Alamo Street Eat Bar: Street Eats and suds

The archetypal icehouse — a modest shack offering cheap brews, outdoor seating, and little else — is a Texas staple. When the heat hits, we fight fire with beer. But the recent conversion of one of Southtown's historic icehouses (Acapulco Drive Inn) by the masterminds behind the Friendly Spot, means that in addition to draft PBR or Lone Star, you can fight fire with a St. Arnold's Lawnmower IPA and Independence Brewery's Stash — for just $2.

Jody and Steve Newman's newly opened Alamo Street Eat Bar also boasts top-notch food trucks, meaning you can cap off a night of biking with friends with a post-midnight meal.

As of now, five food trucks are expected to regularly operate onsite: The Chili Queens, Chris Cullum's Attaboy Burgers, Tapa Tapa, The Rolling Pig, and Wheelie Gourmet. Entrees from each run around $6-$8, so come prepared.

The space itself has been facelifted to include plenty of beer-capped tables, modern chairs, and a long wooden bar running around the perimeter. On Saturday night, DJ Agosto Cuellar was spinning classic and of-the-moment jams to a receptive and slightly tipsy crowd.

The combination of fresh air, inventive food, and low prices makes Alamo Street Eat a strong argument against the multitude of tired, dimly lit bars on the River Walk. In contrast to its sister, The Friendly Spot, just down the road, Street Eat doesn't open until 4 p.m. — but it stays open until 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays: a perfect complement to the action already happening in Southtown. Fingers crossed for even more to come.