32. Drum Room (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1335 Baltimore Ave
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 303-1686
http://www.drumroomkc.com/ Restoration of vintage popular nightspot, though the drum-shaped bar that gave it its name no longer exists.
AmeriSports Brew Pub (Ameristar Casino, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Chili's Grill & Bar (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Recordbar (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1020 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-5207
http://www.therecordbar.com/ Popular strip mall music venue that also serves some pretty good food. Since they don't open until 4:30 they've missed my business several times.... their food is good enough to justify being open for lunch.
Class Reunion Lounge (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1200 NW State Route 7
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 229-1968
http://classreunionlounge.com/ Dance club and bar in a strip mall. Actually nicer than that makes it sound.
Dirk's Sports Bar & Grill (Barry, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Big Shots Bar & Grill (Barry, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7753 NW Prairie View Rd
Kansas City, MO 64151
(816) 505-3009
Basic strip mall bar
Jockey Club Lounge & Bar (Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4312 NW Gateway Ave
Kansas City, MO 64150
(816) 741-9844
The bar's name ties to the local history, when a questionably-legal horse racing track operated during the 1930s under the financing and protection of Kansas City boss Tom Pendergast. Though the track is long gone, some of the original structures still remain. I am uncertain if this bar is one of those structures.
In the time since our visit the owner has spruced the place up quite a bit. The outside has been cleaned up and repainted, and the broken sign atop the building has been replaced with a new, stylish sign. Sadly, however, the classic vintage "cocktails" sign that once graced the front of the building has been removed.
The Runaway Lounge (Northmoor, MO) [see details ]2418 NW Vivion Rd
Northmoor, MO 64150
(816) 741-8201
Basic strip mall bar. In the path of a proposed development so may not be around for long.
Shooter's (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4108 N Oak Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 454-7650
Shooter's is one of those places where everybody knows everybody. But don't let that intimidate you, newcomers are welcome and as long as you aren't a troublemaker you'll soon find yourself right at home.
Owners Scott and Robin Severson have turned what from the outside looks like a little shack into a popular neighborhood institution. You can count on seeing the same faces on the same nights every week, and the tight-knit community of bikers, working class, and young singles that has formed all take care of each other. The Seversons are also very active in the local business community, working to promote the rights of small business owners.
The bar features a spacious patio in the back. Half the patio is covered, the rest is open-air and naturally shaded by large trees atop a stone wall. Inside you will find 2 pool tables and a much larger seating area than the building looks like it should hold.
Some of the regular specials include bottomless beer for $10 and free pool on Monday and Wednesday nights, Ladies Night on Tuesdays, Guys Night on Thursdays, and karaoke on Thursday and Saturday nights. On Saturdays you can also enjoy a free lunch buffet, which changes each week. Tacos, fried catfish, BBQ, and many other selections have been served.
Moxie Bar & Grill (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4011 N Oak Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 455-9600
http://www.moxiebar.com/ Award winning neighborhood bar & grill, very popular in the Northland
Pat's Pub (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1315 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-8752
http://patspubnkc.com/ Pat's Pub is my favorite of the bars on the Swift Avenue dive bar row. It and River City Tavern are at the southern end of the strip, fairly isolated from the busier bars a few blocks north.
Beer on tap is very cheap. There is also food here, but I haven't tried it yet and don't know what all they serve.
In addition to the bar and dining area there is a new patio out back, and lately the bar has been hosting live music on Friday nights. (So far with no cover.)
This is a very laid back place, and I enjoy dropping in from time to time on my way home from the bowling alley.
My only complaint is with the hours. It is only open during the day on Saturday (unless they are hosting a special event), which is understandable given its location. But except for Friday nights the closing times are inconsistent. Sometimes I can stop in after bowling on Tuesday night, but most weeks it's already closed by the time I get over there at 9:00. Consistent hours could do a lot to help increase evening business.
On the other hand, maybe Pat just wants to be able to go to sleep. :)
Bar 12 (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1613 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 221-5255
http://www.myspace.com/bigsexyscott Bar 12 is a popular sports dive in NKC's Swift Avenue dive bar row. it's best known as a karaoke bar, but it also has weekly poker nights and DJs a few nights a week -- usually with no cover charge.
This bar doesn't serve food, but they let you order food from the Chip Shot next door and bring it in to eat.
The bartenders here are great -- I haven't met one yet I don't like. Still, this isn't my favorite bar in Swift. No fault of the owners or staff, I think it's just the fact that this bar attracts a younger crowd than most of the other bars in this area.
Currently karaoke is Monday and Tuesday nights, poker is on Thursday nights, and the rest of the nights are DJs.
River City Tavern (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1229 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
This is the southernmost bar on the Swift Avenue Dive Bar Row. It occupies a nondescript little shoebox of a building.
On my first visit I was greeted by a scrappy little mop dog on the floor and a gruff bartender who seemed to think it was very strange that I kept tipping him for my drinks. By the way it's all bottles and cans here -- no taps.
I didn't really care for this place. It was ok, but I've been to a lot of better dives. However it must be doing SOMETHING right, because it's consistently open on weekday nights even though the superior (in my opinion) Pat's Pub just a few doors north rarely seems to make it open past 9pm during the week. River City Tavern is not open on weekends though, or at least not consistently.
The Bar (Chouteau, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3904 N Chouteau Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 453-5911
This is one of the most popular true dive bars in the Northland -- if not THE most popular. Though an older crowd by day, at night it is packed with a very young crowd -- generally with a high concentration of the "pretty-people" set.
The actual bar is fairly small but is fronted by several skinny bar tables to maximize seating in that area. Around the corner is a larger back room with a pool table and the dance floor.
Drink prices are very cheap, and karaoke is a regular occurrence. I've been visiting The Bar off and on for about 4 years now and have always had a good time.
Harry T's Corner Bar & Grill (Chouteau, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3920 N Chouteau Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 452-3150
Sports dive across the parking lot from The Bar.
Depot Saloon (Avondale, MO) [see details ]2706 N Bell St
Avondale, MO 64117
(816) 452-2100
Depot Saloon is located in the heart of the tiny town of Avondale, which is located about a half mile north-northeast of North Kansas City Hospital. The town is tucked away in the woods and surrounded by a creek -- not many people have any idea it's even there.
The building is pretty plain on the outside, but inside reveals a nice dark wood bar fronting a large, well-lit dining room. There's pool tables in the back. Poker is hosted here fairly regularly and draws a decent sized crowd.
Depot Saloon is known for its BBQ. It's not the greatest I've had but it's not bad, and it's nice to be able to order a simple plate of burnt ends as a bar appetizer with your beer.
River Aces Lounge (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1800 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 474-4210
This is a very popular dive in North Kansas City. While it's pretty quiet with an older crowd earlier in the day (as one would expect), at night -- especially on the weekend -- this place is jam packed.
It's not a very big bar, but it had enough room for pool, a couple of games, and space for a DJ. There is live entertainment every night -- either karaoke or a DJ -- and it's all-request.
Beer prices are good here, some of the cheapest pitchers around. Definitely a good deal.
Things can get dicey here late at night so keep your guard up. The bouncers are good at taking care of troublemakers, but fights do sometimes break out that have spilled into the parking lot across the street on rare occasion. I don't think it's enough of a problem to avoid this place, just be smart and stay cool.
Vivace (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]529 Walnut St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 527-0999
http://www.kcvivace.com Famous for its ice bar. Bar open until 3am.
Update: As of being reincarnated as Thirsty's, the ice bar gimmick is gone.
As Thirsty's, it offers a food menu based on the defunct Dos Hombres that was across the street. Serves Schlaffly beer as the "local" offering due to a debt to Boulevard left by the previous owner of the license.
Dos Hombres (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]528 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 474-4696
http://www.doskc.com/ Tex-Mex restaurant with separate bar in the front.
Flo's Poke-A-Dot Lounge (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8934 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 363-9571
At the extreme southern end of Waldo, or arguably at the extreme northern end of South KC, sits a tiny run-down strip mall. In the center of this strip mall you will find Flo's Poke-A-Dot Lounge.
We found our seats on the south side of the box-shaped bar, the only people in the place under the age of sixty. (Granted, it was 10:30am on a Saturday.) On the wall across from us, a velvet painting of a nude woman graced our presence.
We both ordered Bud Light draws and began talking with the bartender and other customers. Based upon the name of this bar we had assumed the owner was a woman named Florence. Instead we learned that "Flo" is a man named Floyd.
About midway through our beers, napkins were suddenly slid in front of us by one of the other customers. With a look of worry on his face, my drinking buddy leaned over to me.
"How quickly can you chug your beer?" he whispered.
"I don't know, pretty fast," I whispered back.
"Do it!" he whispered forcefully.
Unaware of what he had somehow realized was about to happen, I began drinking as quickly as I could. As I took the last gulp, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the need for this urgency.
A gentleman a few bar stools down had pulled a plastic bag full of shrimp out of the pocket of his jacket and had begun dumping fistfuls of it onto the napkins he had just placed in front of the other patrons.
Now I love shrimp, but I'm not going to eat fisted shrimp from a plastic bag pulled out of the pocket of some random guy at an unfamiliar bar. I set my empty beer glass down and my friend and I stood up to leave.
"Wait, don't you want some shrimp?" the shrimp-fister asked us.
"Ah, no, we just had a huge breakfast," we fibbed. "Thanks anyway!"
