The Shack Bar & Grill

While APM handles the take-home dinner problem and Girard focuses on lunch-hour efficiency, The Shack operates on beach time: no reservations pressure, no Prospect Street parking stress, just a patio where wet dogs are welcome and sunset happens whether you're dressed for it or not. It's the spot you walk to after a long day at the cove, still in your coverup, and stay until the string lights come on.

The menu is exactly what you want after saltwater and sun — burgers that don't require a knife, tater tots that come out actually crispy, and mai tais the bartender makes correctly because they've made a thousand of them. The passion fruit version gets consistent orders. Nothing here is trying to be more than it is: this is pub food executed well enough that you don't think about it, which is precisely the point.

The patio is where this place earns its keep. Dog-friendly means actually dog-friendly — water bowls appear without asking, and no one blinks at sand on the floor. Service moves on island time, which either works for you or it doesn't. If you're checking your watch, you're at the wrong bar. If you're three drinks in and considering the pool table, you've figured it out.

Best move: claim a patio table during happy hour, order the tots as a baseline, and let the bartender recommend the drink. Parking is easier here than anywhere on Prospect, and the walk from the Shores takes ten minutes if you're not in a hurry. Which you shouldn't be.