Alcove International Tavern is not the typical college bar experience. For starters, you drink out of mason jars and goblets instead of plastic cups. The lights are dimmed to suit the atmosphere instead of to hide the myriad spills and stains. The walls are decked with Peruvian artwork instead of Daniel Moore prints. If you skim the draft beers, Miller Lite is nowhere to be found.
“It’s a unique place with an upscale environment that’s off the beaten path where people can get both mixed drinks and exclusive craft beers,” said founder Chad Smith.
“That’s a big idea behind the Alcove, to create that kind of environment, instead of just a ton of people drinking the cheapest beer specials and getting rowdy somewhere the bartenders don’t know your name.”
Not that there isn’t a place for that, Smith said, but the mainstream college sports bar is already covered in Tuscaloosa. Alcove, which opened downtown in September 2009, aims to fill a niche that was otherwise lacking.
Smith, who received his masters in international marketing at the University in 2002, has traveled extensively and strives to incorporate that into the environment at the Alcove. A beach cabana back patio, sword designs hand-burnt into the bar and Brazilian samba music at happy hour certainly fit the bill.
“The best compliment I can get is when someone comes in and says ‘I don’t feel like I’m in Tuscaloosa when I’m in here,’” Smith said.
Because of its international influence, the Alcove has been a popular viewing spot for World Cup matches this summer.
“A lot of other places have jumped onto the World Cup to give people reasons to drink,” Smith said. “A lot of people here are actually really into soccer and really enjoy coming to a cool, small neighborhood pub to watch it.”
While many undergraduates stick to the usual haunts in Temerson Square or on The Strip, a number of graduate students, UA faculty and staff frequent the Alcove, Smith said.
“It’s laid back but still sophisticated,” said Kenon Brown, a doctoral student in communication at the University, after his first visit to the Alcove. “That’s a combination you can’t find many places in Tuscaloosa.”
Many factors besides the atmosphere contribute to making the Alcove unique, including its indoor smoking ban and, most notably, its selection of more than 100 different styles of beer. It also boasts to be the only bar in town that serves 2-oz. mixed drinks made with nothing but middle and top-shelf liquors.
Smith had the good fortune of opening the bar soon after Free the Hops legislation passed, allowing him to offer a number of new high gravity and specialty beers that were previously unavailable in Tuscaloosa.
The Alcove quickly became a place people knew they could sample these exotic beers, ranging in price from $4 to $7, although one particular brew costs a pretty penny at $20 a pop.
“It’s ironic because we’re the smallest bar in town, but we’ve secured a status among people in Tuscaloosa as being the bar that has the best selection,” Smith said.
As manager at the Alcove, Derek Thompson has his hands full dealing with the different beer distributors, as well as maintaining his knowledge of everything he serves. Thompson, who has been in the Tuscaloosa service industry for nine years now, described this as “a good problem to have.”
“A lot of people are blown away when they come in and are especially overwhelmed standing in front of the beer cooler,” he said. “I can talk about your tastes and find something that will suit you.”
The bar appeared gradually on the Tuscaloosa bar scene, leaving it up to word-of-mouth to build reputation and lure in those who really want to be there. A testament to the power of these methods was a surprise mention in Garden & Gun magazine that named Alcove as one of the South’s best watering holes.
Events like this serve to bolster the confidence Smith has in his five-year plan for the Alcove, which may include annexing the adjoining units to create a small international diner or simply provide more space for patrons. Whatever changes will be made, he doesn’t want to jeopardize what people know the Alcove as now.
“I want it to be a place that’s worldly enough where different people from different backgrounds and generations can all come in and brush shoulders with each other,” he said.
