Profile

This small, simple, stark bar, from the owners of The Magician and Tile Bar, tries to carve out an obvious niche—the unassuming neighborhood joint. The inevitable ubiquitous neon beer signs, chunky bar stools, and exposed-filament lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling are all that decorates the burgundy interior. There are twelve beers on tap (not exactly worthy of the “ale house” distinction) and enough high-end plasma TVs to watch a game, but compared to the area’s varied offerings—Blue Owl cocktail lounge, the collegiately raucous Professor Thom's, and hip Momofuku Ssäm Bar, just across the street—12th Street Ale House offers little more than a ho-hum evening. — Ben Lebeaux