We left the bar and got into the car. As my friend put the car in reverse, there was a knock at the driver's side window. We saw one of the other customers standing outside the window, cupping some shrimp in his hands. We lowered down the window just enough that he could speak without passing us any shrimp.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with this???" he asked rhetorically, laughing about his failure to escape the shrimping in time.
"No clue, guess you better bolt faster next time!" we chuckled back.
Grand Saloon (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]927 E 85th St
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 333-1750
Located south-southeast of Waldo, this bar almost seems out of place in the neighborhood. (Though BB's being located a few blocks east helps it not seem quite so isolated.)
I'd classify the Grand Saloon as somewhere halfway between a restaurant-bar and a low-key lounge. It's a bar that doesn't seem to be very well known, but is a lot of fun for those who know about it. The bartender on my last visit was pretty funny and we chatted with him for quite a while.
The kitchen is open until 11pm nightly, and there's also karaoke every Saturday night. I don't know if they still do this, but on the day of my first visit (in a July while back) they were having a free BBQ that evening.
Walsh's Corner Cocktail (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]304 W 85th St
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 361-7099
This place was decked out in an Irish decor but didn't have any Irish beers on tap. We were the only customers in the place. (Saturday, 11:15am)
Village Lounge (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8431 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 361-4388
The movie "First Knight" was being shown on all the bar TVs during our visit.
Jake's Smokehouse Bar & Grill (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8314 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 444-1517
I can't remember if we went here with the intention of eating or just to check to see if they had any beer. Well, we didn't eat. :) Instead we partook of some Guinness.
Patricks Bar & No Grill (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Deangelo's Lounge )
8251 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 444-3707
This place has a cool split-level bar, with a big screen in one corner and a pool table in another.
When we first visited it was DeAngelo's:
Now it's Patrick's, and other than the name it seems pretty much the same.
Tommy Farha Cafe & Bar (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8019 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 444-0990
The place with the white hearse in front. Opens at 7am!
Lew's Grill & Bar (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7539 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 444-8080
http://www.lewsgrillandbar.com/ Popular Waldo hangout and live music venue. Seems especially popular with the striped-shirt crowd.
75th Street Brewery (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]520 W 75th St
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 523-4677
http://www.75thstreet.com/ Restaurant / brew pup. I am a particular fan of their Muddy Mo Stout.
Kennedy's Bar & Grill (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7428 Washington St
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 361-9788
Destroyed by fire on February 16, 2007. Opened in a temporary location next door. Now a new building is being constructed at the original site and Kennedy's will soon move back again. Was a dive, don't know what the new one will be like.
Hanibal's Waldo Bar (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Fin's Waldo Bar )
7438 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 523-9964
I liked this place better back when it was Fin's -- when it was a dirty-dive with beer-soaked carpet and super-cheap pitchers of beer, a place where you could relax and cut loose with your group of friends without anyone else judging you.
Since the buyout and remodel a couple year back, this place looks good. It's clean, it's hip, it's trendy, it has a decent selection of beer and some good-looking food. It has a cool garage door front that opens to a sidewalk patio. And yet, to me, anyway, it's not quite right.
Despite the open brightness, it comes across to me as stuffy. I can't relax when I'm here. I feel like all the yuppies are staring and waiting for me to do something to annoy them. Even the bartender came across as a little too uptight.
Bobby Baker's Lounge (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7418 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 523-5485
At $4 a draw this was the most expensive beer we bought all day. Unfortunately for B this fell on his turn to pay.
This is a tiny but comfortable place. Try to get the big round booth!
Tanner's Bar & Grill (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Governor Stumpy's Grillhouse (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]GAF (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7122 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 333-1321
http://thegafkc.com/ Our bartender on our first visit was a recent transplant from New Zealand.
This place sways back and forth between whether it wants to be a bar with a restaurant or a restaurant with a bar. Currently it's leaning more towards the latter.
Brooksider Bar & Grill (Brookside, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Charlie Hooper's Brookside Bar (Brookside, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]12 W 63rd St
Kansas City, MO 64113
(816) 361-8841
Claims to have the best selection of beer in town.
Tomfooleries (Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Caddy Shack (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]700 E 3rd St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 421-4742
Caddyshack, or "The Shack" as many of the regulars refer to it, is a popular dive bar and night spot for downtown Kansas City barhoppers.
On our first visit in 2006 we were warmly greeted by our bartender, who asked our names and immediately engaged us in conversation. The owner, Joe, came out to meet us as well. On subsequent visits we have learned that Joe makes it a habit of getting to know his customers, circulating among the crowd saying hello and making conversation.
The interior of the bar is divided into two main sections. The front section contains booths and low tables surrounded by office chairs. The back section contains a mix of high and low bar tables interspersed among the pool tables.
Caddyshack features free popcorn, optionally seasoned with their special blend of spices, and has recently begun making their own pizza. The pizza is Sicilian style, based upon a recipe Joe has been making for over 30 years, and is available until 2:00am. Other standard bar foods are also available.
Entertainment includes pool tables and other usual bar games. About once a month they have a karaoke night that is wildly popular, often drawing standing-room-only crowds.
In 2007 though early 2008 Caddyshack underwent an extensive renovation. In addition to fixing up the bathrooms and cleaning up the interior, the unused back patio was closed and a new, much bigger patio was built on the building's east side. The picture a the top this article was taken before construction, the new patio sits off the right-hand side of that photo. This patio is now one of the busiest spots downtown after 1:30am.
Red Front Bar & Grill (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]310 Admiral Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 472-0569
http://www.myspace.com/redfrontkc From the web site:
The Red Front Bar is located on Admiral Blvd. in the heart of downtown. A great place to sit down and relax after a long day of work or maybe the perfect place to start your night out on the town, however it is common for a person to sit down at Red Front for the whole night. Our great bartenders can mix up anything you request. Play some music on the Juke Box or make your own music on the Karaoke machine. Hang outside on our new deck! Red Front is a place to relax with old friends, make new friends, and even dance the night away! The perfect place for b-day, bachelorette, and bachelor parties.
Tarantino's (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
The Garage )
601 Mcgee St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 421-0043
Fantastic pizza/calzone/sandwich joint with limited bar
The Stables (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]813 Walnut St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 842-2016
The Stables is an okay dive bar. Being close to several office towers its nice to walk to with co-workers for come cheap after-work beer. (Served cheap and very cold.) There's pool tables in the back,Silver Strike in the front, and an old-style big screen TV that's used mainly for music channels but sometimes for sports. The bar is a cozy L-shape, and there is ample table seating. True to its name, riding equipment and pictures of horses are placed throughout the bar.
For a long while, Stables was the only bar downtown that was not open on Saturdays. That finally changed about a year ago.
Another change is that The Stables has quietly become gay-friendly... at least on certain nights of the week. I wouldn't say it's completely become a gay bar just yet, and (at least from what I've seen so far) it really shouldn't make anyone uncomfortable who isn't into that sort of place.
Still, if you happen to be an exceptionally handsome young fellow, don't be surprised if you get hit on by some middle-aged dude in a wifebeater. Just laugh it off and chill... you'll be fine.
12th Street Rag (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]200 W 12th St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 421-6800
In the lobby of the Kansas City Marriott Downtown
Zoo Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1220 Mcgee St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 842-6060
http://www.myspace.com/kczoobar Zoo Bar is a place that so few people know about and is so hard to find, that oftentimes first-time visitors have no idea what to expect and may feel a little nervous. Instead they are surprised to find themselves inside what is probably the friendliest and most laid-back place in town. I would venture to call it the best dive bar in Kansas City. And that can't be far from the truth, to be thriving after nearly 26 years and counting in a location where none of its neighbors have lasted.
The bar is very small... in fact the bar itself takes about half of the usable space. There are seats for maybe about 25, but no one seems to mind standing when they have to.
The most striking feature of Zoo Bar is the graffiti covering its walls, ceiling, and nearly every other accessible permanent surface other than the bar itself. In the mid 1980s the bar was repainted and patrons threw such a fit about loss of the scrawlings that it has never been painted since. More than 20 years of Zoo Bar history is now inscribed upon the walls. Many people just leave their name and the date, while others draw pictures or write a sentence or two about the visit. Markers are left out on the bar for anyone who wants to add themselves to the ink-on-paint tapestry.
Another feature Zoo Bar is very proud of is its old flip-style CD jukebox. The owner and bartenders have spent years editing and refining the mix of selections, literally agonizing over what CD to remove if a new one is added. The result is such a well-balanced mix of music that almost any visitor can find music they like, yet no matter what gets played it fits the style of the bar perfectly. Occasionally spontaneous bar dancing has been known to break out.
Zoo Bar has no beer taps, but it does have nearly 30 varieties of beer in bottles and cans. This includes several premium and foreign beers as well. And as long as it doesn't require a blender (which no real drink ever should... especially a drink in a dive bar), the bartenders can mix up just about anything else you may want. Most importantly, this is one the cheapest places to drink in downtown Kansas City.
The bartenders are all a fun bunch. Ronnie or Ellen (who was the first bartender I met there back in 2006) will take care if you during the daytime, while Carol, the Sarahs, Cameron, Samantha, or Shizzy will be happy to serve you at night. Collectively the bartending staff call themselves the Zooettes. Except for Cameron, of course.
On Saturday the bar offers a free lunch buffet. All of the food is home cooked, usually by the owner and often with a bit of a kick of spices. The menu changes each weekend and is usually written on the whiteboard inside the front door a day or two in advance.
