Where are you a "Regular"?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Are you a “regular” anyplace? If so, where and why?

Back when I lived in Milwaukee’s East Side, I was a regular at an Irish pub called Paddy’s, just north of North Ave. In fact, when my roommate got married one of the selection criteria for my new apartment was the proximity to this pub. It’s an honest-to-Og American-Irish pub complete with a snug and an ex-cop owner. It looks like it was originally someone’s house, has no neon shamrocks or Guinness marketing crap on the walls, and doesn’t run drink specials for the college crowd, despite its proximity to North Ave. It isn’t even listed in the phone book, and the entrance (through the side) is unadorned with any signage. In fact if you didn’t know it was there you probably wouldn’t find it. Nonetheless, it pulls in a decent crowd, and I spent many an evening there with a book and a pint of Black and Tan or straight Guinness, finishing off with a shot of Jamison in snifter. It was a really nice place, and I miss it more than anything else in Milwaukee.

I also used to have lunch at Apollo, a Greek resturant on Brady, two or three times a week, and chat with the owner. Occasionally, he’d try out a new dish on me, or throw in an appetizer or bowl of egg-lemon-rice soup. It was conveniently located just across from Nomad World Pub, where I’d sometimes spend a Friday evening with friends and admiring the extensive tattoos and piercings of the crowd.

Where I live now (Pasadena), I’m a semi-regular at a bar-and-grill place on Colorado. It’s a relatively generic member of the class, and the food is mostly standard pub fare, but it’s the only place in Pas to get a properly made Black and Tan, the girls all know my name, and I’ve been going there long enough that I’ve seen a twice-over rotation of most of the waitstaff. The earlier bartenders used to “spill” about half of the beers I ordered, but the more recent ones have been charging me for everything. No complaints; it was just kind of nice to get that “extra” service and I tipped extra-heavy for it. I’ll usually head over to Jakes afterward to play some pool.

I’m also a regular at a coffeehouse in West Hollywood (Insomnia) which is just down the street from the revival cinema I go to once or twice a week. Nobody really knows me, though; in typical SunSoCal fashion You Don’t Speak To Anyone You Don’t Know, but it’s often the same people in there, hunched over their laptops and writing The Great American Screenplay. I just sit and read my book and make mental bets on which of them will be the next Francis Coppola or Charlie Kaufman (no, no, and…nope, not you either.)

So, where do you haunt?

Stranger

2

Until about four or five months ago, I was a regular at a Tin Tin, a Chinese restaraunt in Salem. If I were feeling lazy and didn’t feel like cooking (which was at least twice a week), I’d go there after work, have dinner, and then either go catch a movie a couple block south of there, at the Santiam 7, or backtrack a bit and go read a chapter or two at the Border’s about two miles north of there.

Once I started getting recognized and was getting my drink how I prefer it without asking for it, I was kind of taken aback. Before that, I’d never been a regular anywhere else and it shocked me. I got used to it, eventually, but it’s still a little weird. By the time I am able to go back, I’ll be just another customer, and I like it that way.

3

My old favourite haunt used to be Naked on Jasper. It’s this little hole in the wall cyber cafe on Jasper Ave (there are two, one also on Whyte Ave but I hung at Jasper). It was this great place, you could get a cheap coffee (a ‘fancy’ one was a couple bucks and came with one of those hollow biscuits filled with chocolate) and you could rent computer time. If you bought a card it was even cheaper. It’s also adults only because you can smoke in there.

The best part was I knew most of the people who worked there, the owner, his father and all the artistic people hang out there. They offer up local art for sale and they even held showings for the artists with wine and cheese and the works (all free). Every few months they’d have poetry readings and Thursdays was open stage with a live band. If you wanted to play just bring an instrument and introduce yourself to the rest of the band.

During the day it was pretty quiet, but a perfect place to just sit and play cards while drinking coffee. I loved it there. We went nearly every day after class was over. Man I miss hanging out there.

4

The library. I never go in to browse, but always hold books by way of their website. I’m always in there almost everyday and they know me. I just have to go to the desk and they get up to find my books on the shelf.

I’m also a semi-regular at a place called TeaDrops in Westport in Kansas City, a delightful place that serves all kinds of tea. I say “semi-regular” because the only time I go there on a regular basis is during the school semester.

5

At the University where I work, there’s a small Tim Horton’s outlet in the Languages building. I visit it a lot. As soon as they see me in line they start pouring my coffee. There’s also a little patio outside with a fountain. In the summers a mallard duck couple lives there. They are quite popular and were given names, but I forget what they are. :slight_smile:

6

Most of the chain steakhouses in town. Also, the “Salty Nut Cafe.”

7

I can usually be found at Rumor’s or The Highlander.

When I was still in Milwaukee (Muhwaukee to you natives) my east side haunt was The Up and Under Pub. They used to have a great blues band with the singer playing harmonica while walking on the bar and over tables. Great fun.

Heartbreakers was pretty awesome as well. :wink:

8

For almost every Monday (give or take) for the last, oh, three years and change I suppose, I and a rotating cast of friends have been going to the Vermont Pub and Brewery at 10 PM for a quiet start to the week. We’ve gone through a ton of wait staff, and a lot of the originals are gone, but most of the bar tenders have been there for the whole time, and we’re pretty familiar with them all, and they us.

I also spend many Tuesdays doing trivia at Ri Ra’s, an Irish pub in town, and am a regular there as well.

