# Describe your neighborhood bar/pub **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 14, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840 "2005-05-14T17:30:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/1 "2005-05-14T17:30:24Z")
Tell me about your local neighborhood bar. The good and the bad. I’ll start with Rob’s Billiards and Sports Bar in Fort Worth, TX. The Good: $1.00 draft during happy hour and free pool during happy hour. Happy hour is from open until 7. Bottles are $2.00 during happy hour for domestics. The jukebox is kept at a reasonable volume to allow for conversation. The bartenders are friendly and there is waitress service available during busier times. The bar is also strictly 21 and over. The crowd is varied, but leans heavily towards DFW employees. The bad. Draft beer is limited to Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Coors light. The mixed drinks are weak and expensive starting about 3.50 for a well drink. The bar is very smoky; the high ceilings help but there is no evidence of a smoke eater and no non-smoking section. They also don’t have any satellite sports packages. What I’d change. I’d get the NFL Sunday ticket to show other games. I’d also add some more draft beer. Can’t believe they don’t have Shiner on tap. So, what do you like and dislike about your local bar or pub? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/2 "2005-05-14T23:58:33Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Tell me about your local neighborhood bar. The good and the bad. Wish I could answer this one, but I live in some sort of pub blackhole in Edinburgh that has a grevious shortage of acceptable places to drink. There are some great pubs in Edinburgh, just none near me. I live just outside the city centre and the place is just full of loud, anodyne bars that are overpriced with no atmosphere. That, or decrepit old mans pubs with an oppressive and unfriendly feel that sucks at your lifeforce. > [@](#): > > The bad. Draft beer is limited to Bud, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, and Coors light. The mixed drinks are weak and expensive starting about 3.50 for a well drink. Damn! I’m a million miles from a beer snob, I’ll drink just about anything you put in front of me, but that has to be the lamest selection of draft ale I’ve ever heard of. I mean, how do you discriminate between them? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/3 "2005-05-15T01:19:52Z")
When I lived in Milwaukee’s hip East Side 😉 the neighborhood pub I favored was Paddy’s, a genuine Irish pub (or as genuine as it gets outside of Ireland.) Pluses: Guinness kept in properly designed and maintained taps. A loverly selection of Irish whiskys. The bar itself was in an old, rambling house with a back patio and several different rooms. Rough hewn wooden tables pushed a little too close together and a comfortable little snug. Nice light; dim but not too dim, and some good barsnacks and some mechanical puzzles to while the night away. Oh, and Woody, the propriator, is a great guy; an ex-cop, very mellow, doesn’t stand for any crap. Minuses: Like all bars in Wisconsin, smoking is allowed. Here in LA: I think my favorite is the Good Luck Bar, corner of Sunset Blvd and Hillhurst. Pluses: Kitchy without being tacky; an excellent selection on the noise box; a nice, if small back room; a generally easy-going crowd, easy parking (always important in Hollywood/Silver Lake/Los Feliz area), just down the road from a great all-night diner, eclectic crowd. Minuses: No cute barmaids (there’s one girl but she’s kind of meh), can get really crowded on weekends, a little too dark for reading except a few chairs in the back room, bathroom always stinks, the only stock two kinds of Irish whisky (Bushnell’s and Jamison), they specialize in foo-foo drinks, and I have the absolutely ironical [post=5770518]worst luck[/post] in talking to women there. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/4 "2005-05-15T02:22:10Z")
Back in my suburban Buffalo hometown, I frequented a place around the corner from my home called Sam’s Delway Cafe. It was a restaurant during the day, and they had fantastic fish fries. The Good: $1.50 Labatt Blue drafts and reasonable liquor prices. I think I paid $3.50 when I was in my “Citron on ice” phase. I never bought pitchers, but they seemed reasonably priced as well. There was occasioal karaoke, which would draw in the cute college girls. I often got bought drinks for no apparent reason, usually by virtue of being the only one there under 30. It was dark and wood-paneled, so it had great small-town-bar ambience, and it was never too crowded. The Bad: The crowd - old Polish men, electricians griping about work, that sort of thing. Plus, the selection wasn’t very good - I think it was Blue, Blue Light, Bud, Bud Light, Molson and Coors Light on draft, and those plus Amstel Light, Aspen Edge and Heinekin in bottles. Not much for a beer snob like me, hence the liquor. Plus, I still get ID’d every time I go in there. Also, no pub food. Here in New York, Reservoir - right around the corner from my apartment. The Good: Good selection of everything, and $3.50 pint specials every night (which is really good, here). They put some crap up - Bud and Molson are frequent $3.50 specials, but occasionally you get a gem like Blue Point IPA or something semi-drinkable like Bareknuckle Stout, and Tuesdays every pint is on special. The drinks are mildly expensive but strong, and they’ve got a great jukebox. The pub food is great - their fish and chips is excellent, and they have the best waffle fries in town. Plus, it’s usually full of my classmates. The Bad: It gets really crowded with the after-work group and on Friday and Saturday nights, when people stop in to pregame. The waitresses care more about looking cute than doing their job. One of the regular bartenders tries to be cute - he’ll answer “Can I have a ~whatever~?” with “Yes.” and then stand there until you ask him to go get it, for example. The drunks overplay the same crap on the jukebox. Plus, it’s usually full of my classmates. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/5 "2005-05-15T02:33:19Z")