The owner, Preston Cain, is a friendly guy who often will stop in at some point in the evening. An attorney who practices out of the law office above the bar, Preston runs the bar almost as a hobby. Preston took over operation after the original owner, prosecuting attorney Ray Webb, passed away. A ceiling tile commemorating Webb sits behind the bar, while Preston is showcased in magic marker on the opposite wall.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
When I made my first visit to Zoo in June 2006, a friend and I were looking for a place that we did not know for certain even still existed. We had only a name and a general idea of the location that I had picked up from a 2-year-old list of businesses mentioned in a bicycle blog. Indeed, the Zoo Bar was so hard to find that we looked directly at it several times, from right across the street, and did not see it. The only signage was a small engraved wooden sign inside the window. Somehow I caught this sign out of the corner of my eye as we were giving up the hunt and walking away.
When we stepped inside, everyone inside stared at us and we realized we were intruders in a very private, close-knit community. So we was surprised when the moment of silence was broken with "Welcome to the Zoo!" as a woman moved her coat in order to offer us a place to sit.
The regulars were a mix of lawyers, government workers, and construction workers. Ellen, our bartender, opened our cans of beer while we began talking with the gang about topics ranging from a tragic bicycle accident that had occurred around the corner an hour earlier, to KCTV's Katie Horner, to people having sex at a nearby bus stop. One Zoo fixture, a man named Les, gave us a lesson on the health benefits of drinking Goldschlager.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Zoo Bar opened on October 24, 1982, in the southeast corner of a 2-story law office building at 12th & McGee. It was the direct descendant of Up The Street, a bar that had opened in 1977 on the 12th Street side of the same building. It was a lawyer hangout and featured pool tables in its back room (a room that today is the wig shop next door). In 1984 a fire closed the bar for a few months.
In the late 1990s downtown went into a slide and most of the bars along what was once a mighty dive bar row closed. Eventually only Zoo Bar remained. It operated as a daytime-only bar for years, supported by the daily visits of a small but very dedicated group of regulars. (Many of whom are still regulars today.) The larger back room was walled off, becoming retail space that today serves as the wig shop operating next door. What remained was the tiny sliver of a bar that we see today, with the cutouts that used to allow access to the back room still obvious at both ends of the bar.
In early 2007, anticipating increased foot traffic from the new Sprint Center and Power & Light District, additional bartenders were hired and a night shift was added. Lighted beer signs were added for the first time, and exterior signage was put up. The gamble paid off, and Zoo Bar's patronage has increased tremendously. At night Zoo becomes a favorite hangout of downtown residents and visitors to the new entertainment venues.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Today Zoo is a place where adults of all ages and all walks of life enjoy relaxing. There's never a band -- only the jukebox -- and the TVs are rarely on (usually just for Royals games) so it's a good place for conversation. And with the small space, conversations usually end up spreading to include diverse groups of people who would otherwise normally never likely cross paths. It's the kind of place where everyone treats each other right and looks out for each other.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Because of the new signs Zoo Bar isn't as hard to find today as it was when I first visited, but it can still be a bit of a challenge. It is located on McGee, immediately north of the Sprint Center, about halfway up the block. It is directly across the street from the McGee Street entrance to the Board of Education building. If you are driving, note that McGee is one-way northbound, and accessible only from 13th Street which is one-way westbound. There is no parking lot but the metered spaces out front are free evenings and weekends. Still, being adjacent to the Sprint center and only 1 block from the Power & Light District, many visitors walk there from other downtown destinations.
Grinders (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]417 E 18th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-5454
http://www.grinderspizza.com/ Great pizza and wings, excellent beer selection, spotty service. Picnic table just outside the back door leaving to a large outdoor concert venue.
The Brick (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1727 Mcgee St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-1634
http://www.thebrickkcmo.com/ Monday-Saturday
11:00 AM - 3:00 AM
Sunday
Noon - Midnite
Good food, delivered until 10pm. Popular hipster live music venue.
Cigar Box (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1519 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-7222
Daytime lunch spot becomes popular after-hours hangout. Yes they still have the walk-in humidor even though you can no longer smoke what you buy -- stupid voters. Stay too late and you might get into a debate with a drunken Chiefs fan or get seduced by one of the ladies from Temptations, the strip club next door.
JP Wine Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Screenland Theatre bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1656 Washington St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-2900
http://screenland.com/ Because we arrived here well after the start of the night's last feature, the bartender seemed puzzled by our arrival.
"Um, we're just here to have a drink," Seth said.
A smile grew across the bartender's face. "That's the coolest thing I've heard all night! Come have a seat!"
The Screenland shows current indy flicks along with choice "classics" from time to time. While we drank, I made sure to note that there are three very important films they NEED to show as part of their classics series. "Flash Gordon, Clash of the Titans, and The Last Dragon."
Flash, The Kraken, and Leroy?!? You can all thank me later.
PR's Place (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1741 Washington St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-9746
Located on the eastern edge of Kansas City's West Side, PR's Place is a popular hangout for Kansas City's hispanic population while virtually unknown among the artists and hipsters found only a block to the east. You might drive right by this place and not realize it's a bar, the exterior might make one think more of a dentist office.
PR's has an inviting, comfortable interior and one of the more eclectic jukebox catalogs we've seen. It's also a popular place for watching sports -- especially soccer. If you are a fan of the World Cup this is a great place to watch it. There are no beer taps, but bottles and cans are plentiful and cheap.
Dave's Stagecoach Inn (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]316 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2492
Tiny cash-only dive bar that opens at 8:30am.
Kelly's Westport Inn (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]500 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-0635
http://www.kellyswestportinn.com/ In one of the oldest buildings in KC (if not THE oldest). Opens at 8:30am and popular among all demographics. Big place with pizza shop in the back.
Jimmy's Jigger (West 39th, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1823 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-7977
Former standalone bar that was later swallowed by Jazz, the restaurant above it, to become Jazz's de-facto restaurant bar. You can sit in here and not feel like you are in the restaurant, yet still have access to the entire menu.
When we got there they were not quite open yet and the door was locked. We decided to go elsewhere but when we were about 30 feet away I barely heard a faint click. "Hold on," I said, and ran back to try the door again. Open.
"FIRST!" shouted B as we walked in, throwing his arms up in the air.
"Hooray for you," said the bartender sarcastically. "Write that accomplishment down in your diary."
I immediately started laughing as I pulled the bar diary out of my pocket and wrote that one down.
DB Cooper's (West 39th, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1804 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-9800
Dark & dirty dive bar with billiards
Gilhouly's (West 39th, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1721 W 39th St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2899
The bartender had not arrived yet and the only person who could legally get us a beer was the owner, who was outside dealing with an A/C issue. After a while he was able to come in and pour for us. As he set our beers in front of us the actual bartender arrived.
When we finished our beers B went to go use the restroom. "Need another round?" the bartender asked me. "Naw, we have to get going," I said. "Did you already pay him?" she asked, pointing to the owner. "Yep, we're square," I said, honestly believing Brandon had already paid.
I then went to the restroom myself, and when I came back out, I saw B at the counter paying our tab.
Whoops!
I promise, Bartender-lady, whoever you are, I was not trying to slip out without paying!
Twin City Tavern (West Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1815 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-5956
http://www.twincitytavern.com/ Neighborhood bar & grill that is a long-time institution. Popular among all walks of life and a major opponent of the smoking ban.
The New Point (West Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Westport Flea Market (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]817 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 931-1986
http://www.westportfleamarket.com/ Bar with GREAT burgers. Also weekly karaoke.
Used to have an actual flea market there, that's largely gone now. On one past visit carried our beers around among all the flea market booths and had a conversation with a guy who tried to justify why he wanted $3,200 for a 1920s electric fan.
Dark Horse Tavern (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Harpo's (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4109 Pennsylvania Ave
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-3434
http://harposkc.com/ Popular among college kids for it's 75-cent draws of Natural Light... you'll see college kids loading up trays with dozens at a time. Much of the draw comes from UMKC. One of the few bars I've been to where the multi-urinal men's room has a long line outside the door.
That aside, this place has an AWESOME patio.
Blayney's of Westport (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]415 Westport Rd
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-3747
http://www.blayneys.com/ Music venue. They wanted to charge us a cover but we talked them into letting us stay at the bar.
Levee Bar & Grill (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4235 Baltimore Ave
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-5565
http://www.thelevee.net/ Live music / dance place at night, popular lunch spot by day. Nice patio.
Side Kicks Saloon (Midtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Buddies (Midtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3715 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2600
http://www.buddieskc.com/ This ended up being one of the most fun places we went to. It was laid back, relaxed, and friendly.
B played pool with a lesbian with a mullet. While he was waiting for his next turn a guy came over and flirted with him briefly.
"I'm winning," B told me, refering not to the pool game but to getting hit on.
But later I got checked out, blatantly and repeatedly, by a guy who was chatting with me while I was using the restroom.
After I told B this, I was declared the winner. ;)
Lava Room (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3810 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-5282
Nice, laid-back, relaxing lounge.
Chez Charlie's (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3809 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-9247
One of the hardest bars in town to find because their is virtually no signage. A pretty hard core dive bar.
John's Big Deck (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]928 Wyandotte
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 474-5668
John's Deck is three bars in one. The street level is a standard sports bar & grill with better than average food. The middle level, accessible through a separate entrance, is a music venue and dance area. The top level is a relaxing outdoor bar that turns into an outdoor music venue at night.
Ponak's Mexican Kitchen (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2856 Southwest Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 753-0775
Mexican restaurant & bar. I didn't really care for the restaurant side, but the bar side seems to be what's more popular.
