SPACEBAR

Wine and cheese. Milk and cookies. Soda and popcorn. All fine food-and-drink combinations but I challenge anyone to find a more perfect mix than a glass of cold beer and a plate full of greasy, cheesy carbs.

You could get your fix at any number of Falls Church watering holes but none do it better and more satisfyingly than Spacebar, the cozy, oft-overlooked beer bar tucked away off West Broad Street. With 24 taps loaded up with a carefully-curated collection of unique brews by owners Erica and Lary Hoffman, Spacebar’s beer selection is one of the best around– and, yes, that includes its across-the-street neighbor, Mad Fox Brewing Company.

“We try to find, rare, hard-to-find beer,” says Erica and a scan of the constantly-rotating tap list proves this, filled with a variety of offerings from smaller, newer and lesser-known breweries like Evil Twin, Sixpoint, Cigar City and Evolution. And while the beer lineup is top-notch, its menu of 20 – yes, TWENTY – grilled cheese sandwiches along with killer tater tots are why Spacebar is the best place in town to scratch that beer-and-carb itch. From apple-gouda-and-havarti-stuffed multigrain to house-made meatloaf topped with marinara, provolone and mozzarella on sourdough, there’s a hot-and-buttered sandwich for everyone here (all you vegans – rejoice – there’s a load of animal-free substitutions available, too). Throw in some tots and the ability to upgrade them to tatchos – a play on nachos where the spuds play the role of tortilla chips – and, well, I highly recommend wearing some stretchy pants to the bar.

(Sorry kids, if you’re under drinking age, Spacebar isn’t for you – you must be at least 21 to even enter the beer-and-grilled cheese haven.)

Spacebar | 709 W. Broad St. | Falls Church | spcbr.wordpress.com