By Moises Mendez
Inside the Beatstro in Port Morris. By Moises Mendez

Beatstro honors the borough’s hip hop legacy

One of the newest additions in Port Morris’s up-and-coming restaurant scene, Beatstro, held one of its crowd-favorite events – Wu-Tang Wednesday, on Aug. 29. The hip hop restaurant centers around paying homage to many of the greats to have lent their lyricism to the genre generated in the Bronx.

The Wu-Tang Clan is a popular rap group hailing from Staten Island in the early 1990s. Deemed “the best rap group ever” by Rolling Stone, Wu-Tang garnered three platinum albums and one gold album, along with many awards and accolades.

The restaurant had its official grand-opening in June, so it’s still fairly new to the neighborhood – but it’s quickly became a neighborhood staple. Carlos Andrades, one of the managers at Beatstro says, “Events like this are centered around the community. We wanted to not only have a place for hip hop but we also wanted to have a place where we could also involve the community.”

The community showed their support at the Wu-Tang event. With RZA and the rest of the Clan blasting on the speakers throughout the restaurant, patrons enjoyed Wu-Tang inspired cocktails like the Golden Arms, the Wu-Tang and C.R.E.A.M., along with Wu snacks like the Ol’ Dirty Rice Fritters. 

Eddy Santos (left) and Carlos Andrades (right) at Beatstro. Photo by Moises Mendez

Good cocktails and the food to match, guests were pleased to see a place like Beatstro open up in the neighborhood. Having a place like this open up in the neighborhood meant that hip hop aficionados wouldn’t have to travel out of the neighborhood to places like Sweet Chick – the Nas-owned restaurant with locations on the Lower East Side in Manhattan and Willamsburg in Brooklyn. 

Lianna Remigio, who moved to the area a little over a year ago, was excited about the new hip hop restaurant and decide to make her first visit on a Wu-Tang Wednesday. “I work downtown in the NoHo area, but live in the South Bronx. My friends and I love going to Sweet Chick for the amazing chicken and waffles dish that they have. We also really like the music that they play too but once we heard about this place, we needed to come and check it out.”

The restaurant is still gaining its footing in the neighborhood and is beginning to build up its clientele. Owners and management alike are excited for what’s in store as the restaurant begins to get busier. They have more events planned like their “Beats and Brunch,” which happens every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m .and “Open Mic Mondays,” an opportunity for young poets to showcase their art.

Beatstro is located at 135 Alexander Avenue in Port Morris. Check out their good food and their cleverly named cocktails.

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