Characters Sports Bar / The Raging Buffalo (Lamoni, IA) [see details ]100 N Linden St
Lamoni, IA 50140
(641) 784-6505
Located right in the heart of downtown. A big place with lots of TVs and memorabilia. Officially the bar proper is only open on weekends. The rest of the time, while you can still order alcohol, a huge red curtain hides the bar so that the extremely conservative locals won't have to be offended by seeing it while they are eating.
Bears Den Pub (Leon, IA) [see details ]101 W 1st St
Leon, IA 50144
(641) 446-6222
This place had a roulette-like game that used the ceiling fan as the spinner.
Poor Boys Lounge (Decatur City, IA) [see details ]304 E Vine St
Decatur City, IA 50067
(641) 446-8005
Lots of dead animals on display, and showers in the restrooms, leading us to believe this used to be a hunting lodge.
K-Town Legends (Kellerton, IA) [see details ]102 Decatur St
Kellerton, IA 50133
(641) 783-2300
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kellerton-IA/K-Town-Legends/124837987532563 We drove onto the main strip in this quiet little town, lined with several run-down buildings, some empty, but many being rather architecturally interesting buildings. This was probably a pretty little town back in its day. As for the bar, it had no signage anywhere outside or inside that told us what the name was so we had to ask the bartender. We noticed some bowling trophies on a shelf above us, and a back room behind a curtain that we didn't go check out.
Smith's Sports & Spirits (Mt Ayr, IA) [see details ]104 W Madison St
Mt Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-0723
This place was a lot more of a restaurant but the kitchen was already closed, not reopening again until supper. We sat at the bar towards the back of the dining room to enjoy our drinks and get some info from the bartender about other places in town.
Office Bar & Grill (Mt Ayr, IA) [see details ]115 N Taylor St
Mt Ayr, IA 50854
(641) 464-2921
When we stepped inside we found the bartender sitting in a chair behind the far end of the counter watching soap operas on a little TV she had set up on a stand. After serving our drinks she returned to her soaps and we don't think she ever said another word. As she watched her show, Brandon scanned the room and spotted a piece of bar decor on a shelf fashioned to look like a bucket of Miller High Lifes.
G & L Bar and Grill (Diagonal, IA) [see details ]209 Broadway St
Diagonal, IA 50845
(641) 734-5525
From the outside this was probably the most run-down looking of any place we visited but once we stepped in we found that it wasn't too bad. While I was using the restroom the bartender swiped B's driver's license through a device that verified his age. We were surprised that of all places, this was the first we ever saw such technology. The bartender seemed a little bit nervous about us at first but she warmed up to us a little after a while.
Darlene's Place (Ellston, IA) [see details ]202 E Main St
Ellston, IA 50074
(641) 772-4992
We sat at the short end of the L-shaped bar under the watchful eye of a mounted goat head smoking a cigarette (similar to the one shown here). To our left a couple of weathered farmers were having a drink.
"We've got a population of, oh, about forty*," one of the farmers told us, "so we're awful lucky to have this place."
This is one thing we love about this area of Iowa. No matter how far it is from the main highway, no matter how small it is, you can almost always count on finding a place to stop and share a drink with the locals.
As we finished our beers, two young future regulars came in for some root beer. Hopefully Darlene's will still be there for them when they come of legal age.
We still had more places to see, so we said goodbye to our friends at Darlene's and got back on the gravel highway towards our next destination.
*55, according to the US Census 2006 estimate Long Branch Lounge (Arispe, IA) [see details ]400 N Division St
Arispe, IA 50831
(641) 346-2570
This place had a pretty big dance floor. When we explained to the bartender that we had come up through Lamoni, she told us all about her sons going to school at Graceland University on a football scholarship and how they are required to eat at least 2 meals on campus each day.
Berts Pub & Grub (Afton, IA) [see details ]175 E Kansas St
Afton, IA 50830
(641) 347-5150
Afton, Iowa is the former county seat of Union County, and has a nice town square to prove it. While people in jeans played basketball in a park in the square in 100+ degree heat, we drove around looking for a place to cool off.
Located right on the square, Bert's Pub & Grub occupies a former Gamble's department store. With wood floors and high ceilings, Bert's showcases its ornate, leather-wrapped bar proudly. We had just settled in with our bottles of Bud Light and Miller Lite when the bartender offered to show us around the place.
The most striking feature of the main bar area is its antique elevator. Originally used by the department store, it is still used today for bring in cases of beer and taking out the trash. This unique elevator is hand-operated, using an intricate system of pulleys to allow the operator to raise and lower themselves and a heavy load of merchandise with ease by simply pulling a rope. Our bartender demonstrated how simple it was to use.
As we toured the bar we were surprised to find a dance room in back, complete with setups for pole dancing and cage dancing. (The camera we had with us on this visit had no flash, hence the "night vision" photo below.) The owner, Jeff Zeits, had the stage and dance area constructed in 2004 and had plans to bring in exotic dancers from time to time to "bring a little life" to town. But City Hall got wind of the idea and put a stop to it before it ever took off. Nonetheless is still makes a good stage for local and touring bands.
TJ's (Afton, IA) [see details ]241 N Webster St
Afton, IA 50830
(641) 347-5043
After Bert's, having a beer in what was essentially a Butler building wasn't quite as enchanting but this was still a fairly nice little place.
Elms Club (Creston, IA) [see details ]Good Time Charley's (Creston, IA) [see details ]211 N Pine St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-2992
This was a fairly large place with a long bar, font and rear entrances, that was split lengthwise with the bar and some dining tables on the south side and a separate overflow dining room on the north side, a split-level a few steps down.
Montgomery Street Pub (Creston, IA) [see details ]207 E Montgomery St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-2165
A fairly small place with an L-shaped bar and a slightly rowdy crowd. One guy was particularly drunk and tossed out a few bucks to buy a shot for a newlywed couple at the other end of the bar.
American Legion - Post 70 (Creston, IA) [see details ]119 N Walnut St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-7833
http://www.legion.org/ We munched from styrofoam cups of snack mix and I found that the restroom had the smallest trough-style urinal I had ever seen.
Eagles Club Room - Post 1398 (Creston, IA) [see details ]300 E Montgomery St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-4215
The bar area was quite large and located on the upper level. We think this may have been a members-only place because we were supposed to sign in up front, but no one was looking so B suggested we just stroll in "like we know what we're doing". This place had a big, rectangular bar. As we drank our beers we didn't really notice that the drunken guy from the Montgomery Street Pub was also there.
When we left, that same guy had left seconds ahead of us, and he began to stumble down the stairs. Brandon grabbed him to steady him and he thanked us. He then went into a spiel about how his wife and son had beaten him earlier that night so the police took him to the bars to get him away from then. He pulled up his pants legs to reveal several scrapes and bruises to support his claim. He said that they do it to him all the time. Eventually the topic of where we were from came up and when we said "Kansas City" he got really excited. "No shit?" he began, "my daughter's a Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleader!"
We didn't believe him, but he insisted. "Come on, they have the posters and she's on the calendar. I'll prove it."
He led us back to the Montgomery Street Pub, where as soon as we stepped in the bartender looked him on the eye and said "No, no more tonight." "I'm just here to show them the calendar," replied our new friend. "Oh," said the bartender, "we don't have that anymore, it was for last month." "So is it true?" we asked, "Is his daughter really a Chiefs cheerleader?"
"Yes, she is," vouched the bartender and several patrons.
After we managed to lose the drunken dude, who now wanted us to go with him to his shop to see the poster he had there, we were going to head on out of town.
Twilight Zone (Creston, IA) [see details ]129 N Pine St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-8033
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=64698756 Everything about this place screamed dance club from the outside and we were a bit hesitant, but once inside we saw no prominent signs of a dance floor. Brandon noted that the different font of the letter "W" was likely the only thing making this bar's logo not be a trademark violation. Both Miller and Bud had sponsored their signage.
Side Tracked Again (Creston, IA) [see details ]206 W Union St
Creston, IA 50801
(641) 782-8534
Due to the extreme darkness a good picture could not be obtained either outside or inside. But this bar's most prominent feature was a large Hamm's bear inside the front window.
We asked the bartender why it was called "Sidetracked Again".
"'Sidetracked' comes from being next to the railroad tracks. We used to be on the other side, but the city closed us down because they said they needed to build a store there. So then we moved over here and now we're 'Sidetracked Again'."
West Side Tavern (Osceola, IA) [see details ]124 S Fillmore St
Osceola, IA 50213
(641) 342-6249
Young crowd, bolted leather seats, country music, 5 ceiling fans with none of them on. I got a phone call and was yakking on the phone for about 5 minutes, irritating Brandon. Baby food jars with holes poked in the lids served as salt shakers.
Plain Jane's Lounge (Osceola, IA) [see details ]108 E Jefferson St
Osceola, IA 50213
(641) 342-2069
The bartender confirmed for us that that there were only 3 "real" bars in town. Which meant the info we had that led us here for our stopping point of the day was faulty.
Rookie's (Osceola, IA) [see details ]116 E Webster St
Osceola, IA 50213
(641) 342-9709
Pretty good sized bar. I found out later it's associated with an attached bowling alley that we didn't even notice! We must have been pretty lit. :)
Rookie's (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]Other Place (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]200 US Highway 18 W
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-8118
http://www.theotherplace.com This bar is a small chain with most of their locations clustered in north-central Iowa, but for some reason it also has an Overland Park and an Olathe location. It was a pretty big place and not very busy. We asked the girl behind the bar about places to go drinking over in Mason City (she was from there) but she said that she didn't know because she wasn't old enough to drink yet.