When I lived right in town I went to Breakfast with a friend of mine at Handy’s diner once a week, and since there were only about four people in there at 6 AM in the middle of the winter on a Thursday morning, we got to know the owner fairly well.

A few years back I had another breakfast place, Penny Cluse. One winter two friends with whom I lived started going there every morning for two or three weeks straight, shortly after Christmas (I joined them midway into it), right when they opened, 6:45. We had a ton of candy canes left over from the holidays, so we started leaving candy canes along with our tip. We continued to go there for ‘Open Cluse’ relatively regularly for about a year, and always left candy canes. Once we came in after being gone for a while and someone new who worked there said, “you guys are the candy cane guys, right?” Anyway, they raised their prices, and it got too expensive to eat there often. Alas.

9

In my younger days, I could be found far too often at the Hogshead Prew Pub. Nowadays I don’t seem to get out anywhere often enough to be considered “regular”.

Come to think of it, I don’t even get out enough to be considered “irregular”.

10

I can usually be found at Little Prague here in Davis, corner of G and 4th streets, drinking Staroprammen or showing the bartenders new and interesting drinks to make with Absinthe.

11

Before it closed, Odells on Rand. Now, John’s Pub or Splinters, but mainly John’s.

12

Back in Maryland, I was a regular at a hole in the wall called Iampieri’s in Catonsville, and at Sonoma’s and Michael’s Pub in Columbia.

We were back in MD over the holidays and popped into the last two to see what was up and both had turned into very yuppified sports bars. Packed wall to wall with meatheads and mouthbreathers. :frowning:

Out here in Madtown, we’re regulars at a cool little joint called Mickey’s - cheap beer and funky decor, with lots of couches and lounging areas.

For food we’re regulars at the Weary Traveler on Willy St. - amazing food and good beer, and also very cheap - we can do an amazing dinner and a couple of beer’s plus tip for around $20.

The only other place I’d be considered a regular at is the little hippie bar on Atwood called Mr. Robert’s, but that’s more as a performer and music industry guy than as a drinker. Same goes for the Portal Music Cafe on Brearly.

13

Do laundromats count? Every Sunday for the past ten years, I’ve used the same laundromat, run by a delightful elderly Russian couple (and their cats, first Christopher, now Fluffy). I give them my Times after I’ve read it; their daughter is my cat-sitter.

Also the Algonquin—I’m there every week or so at lunchtime, having a cup of tea and decompressing, curled up on a lobby sofa reading a book.

14

Ah, the Up And Under on Brady. I didn’t go there half as much as I would have liked, but always had a good time when I was there.

Stay away from The Roman Coin, though. That place is kind of scary, in the dentally-impared sort-of-way. I used to take out-of-town visitors there for a dollar draw of Blatz beer and a good scare, before heading up the street to Nomad or over to The Safehouse.

Stranger

15

The bathroom.
Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week.

Honestly, I’m a regular at my wife’s university faculty club, where I’m not allowed to pay for anything.

Back in Vancouver, I was a regular at her university’s graduate pub, where the staff wouldn’t charge me for anything either. Weird, dat.

16

I used to be a regular at Jake’s when I was going to the culinary school (it’s the old Tanner Market, tucked behind the new restaurant on the far end of Colorado Boulevard). Which bar-and-grill place are you talking about?

I know that all too well. :slight_smile:
And to answer the OP:

There’s a sushi joint called Something’s Fishy on Ventura Boulevard where they used to have all-you-can-eat handroll specials Mon-Thurs for $13.95. My husband and I were there once a week–to the point that they knew what we liked. Sadly, they changed management, the special no longer existed, and the last time I went past the place, they had a C rating in their window (not good for a sushi place).

There’s also Taste of India, which is our favorite Indian joint. We don’t go often (about once every 2 months), since they’re a little on the expensive side, but they definitely have some of the best Indian food in the area. The servers all recognize us by sight, and always give us excellent service.

17

Here, here, here (I like it, unlike SW), here, and especially here.

That’s the Clyde Theatre, Dog House Tavern, Hollywood Burger Company, WorldClub Seattle, and my stomping grounds.

18

I went for lunch every workday to a nearby Wendy’s. (Clearly showing no regard for my health) I got the same thing every time, and it got to the point that the staff would order for me, and just ask me to confirm that that was what I wanted.
When christmas arrived, a bunch of the 16 year old girls there made me a batch of fudge as a present. I found that a bit disturbing and avoided the place for a month.

I was also a regular for a while at Star of India. I’d call up to order take-out and, even without caller ID, they’d recognize me and know what I wanted.

My “regularness” pales in comparison to my sister’s story: She was such a regular at one cafe that the owner showed her how to work the register so she could pay if the waitstaff was busy.

These days I’m not a regular anywhere, unless you count in front of my computer at home. More’s the pity.

19

That would be Barney’s, on Colorado, across the street and half a block to the west.

Stranger

20

Uhh… my college dining hall and food court. I always get the same thing at the food court and one guy who works there makes fun of me every time for it. (I’m sorry. I do not like stuff on my hamburger. I am aware that that is weird and also that I am short and funny-looking. :p) Ever since he memorized my name and what I’m going to order, I’ve been trying to avoid the food court when I know he’s working there. And as for the dining hall, I’m one of the only people who actually is awake for breakfast on weekends.