painted the trains above the open kitchen and the black books on another wall, recreating classic tags and pieces when needed (artists like COPE and several writers among the Beatstro staff chipped in here as well). And there are classic prints hung everywhere from photographer Joe Conzo, one of the great chroniclers of the area during late 1970s and early 1980s.
The best fried chicken in New York City
Beatstro's menu is filled with food you would have been served at that time in this area, with some dishes given a gentle update. The Crispy Pork Rinds are sprinkled with BBQ spice and spritzed with fresh lemon. The row of Fried Green Tomatoes can be dipped into spicy-sweet papaya and mustard sauce. Viera's Fried Chicken is crackling and juicy and served with blue-cheese slaw and hot honey. There's a Jambalaya entree, Cajun Catfish, and Jerk Pork Belly Ribs. Specialty cocktails can be (big)punnily-named affairs, like the Method Man-hattan, for example.
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