Half Moon Inn (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]701 Buddy Holly Pl
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-9339
This place was more of a restaurant but had a small bar towards the back. Its advertising spoke of its fine food, but the kitchen was closed.
Retlaw's at the Lake (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]619 Buddy Holly Place
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-4060
We had a choice between draws for $4.50 total or a pitcher for $5.00. It was a tough call, but we opted for the pitcher. We looked for a trivia box to kill some time but none was to be found.
Ingy's (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]313 Main Ave
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-8635
For whatever reason I can't really remember my visit to this place. :(
Elly's Lake Front Tap (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]12 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-9589
It was a warm, overcast Thursday afternoon in August as we walked around downtown Clear Lake, Iowa, enjoying cold drinks at the neighborhood pubs. One tavern proved to be a little bit of a challenge for us to find, as we didn't expect it to underground -- in the basement of what appears very much to be a private residence!
Indeed, the front of Elly's Lake Front Tap looks like a visit to one's grandmother's house. However a set of steps leads down to an entrance below sidewalk level to a hidden basement bar.
The bar was U-shaped and had a few people sitting around it, most of them considerably older than us. Drinks were cheap and in cans. We sat down beside a gentleman and he asked where we were from. We told him "Kansas City" and explained what we were up to. When we told him we'd be going to Mason City next, he gave us warning after warning about construction between Clear Lake and Mason City, rambling about lane closures and flooded out shoulders. (We'd later find the highway completely open, clear, and fine.)
Clear Lake is best known for being the location of The Day The Music Died -- the plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper. The Surf Ballroom, where the three performed their last concert the night before the crash, is located just a few blocks from Elly's, while the crash site is just a few miles to the northeast.
Consequently, Elly's has become an unofficial and lesser-known shrine of sorts for memorabilia and artifacts surrounding the event (as well as Clear Lake history in general). The walls of the bar are covered in photos, posters, and newspaper clippings, while display cases house other items such as bricks from the first Surf Ballroom (which was destroyed in a fire and rebuilt years before the crash).
Tourists coming to Clear Lake for its place in music history typically make visits to the Surf Ballroom and to the crash site, but a stop at Elly's should be added to the itinerary to get the full experience.
Because the interior of Elly's is very dark and the flash on the camera I had with me was malfunctioning, I was unable to get any decent interior shots. However I have selected a few photos from the nearby Surf Ballroom, as well as from the crash site, to illustrate some of the history in Clear Lake.
Players Sports Bar & Dance (Clear Lake, IA) [see details ]1210 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-0901
All I can really remember about this place is using the restroom. Both on arrival and on departure. :)
Willow Run Lounge (Mason City, IA) [see details ]2821 4th St SW
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-9709
We asked for a good place to eat. "Right here," said the bartender. Well, we didn't really want tacos, though, so she recommended a steak place at the north end of town.
Mug Shotz (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
Route 65 )
1401 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 421-1756
This places is called Mugshotz if you go by the newer sign on the side or Route 65 if you go by the sign on the front. (Looks like Mugshotz is the official name.)
Kozy Korner Bar (Mason City, IA) [see details ]1402 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 424-7905
This was diagonally opposite from Mugshotz, and that's all I can remember. :)
Burke's Bar & Grill (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
The Stoned Toad )
1221 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-9610
Food was weighing heavily on our minds and that picture of a burger on the front helped pull us in. Once inside, however, our beer caused us to forget about food and after we left we remembered we were still hungry. :)
Champions Bar & Grill (Mason City, IA) [see details ]1327 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 424-5929
I remember this being a nice little place not far from the downtown square but that's about all I remember.
Rhythm and Brews (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
Cousin's Sports Bar )
11 S Delaware Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 424-4490
This place had a nice bar and eating area. We got a medium all-meat pizza here that was really good -- very meaty and flavorful.
Wok 'N Roll (Mason City, IA) [see details ]15 S Delaware Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-1558
http://www.woknroll.us/ The Chinese bar/restaurant with a funny name. A fairly elegant place but a pleasant spot for a drink. The bartender was a young guy who chatted it up a bit with us and the other two customers.
YouTube: Wok N Roll - Mason City, IA Saddle Company (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
Gumps )
516 S Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 421-1166
This was a fun little dive. As we talked to the bartender a nearby customer asked what brought us up from Kansas City. When we explained our quest and that this was the 36th bar we had been to, he insisted we get up on the saddle in the back of our place and get our pictures taken.
South Federal Reserve (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
Sallee's )
627 S Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 424-1310
Had the smallest tap of any place we'd ever seen.
Candy Bar Nite Club (Mason City, IA) [see details ](Formerly
The Poodle )
116 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-9299
I don't remember much about this place other than approximately where it was.
Sportsmans Lounge (Mason City, IA) [see details ]217 N Federal Ave
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-3252
The bartender was a tall blond-haired guy who talked about Mason City in its night-life heyday (complete with strip clubs) and went off on the conservative voters who keep tightening up the laws and getting things shut down. He warned us to bee careful walking back to the motel, as the police love to pick people up for public intoxication. "Would they rather us drive?" Scott asked. "That's exactly what I tell them!" the bartender said.
Matts Bar (Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]3500 Cedar Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
(612) 722-7072
http://www.mattsbar.com/ Home of the famous "Jucy Lucy" burger, this place was absolutely packed with a lunchtime crowd.
Roundup Beer Hall (Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]201 E Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 823-6016
We found this on a corner next to a highway in one of the most diverse neighborhoods we have ever seen anywhere. We had to stop because ever since Munich you just don't see places called "Beer Hall" that often anymore. The bartender was rather suspicious of us at first, asking Brandon "Do you really live in Missouri?" She warmed up to us after a little while, though.
Champions Sports Bar & Grill (Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]105 W Lake St
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 827-4765
http://www.championssportsbarandgrill.com/ This sports bar was a little bit of an anomaly in what seemed to be a predominantly Somalian neighborhood. The interior revealed a large space divided into two major rooms, with a huge bar in the center that wrapped and twisted around into both areas. This meant that there were areas that the bartender could not see without moving around -- indeed, we were here for a bit before we were spotted and served. This was the first bar we had seen with a cellphone ban. It was also the first time we saw pull-tabs sold in a booth by an attendant -- something we'd soon learn was common here.
C C Club (Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2600 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 874-7226
http://www.myspace.com/theccclub I'm surprised we even stopped considering how hard it was to get here. We had to keep circling around because we couldn't make the turn at first and then couldn't find a place to park.
I don't remember much about this bar, but I apparently took this blurry photo inside.
Independent Uptown (Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]3001 Hennepin Ave # 201
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 378-1905
http://www.theindependent-uptown.com/ Heading inside a double door and then up a few flights of enclosed metal stairs we weren't sure if we were heading to a bar or a strip club. But at the top we found ourselves outside a large modern bar in what we later learned to be a shopping mall. The bar was square shaped and offered up a selection of unusual and upscale beers. Flat-panel internet kiosks were available, and the restroom was a little unnerving at first because it was a 4-stall unisex restroom.
Uptown Bar & Cafe (Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]3018 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 823-4719
http://www.uptownbarandcafe.com/ This was a nice spacious semi-dive. Our beers were a rather unusual price -- $2.85 each.
Liquor Lyle's (Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2021 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55405
(612) 870-8183
http://www.lylesliquor.com/ Yep, it was happy hour, so we had no choice but drink two beers. This place had a cool, funky, almost "shagadelic" interior. The men's room had a high quality trough. "Minnesota - Land of 10,000 Troughs".
Lee's Liquor Lounge (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]101 Glenwood Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 338-9491
http://www.leesliquorlounge.com/ This was a good quality dive, the kind we love. Another place with a rectangular bar. A Spuds Mackenzie lamp helped light the bar.
Mackenzie (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]918 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 333-7268
http://www.mackenziepub.com/ Located in the Orpheum Theater building, this bar boasted two levels plus a patio out back. Our bartender was Gary and he was assisted by Hillary.
The Saloon (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]830 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-0835
http://www.saloonmn.com/ Facing several artistic wall photos of nude men, we glanced around the room and noticed that this placed sold its own private-label bottled water. (We would return later to get some as souvenirs.) This was one of the first bars we had been in where no one talked to us, and Brandon wondered if his wedding band was causing people to believe we were a couple. Finding the restroom here was an task, it was way in the back through a dark area and around a smaller bar that was a little more, um, "adventuresome".
O'Donovan's Irish Pub (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]700 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 317-8896
http://www.odonovans.com/ This was a pretty upscale place but not snobbily so, and was one of our most expensive beer tabs of the night.
Champps Sports Bar & Cafe (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]100 N 6th St
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 335-5050
http://www.champpsminneapolis.net/ This was a cool stop -- a long outdoor bar in an alley. Mary was our bartender. We then found, while trying to locate the restroom, that this alley bar was actually part of a much larger indoor bar.
Loon Cafe (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]500 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55403
(612) 332-8342
http://www.thelooncafe.com/ These were the most expensive draws of the night, $11 for 2 Miller Lites! I can't even imagine what it would have been for imported beer.
Brothers (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]430 1st Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 333-8100
http://www.brothersbar.com/ Downstairs bar, next to "Refuge". Square shaped bar. As we were chatting and getting rather lit, two young Asian people came in with a large camera. We didn't pay much attention at first until there was a tap on my shoulder.
Them: "Excuse me, do you guys like White Castle?"
Us: "Yeah, in fact we had it today."
Them: "Have you tried chicken rings?"
Us: "Yes, today, for the first time, and we loved them!"