I go to the Raven, here in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of D.C. It’s one of D.C.'s oldest bars, and a real neighborhood hangout. It’s prices are reasonable for D.C. which isn’t saying much. Domestics are $2.75 per bottle, premiums about $4.00. liquor is pretty cheap, which has given me a regrettable taste for Jameson’s ($4.00 pre shot.) The crowd contains a decent crew of regulars, most of whom know me and who I am pretty friendly with. The bar used to be full of old crusties, but the gentrification of Mt. P has turned it into a hipster hangout. The jukebox has the same old stuff on it, which can get pretty tired after a while. Basically it’s the type of neighborhood bar which would be a dime a dozen in Baltimore or Chicago, but which is a rarity in D.C. The good is the regular crowd and the atmosphere and the prices. The bad is the same damn songs on the jukebox and the influx of hipsters (not that they’re all bad.) ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/6 "2005-05-15T16:16:08Z")
The Alley Cat is what I’d consider my “neighborhood bar.” The good: Decent variety of beer Heavily poured mixed drinks for $3.50, meaning you only need about two of them to be pretty well on your way “Everybody knows your name”–made up of mostly friends who I have known for a long time Excellent picks on the jukebox–metal, locals, and if someone picks a crappy song, the bartender will eject it Awesome barstaff who have all been there for years and years (and Rupert from Survivor used to work there 😃 )–they’ll know what you drink, etc. and often give me my first one free Different rooms so you can hide out if necessary Great place to pick up hot people who aren’t fratknockers or sorostitutes Occasional barfights that are fun to watch The bad: Propensity for drama amongst friends Tendency to run into exes you’d rather not see Very smoky ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/7 "2005-05-16T02:14:16Z")
My local hangout is a place called Clay’s Sports Cafe in Atlanta (Sandy Springs) Georgia. They serve the BEST wings in town, and you can still get a pitcher of beer for $5.95. Plus if you don’t mind sitting next to me, you can sit at “The Umpires’ Table” where we have a plaque on the wall. The bad? Well, it’s a pretty small hole in the wall, but now that I think about it, that’s not too bad either! 🙂 MMmmmmm Clay’s wings! The BEST! ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/8 "2005-05-16T02:48:28Z")
My neighborhood has some great watering holes, but for this thread I’ll nominate **The Stumbling Monk**. Exclusively Belgian beers, like Leffe and La Chouffe, on tap (also Maudite, which I’m pretty sure is Canadian), nothing to eat except bags of Tim’s Chips (mmm) and popcorn, board games on a nearby shelf, and – get ready for the best part – NPR news on the sound system. It’s the Hipster PDA of bars. I love it there. I’ve lately moved to a part of the neighborhood that’s a bit far to walk, but still get there when I can. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/9 "2005-05-16T02:55:25Z")
My neighborhood bar has no atmosphere and the majority of the patrons are over 60 with very few teeth. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/10 "2005-05-16T03:39:32Z")
I have to admit that I’ve lived within a couple of hundred metres of my neighbourhood pub for nearly twenty years and never actually gone inside. ---
**Author:** ![mza662](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f4b2a3/32.png) [@mza662](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mza662)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/11 "2005-05-16T04:28:11Z")
I live 10 minutes from my locla ‘Sports Bar’. There are a few tv screens up inside with sports on but never really anything good. Every Thursday they have karaoke and it get’s quite busy with locals. Myself and friends often go down for some good drinking in the outdoor area (less so now as winter approaches) which has nice big wooden picnic style tables. Beer is fairly priced but limited in it’s range. Mostly Australian beer, with some nicer specialty Aussie beers and some imports in the bar next to it in the restaurant. Generally we just drink jugs of Carlton Draught, which isn’t a bad drop for the price. This is usually the launching pad for the night’s celebrations on any given weekend night. ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/12 "2005-05-16T06:37:06Z")
> [@E. Thorp](#): > > (also Maudite, which I’m pretty sure is Canadian) Yep, it’s from Unibroue in Chambly, Quebec. They make some great stuff, and some that’s just plain weird. Maudite is nice. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/describe-your-neighborhood-bar-pub/303840/13 "2005-05-16T14:07:04Z")
This Labour day I’m going to a wedding held at an establishment owned by Unibroue. _Every dish_ will include one of their beers in some fashion. Woohoo! As for my neighbourhood pub, it’s a pretty nice joint. Free pitchers of Yeungling and Brooklyn lager for an hour on Wednesdays and Fridays. Since it’s getting warm, we’ll have Hoegaarden on tap. Champagne’s available for $9.50 a bottle. 3 ounce pours for $2.50. People frequently bring their own charcoal and food to barbeque on the patio. And last summer we had a family of ducks playing in the fountain.