Bender's Pub Grub

Bender's Pub Grub operates out of Alexandria Brewing Company, but make no mistake — this is chef Shawn Weinbender's show. The menu is scratch-made southern comfort food that regularly surprises people who showed up expecting bar snacks. The smoked wings with house-made Alabama White sauce have their own following, and the chicken and waffles and shrimp and grits get mentioned in the same breath as the best versions in the area. $6 Wing Wednesdays keep the regulars coming. Live music, a full craft beer tap list from Alexandria Brewing, and a backroom with arcade games and pinball round out the experience. The kind of place you stumble into for a beer and leave wondering why you waited so long.