Them: "Great! Here are some coupons for some free rings and sliders."
Us: "Thanks! We're from Kansas City and they closed all of our White Castles so we're glad you have them here."
Them: "In that case, here's a whole pile of coupons, get as many as you can before you go home."
Us: "Wow, thanks!"
Them: "Mind if we take your picture for our promotional materials?"
They then snapped our picture and had us sign releases.
Pizza Luce' Downtown (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]119 N 4th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 333-7359
http://www.pizzaluce.com/ People ordering whole pizzas were directed to the left, people ordering by the slice were directed to the right. The guy in front of us in line had an open box of Skillet Helper with him. We each grabbed a big, tasty slice and had a beer.
Sawatdee Bar & Cafe (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]118 N 4th St
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 373-0840
http://www.sawatdee.com/ It's funny... we remember this place for it's funky name, but that's all we remember.
New City (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]Brass Rail (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]422 Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 333-3016
http://thebrassraillounge.com/ We had noticed a large group in a fenced area in front of The Gay 90s, a place we had assumed was a gay bar both from the name and the techno beat coming from inside. Brandon asked the bouncer at the place next door about that fenced-in crowd and he said it was a smoking area. Brandon then asked him where a good place was to get a beer and the bouncer said "right on inside here". We stepped in and found this to be a gay bar with a stage and poles.
Kieran's Irish Pub (Downtown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]330 2nd Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55401
(612) 339-4499
http://www.kierans.com/ Big Irish-theme restaurant/bar downtown.
Though it was on our list we hadn't specifically intended to come here, we were actually on our way back to the hotel. But we were lost and going the wrong direction, and really needed to use the bathroom. :)
This was our last stop of the night, as the beers in this area were too large and too pricey for us to continue our marathon. Plus, we had a big day of drinking ahead of us bright and early in the morning!
I wish I could remember more about this place, but we were pretty sloshed when we arrived. None of the pictures of the interior on their web site ring a bell at all!
Irv's Bar (North Side, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]201 W Broadway Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55411
This place has taps but they never use them -- bottles only. The crowd was surprisingly good-looking for this time of day, we later learned from an overheard phone call that several had been out drinking until the bars closed, then gone to an all-night diner, then come here for the 8am-10am 3-for-1 early bird drink special. This was a square shaped bar and behind us was a small dining area and an enclosed outdoor patio. The kitchen offered a limited menu of inexpensive bar food including 3 burgers for a buck, but the kitchen didn't open until noon and we didn't have time to wait that long. The men's room sported the classic ice-filled urinal trough.
Stand-Up Frank's (North Side, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2027 2nd St N
Minneapolis, MN 55411
This was a classic old building with a great age-worn bar that ran the length of the building. It featured a dark, ornate ceiling, antique cash registers, and the first coin-operated bumper pool table we'd ever seen. Brandon wanted to get a picture of the pool table but two people were using it as a table to read the paper. So Brandon went over to ask them if he could get a shot, and that's how we met Gary and Laura. They were incredibly nice and told us about the neighborhood we were in and places we should check out later, including the stop were we would get lunch that we would have completely missed if not for them. They explained that these bars open early to serve third-shift blue-collar workers, and that by evening it would be an entirely different kind of crowd here. Gary bought us a shot of chilled Vodka that was really good but we could not finish -- but apparently when you buy a shot here it comes with a refill.
Halek's Bar (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2024 Washington Ave N
Minneapolis, MN 55411
(612) 522-9866
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=20&ved=0CDYQFjAJOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fphotos%2Fanglerove%2F2268547362%2F&rct=j&q=%22halek%27s%22+minneapolis&ei=YV_9S5XDIoyENMOZxNYB A double-bar. Our beer tasted a little off. The bartender was chatting it up with some of the regulars and not behind the bar very much. A woman came in holding a dollar and Brandon noticed her glance at a hanging display of snack chips. He made a "standard amount" wager that she wanted Funyuns but I noticed some Gardetto's snack mix just before Brandon did and went for that. But the bartender was not paying attention and the woman got frustrated and started to leave. So Brandon called to the bartender, and another patron caught on to what was up and called to him too. The bartender returned and the woman picked the snack mix. Score! We left and while we were outside taking a picture the woman came outside and said "I heard the big guy won a buck off me." She then unlocked the building next door and told us not to let anyone in while she went back into Halek's to get something.
Dusty's Bar (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]1319 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 378-2118
http://dustysbaranddagos.com/ The bar was pretty busy so we sat at a table and the smell of Dago Burgers was mouthwatering. The Dago Burger is made from Italian Sausage and topped with Mozzarella. As an ATM was noisily installed nearby we played pull tabs (and lost) while waiting for our food. And it was well worth the wait. Dago Burgers are INCREDIBLE!
Psycho Suzi's (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2519 Marshall Streeet NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-9069
http://www.psychosuzis.com/ We arrived just as 200+ scooters started pulling in for a scooter party. We dashed inside to get our drinks before the bar would be overwhelmed. As we stepped inside we heard the bartender tell a server "Remember, they are not mopeds, they are scooters." The bartender gave us the strictest ID check we had ever experienced, and my KS ID was extremely scrutinized. Only 1 drink at a time would be served per ID. The decor was very tikki - an island theme with bamboo and lots of Polynesian style sculptures and statues. The floor was covered with wood floor print carpeting.
Tony Jaro's River Garden (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2500 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 789-9728
This was a rectangular bar with a sticky floor. We selected Iron Range Amber Lager because we liked the anvil on the tap. The bartender seemed unusually grateful for our tip. The restroom had an even tinier trough than the small one we had seen yesterday and sported a sign on the soap dispenser that read "All Employees Must Wash Genitals".
Just before we left one of the customers wanted to watch ESPN but nobody knew what channel ESPN was on. "This must be a gay bar," quipped Brandon.
Sully's Pub & Restaurant (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2519 Central Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 781-6658
When we planned our road trip to Minneapolis we compiled a list of around 100 bars we wanted to try, but knew we'd only be able to make it to a fraction of that.
We ended up making it to 35, but one place we made absolutely sure we visited was Sully's. After all, how could we pass up a place that gets online reviews like these?
* "As a young woman, I was crazy to go in there alone. I am lucky I made it out of there not drugged or something. The staff is not very pleasant either."
* "It's way below a DIVE bar. Don't bother checking it out."
* "Watch your back while tossing down the real cheap beer"
* "Danger! Danger! Watch yourself! For those who crave excitement, check this place out. Drug deals in bathroom are a constant. "
* "I wish giving this bar zero stars was an option. "
* "Don't wear your nice clothes, as you might get a little blood on them in the scrap you'll find yourself in after a few too many rounds of Jim Beam."
* "So put on your steel-toed boots and brass knuckles, and head on down to Sully's. Where the men are men, and so are the women."
* "Sully's, where livers go to die. Truly a manifestation of end-stage alcoholism, this is the spot from whence the four horsemen of the apocalypse shall arrive to wreak havoc upon the earth as judgment day draws nigh."
* "I simply cannot stress to you how god awful this place is. Horrific traumatic memories flood my mind and my senses are transported to its urine scented pint glasses and feces stained walls just thinking about it."
* "A scummy dump. Every "patron" in here looks like a meth user/dealer. If you're looking to get harassed or assaulted, this is the place for you."
There was no way we were passing this up!
We arrived at Sully's at 2:55 on an overcast Saturday afternoon. Like most places in Minneapolis (and I wish more places in Kansas City), parking was in the rear so we entered through the back door.
Because of the Minneapolis smoking ban there was no tobacco smell to mask the base odor of stale urine, faint remnants of vomit, and a faint but sharp odor that was reminiscent of the spray of a male cat.
We made our way down the narrow corridor to the large rectangular bar, where I ordered an Icehouse and my friend ordered a Bud.
We spied a Silver Strike machine and decided to play. My friend accidentally chose a female character so he made sure I did as well. I had never actually played before, so after losing the first game he gave me some pointers. I came back to defeat him for the next two games.
Meanwhile an intoxicated biker was trying to make song selections on the adjacent Internet jukebox but could not figure out how to use it. He asked for our help, so my cohort helped him find and play Still Loving You by the Scorpions as well as some Helloween, Metallica, and Black Sabbath. Eventually he decided he no longer needed help, and expressed this by grabbing my pal's arm and pushing him away.
Despite this minor scuffle we were a little let down. This was not the diviest dive we have been to, and it wouldn't even come close to being our scariest bar experience that day. (That would come about 3-1/2 hours later and will be the subject of a future post.) Still, this was a place that definitely met every single one of our dive bar criteria and was well worth the trip.
As we left the bar we were cornered by a pair of drug dealers in the parking lot. They were selling prescription drugs and were especially pimping their Vicodin.
"How much is that going for?" my friend asked.
"$2 a pill," replied one of the dealers.
"Hmmmm....." my friend paused as he feigned interest, "Naw, I'll have to pass. I can get them much cheaper from the hospital I work at."
As we climbed into the car I took a picture of the drug dealers to remember them by.
Sully's was located in the Nord East area of Minneapolis, on the east side of Central just north of Lowry. Unfortunately it has closed, the smoking ban has been cited as the reason for it's demise. As of this time we have been unable to confirm if another bar has re-opened in its place, and there is information that a neighboring food processing facility may have expanded into this location. It appears Sully's is now just a memory.
