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An unlikely oasis lies deep within Chelsea Grill’s wood-and-brick interior. Push passed the bar packed with blue-collar barflies and sophisticated suits. Then plot a course through the maze of wooden booths and disheveled tables in the white-washed brick back dining area, and you’ll find your compensation: a year-round outdoor garden patio, replete with a water-trickling rock fountain. The less labyrinthine menu offers typical grill grub with a nod to more discerning pub palates. Savory starters include fried popcorn shrimp with jalapeño tarter sauce, and the house specialty, pea soup topped with homemade seasoned croutons. If you love heat, try the combustible “Chelsea Chili.” Flavorful daily fresh pasta specials, from cavatelli with homemade sausage and broccoli rabe to cheese ravioli in vodka sauce, are sturdy bets. Still, the Chelsea Burger is the star. There’s no questioning where the beef’s at once you wrap your mouth around the highly touted (and tantalizingly tasty) 10 ounces of juicy ground beef on a lightly grilled bakery bun. For all that beef you have to “allow 20 minutes for preparation,” but the low-key regulars know it’s worth the wait. — Jennifer Howd

Chelsea burger, $8; Chelsea chili, $6