NE Palace (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ](Formerly
First Chance, Last Chance )
2500 4th St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-2305
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=26159041978 This place used to be called "First Chance, Last Chance" because it was the first chance for a drink if you were coming in to town and the last chance for a drink while leaving town. We were left alone for half an hour while the bartender stayed out on the patio (which featured a waterfall). We played several games of shuffleboard and attempted to play some pool but in our semi-stupor we could not get any balls to sink, so we gave that up. A drunk woman tried to dance with us and then later when we went to see the patio a guy out there told us a few choice things about that woman. Clearly they had been fighting. :)
The patio...
Stasiu's (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]2500 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-2529
http://www.myspace.com/stasiusplace Home of the Duzy Sandwich. We did not get a Duzy Sandwich. We did use a very cool looking antique urinal. After spending a few minutes at the bar we adjourned to the game room to play some foosball.
Johnny A's 200 Club (North Side, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]200 W Broadway
Minneapolis, MN 55411
(612) 522-0894
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Minneapolis-MN/Good-Sports-Bar-and-Grill/280402075591 They were definitely right. In the morning Gary was almost the only black person we saw in this neighborhood Now we were the only white people anywhere in sight. As we approached the rear entrance of Johnny A's a guy tossed a crumpled napkin out of his car window. As we walked by Brandon pointed to the "No Littering" sign in front of him and said "Hey! The sign says 'No Littering'!" "What the f%@$ did you say?" said the stunned driver. "I'm just messin' with ya, man," said Brandon and the two exchanged a laugh.
Johnny A's was packed but we managed to get a couple of seats at the bar. Just like outside, we were the only whites in the place. Our bartender was pretty cool but we didn't catch his name. After a while we walked over to watch some people play Silver Strike Bowling.
As we were sitting in front of Johnny A's taking pictures I heard a woman say "Excuse me!". I turned to look to find 7 angry people next to us. "Why did you just take a picture of my license plate?!?" Uhhh... uh.... "I didn't," I said, "We were taking a pictures of B.J.'s and Irv's". "No, I saw you, and you BOTH had cameras, you had them pointed straight ahead. "Only to see what we had taken pictures of. I swear, we were not taking pictures of license plates." "Come on," they said, "what in the world would you be taking pictures of bars for?" "We're on a road trip," I said, "and taking pictures of every bar we go to." They apparently accepted this answer because they walked away. Brandon was pretty ticked about being singled out and scrutinized but I pointed out that they probably experience that every day.
Scott's 1029 Bar (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ](Formerly
Laura's )
1029 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 379-4322
http://www.the1029bar.com/ Originally a sports bar, local police started hanging out so the theme switched to a police bar. Now police from all over come here. Police memorabilia adorns the place, including the door of a police car donated by New Orleans police as a gift in thanks for help during Katrina. But that's not the only kind of decor. The ceiling is covered with bras hanging from nails. For whatever reason, the bartender did not know why, women seem to like taking their bras off here so they hang up all the bras that women donate.
Notable in the news for being busted by ASCAP --for having karaoke on September 6, 2007, without paying royalties.
N E Yacht Club (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]801 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 378-1740
Based on the name I assumed this would be some sort of high brow place but it turned out to be a classic style dive with cheap beer.
Elsie's Restaurant (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]729 Marshall St NE
Minneapolis, MN 55413
(612) 378-9702
http://www.elsies.com/ Elsie's is either a bowling alley with a separate bar and restaurant, or it's a restaurant/bar with a bowling alley in the back. In either case this was a pretty nice place and we were surprised that no one was bowling when we first arrived. (By the time we left quite a few people were bowling.) This place was also the start of my downfall. My Miller Lite came in a bottle and was very, very skunky. I didn't want to say anything, though, and was trying to force my way through it. But by the time Brandon was nearly done with this draw I was only a third through my bottle at best. I got up to use the restroom and due to some weird acoustics I was able to hear Brandon mention my skunky beer to the bartender in perfect clarity. When I returned I had a fresh Miller Lite draw waiting for me. But the skunky taste of the bottle still weighed heavily on me so even though this beer was fresh and delicious, I was not quite able to finish it before we left.
Nye's Polonaise Room (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]112 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 379-2021
http://www.nyespolonaise.com/ This was a multi-room place -- originally had been one small bar but the owner had gradually bought the adjacent buildings and tacked them on. This was a polka bar and the band was setting up when we arrived. Unfortunately this bar continued our downfall, as for some reason and we do not know what, Brandon and the bartender got off on the wrong foot. The exchange began something like this:
Bartender: "What can I do for you?"
Brandon: "Two Bud Lights, please."
Bartender: (in a snappy tone) "Well then you had better have some ID on you."
The relationship deteriorated from there despite several attempts to patch it up. Several times the bartender came and stood right next to us watching us drink, making us rather uncomfortable. Then finally he started telling us about the building and we thought maybe he was finally warming up to us, until he encouraged us to take our drinks to the piano bar in the back. Just trying to get rid of us. We still have no idea what we did.
Legends Cafe (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]825 E Hennepin Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55414
(612) 331-8781
http://www.legendsbarandgrill.com/ This place was big, really big, and featured a patio at one end. Brandon did some exploring and found a game room downstairs, so we took our beers down there and played some darts. We went back upstairs to the bar and after I finished my beer I went to the restroom. When I returned I spotted Brandon at the far end of the place talking to someone at another smaller bar. He waved me over and we went out on the patio where we talked to two people about our trip. We were hungry for pizza and asked them for suggestions, and the place they most recommended was Broadway Pizza. They were trying to give directions but we weren't even 100% sure where we were, but then they mentioned the caboose. I had seen it earlier in the day and knew exactly where it was. So off we went.
Broadway Pizza (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details ]Boonies Bar & Grill (Faribault, MN) [see details ]3301 Millersburg Blvd
Faribault, MN 55021
(507) 645-6424
We were flying down 35 when Brandon's eye caught a tiny highway sign for a place called Boonie's so veered off at the exit to check it out. The town was about a mile down the road and then we found our place. It was a pretty nice place. In addition to the bar and restaurant they apparently had meat for sale was a saw a rather nice large cut sitting next to the register when we walked in. Bingo was being played. Our server talked us into trying some sirloin beef tips (called "Bull Bites") and we're glad she did because they were really, really good.
River Bar (Dows, IA) [see details ]108 E Ellsworth St
Dows, IA 50071
(515) 852-4255
This was another unexpectedly nice place. One thing we had noticed throughout the trip was that we never came across anyplace with karaoke. But they had it here, in a back room.
Bar At Times Square (The Strip, Las Vegas, NV) [see details ]Sand Trap Bar & Grill (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]13037 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64145
(816) 942-0990
Daily Limit (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]523 E Red Bridge Rd
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 942-0400
In the Red Bridge Shopping Center. More than just fishing themed... when we were in there fishing was just about all anyone was talking about.
Half Time Sports Bar (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Good Time Charlies Pub & Grill )
13023 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64145
(816) 941-2720
Was also once called Pat Murphy's. This spot seems to change fairly often.
Bogey's Bar & Grill (Leawood, KS) [see details ]12924 State Line Rd
Leawood, KS 66209
(913) 491-4664
Billy B's Restaurant & Bar (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]9922 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 943-1188
Creekside Pub & Grille (Kansas City, MO) [see details ]9916 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 941-4014
Ugly Joe's (Dallas, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Race Day Cafe (Raytown, MO) [see details ]7108 Ditzler Ave
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 356-5800
Biker-friendly bar in Raytown. (Tuesday is Bike Night if I remember correctly.) A small place, but it has lots to do that makes it a fun dive to hang out in. Silver Strike, billiards, darts, -- the usual bar games. I can swear I remember there being a ping-pong table in there too. Cheap drinks. DJ on the weekends, small patio in the back.
I didn't try any of the food so I can't comment about that, but for cheap drinks and a fun dive-bar setting this is a good pick.
Cuzzins Pub & Grill (Raytown, MO) [see details ]9315 E State Route 350
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 353-4242
Hangout (Raytown, MO) [see details ]10002 E 63rd Ter
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-8566
Spanky's Lounge (Raytown, MO) [see details ]5230 Blue Ridge Blvd
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-1620
Bogart's (Independence, MO) [see details ]3010 S State Route 291
Independence, MO 64057
(816) 350-8110
When we visited it a cool stained glass ceiling over the bar. But later when business dropped after the smoking ban, the owner destroyed it in a fit of rage. She later sold the bar and after some repairs it re-opened as Erin's Pub.
Here's some pictures from a more recent visit in June 2010:
What's Happen'n Lounge (Marlborough, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8512 Prospect Ave
Kansas City, MO 64132
(816) 523-1174
http://ronsbar.com/ Formerly a trolley barn, this run down old building next to the railroad at the southern end of Prospect has been one bar or another for about half a century or so.
The clientele I've seen on my visits are almost universally old white drunk men and the women who love them. Drinks are very cheap, and beer is served extremely cold. This is a bar for those with true iron livers.
This is definitely one of those "letting loose" kind of places. Just about anything goes here. In local dive bar terms, this would be the Zoo Bar of South KC -- except raunchy.
No true KC dive bar fan should be allowed to die without drinking here at least once.
Rivers Edge (East Bottoms, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1036 N Agnes Ave
Kansas City, MO 64120
(816) 231-8855
A combination breakfast/lunch diner (kitchen closes around 1:00-2:00) and dive bar.
Tom's Bigger Jigger (Indian Mound, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]6120 Saint John Ave
Kansas City, MO 64123
(816) 231-3699
A well-worn place with a large sqaure-shaped bar and about a dozen patrons. Our bartender, Norma, was a friendly older woman.
Karen's Kozy Cabin (Scarritt, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4614 Saint John Ave
Kansas City, MO 64123
(816) 483-0892
This is one of the smallest bars I have ever seen, it was a full house with approximately 6 patrons. Though 2 months ago it "expanded" -- in that they knocked a hole in the west wall and slapped up a quick ceiling and plywood exterior over their former beer garden to make room for a pool table. There is still a very small patio in back, it looks like it had seating for about two. Draft beer here is served in mason jars.
UPDATE - A further remodel has eliminated the old horseshoe-shaped bar and replaced it with one that makes better use of the limited space.
Knuckleheads Saloon (East Bottoms, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2719 Rochester St
Kansas City, MO 64120
(816) 483-1456
http://www.knuckleheadskc.com/ This is by far one of THE coolest places in KC. If you like the blues at all, you HAVE to check this place out. Indoor and outdoor stages, huge amounts of indoor and outdoor seating (and the indoor seating is easily converted to open-air when the weather is nice) and great talent.
AJ's Tavern (Scarritt, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2618 Independence Ave
Kansas City, MO 64214
(816) 231-9789
I had heard about this place before, a story about a customer bringing in a shopping cart that had a TV in it, and that while drinking a cockroach crawled in and meandered across the the bar. So naturally I had to see this place.
I didn't come across any roaches, but before we left a customer did come in with a shopping cart full of groceries. And on a later visit, someone did indeed bring in a shopping cart with a TV in it.
Fitz's Blarney Stone (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3801 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-4949
Irish theme dive bar north of Westport.
Willlie's Pub (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Tomfooleries Restaurant & Bar (Zona Rosa, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Margarita's North (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]Fred P Ott's (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1111 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 474-2100
http://www.fredpotts.com/ Nice local bar & grill chain in a downtown office tower. Was a nice place to hang out after work.
Bar (Old Town, Lenexa, KS) [see details ]VFW Post 846 (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]8804 Grant St
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 648-4991
http://vfw.org/ Since it was Veteran's Day we wanted to stop in and have a drink with some vets. We bought a round for all the guys in there, but not before one of them had already bought us a round too.
Rusty's Last Chance Saloon (Lenexa, KS) [see details ]10901 W. 75th St
Lenexa, KS 66214
(913) 268-9000
The beers here were enormous, so we played bar trivia for a while to pace ourselves.
Red Balloon (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]10325 W 75th St
Shawnee, KS 66214
(913) 962-2330
The infamous karaoke bar
Birdies Pub & Grill (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]8889 W 75th St
Overland Park, KS 66204
(913) 648-4011
I used to live just a few blocks away, but since that was back when "bars are for the dregs of society" I had never been.
Roxy (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]7230 W 75th St
Overland Park, KS 66204
(913) 236-6211
Stopping here was really more of an afterhought as we weren't originally planning to. This was one of those deals where we had to make an extra stop in order to relieve our bladders. :)
Piano Room (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8410 Wornall Rd
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 363-8722
Third time's the charm on this south Waldo staple -- my previous two attempts to visit this place were thwarted literally at the door. I liked the music here - live piano/horn performances and big band/swing on the sound system between sets.
Retro Bowl (Liberty, MO) [see details ]906 W Liberty Dr
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 781-1998
Bowling alley bar
Back Door Lounge (River Bend, MO) [see details ]4500 N Cobbler Rd
River Bend, MO 64058
This is a tiny dive bar on the back side of a gas station at 291 & 210 Hwys. Access is from a small unlighted intersection about 500 feet east of the interchange.
The bar is eclectically decorated -- several types of stringed musical instruments, a wooden Indian, bee hives, cattle horns, etc. There's a jukebox, a dart board, and a pool table.
The clientele is skews a little older, but a few younger people pop in from time to time. Draft beer is served in mugs -- some with high school logos on them.
We were greeted by an extremely intoxicated mechanic who couldn't even say his own name when introducing himself and found setting a book of matches on the bar to be a rather challenging task.
River Bend - a town created several years ago by residents who wanted to stay free of the encroaching restrictions of (ironically) Liberty and Independence -- has no smoking ordinance so smoking is allowed in this bar.
VFW Post 4043 (Liberty, MO) [see details ]B & H Highways
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 781-0184
http://vfw.org/ This could very well be the smokiest bar I've ever been to. I don't mind smoke, but there was literally a thick, burning haze.
Pub House (Liberty, MO) [see details ]Stardust Club (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1809 Minnesota Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 281-4410
I've been here several times over the past few years after some friends from another bar told me about it. (As many times as I have been here, I can't believe I've never taken any interior pictures.)
This is one of those places you have to be buzzed into, so you need to either be a member or look like you know what you're doing and not a troublemaker.
The owner is nice and will treat you well, as long as you respect her and the place. But if you aren't drinking, or if you start bothering other customers, you'll be shown the door in a heartbeat.
I've never managed to sit at the bar here, it's just about always full. There's a few small bar tables and a decent sized stage that's mostly used for karaoke. In the far back is a pool table and an area where a buffet is occasionally set up. There's also a small dance floor in the corner by the stage.
There's a kitchen too, but I never seem to get here before it closes so I can't say anything about the food.
The clientele is very blue collar, a working class bar populated by an interesting assortment of well-weathered characters.
I haven't been in as much lately as the regulars I knew here have moved on, but I try to drop in every once in a while.
212. Uno Chicago Grill (Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Chip Shot Bar & Grill (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1621 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 472-1444
http://chipshotkc.tripod.com/ Chip Shot is one of the best bars on NKC's Swift Avenue dive bar row.It has an "authentic" feel to it that I can't quite explain... its personality doesn't feel forced. The bartenders are friendly, the regulars are nice, and the decor is rustic and relaxing.
There are two rooms. The front room contains the bar, a few small tables, and a couple of games. The back room as several more tables and the pool tables.
The food here is typical bar food -- except it's good. Quite good for the price. The nachos and steaks are popular, I'm a fan of the burgers and tenderloins myself. I believe the kitchen closes at 10pm. Takeout is available.
Like most other bars in NKC, as of about 2009 there is now a semi-covered patio out back.
(This pic is from their web site)
Denim & Diamonds (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Other Place (Downtown, Overland Park, KS) [see details ]Maloney's Bar and Grill (Downtown, Overland Park, KS) [see details ]Peanut On 76 (Downtown, Overland Park, KS) [see details ]7042 W 76th St
Overland Park, KS 66204
(913) 648-4242
http://www.myspace.com/thepeanuton76 People still call it "The Peanut", but as of 2010 it hasn't officially been a Peanut for a while.
J Barleycorn's Bar & Grill (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]9148 Santa Fe Dr
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 381-9511
One of several former Pizza Huts converted into a bar that you can find around town.
Arizonas Sports Bar & Grill (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]9617 W 87th St
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 341-2000
Jake's Place (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]Danally's Bar & Grill (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]6022 Nieman Rd
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 248-1757
This is one of B's favorite places.
A tiny little standalone dive, but it doesn't feel cramped. A faint musty smell permeates the air, partially remnants from when this was one of the smokiest bars in town. (It's nonsmoking now by law.)
The bar only seats a few people, back from that is a secondary curved bar that seats a few more. The front area is more open, with a vaulted ceiling, a few bar tables, and a pool table. The decor is pretty interesting, including a stuffed crow hanging upside-down over my head.
A karaoke station was being set up when I re-visited in 2010. They also host poker.
There's a jukebox, several TVs for such a small place, and a couple of video slots/poker machines.
Outside the south side door is a small outdoor seating area, if you can call it that. Basically a standalone canopy with a patio table and a couple of folding chairs.
Court Of aPpealS Pub and Grub (Downtown, Shawnee, KS) [see details ]11121 Johnson Dr
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 962-0555
http://www.copsshawnee.com/ AKA "C-O-P-S Pub".
Great little dive in downtown Shawnee. Clean and well maintained with nice bar decor. Jukebox, MegaTouch, and a small "room" in the back houses a pool table. The bar hosts poker and I believe there's also occasional karaoke or live music.
I thought this ceiling-light beer ad was pretty cool. (Looks much nicer in person.)
Mc Coy's Public House & Brew (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Harris House & Santa Fe Saloon )
4057 Pennsylvania Ave
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 960-0866
http://www.mccoyspublichouse.com/kansascity/ Popular Brewpub in Westport. I count this as a separate bar from its predecessors due to extensive renovation.
O'Malley's Irish Pub (Weston, MO) [see details ]500 Welt St
Weston, MO 64098
(816) 640-5235
http://www.westonirish.com/ Irish bar located underground in a series of old ammunition bunkers.
There's three major underground rooms. The main bar is in a large 2-level room with a stage. There's a smaller room on the other end of the cave used for overflow and private parties, with a third room further underground beyond that.
Hosts the larges Irish festival in the region and brews their own beer.
Anthony's Restaurant & Lounge (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]701 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 221-4088
http://www.kcanthonysongrand.com/ Italian restaurant with lounge singers, the bar has hard-to-find beers on tap and is open until 3am.
Club Deja Vu (Antioch/Vivion, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Attitudes and Latitudes )
2516 NE Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 453-2222
http://www.myspace.com/clubdejavu1 Generally too loud if there's a band or DJ. Prone to late night violence. Uncomfortable seating after the booths were removed in 2007. Draft beer is usually too warm.
Oak Tree Restaurant & Lounge (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]220 E 20th Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 474-9924
Of all of the dive bars in North Kansas City, this was the one that I was most nervous about visiting. But, as usual, it turned out there was nothing to be worried about, the people here are very friendly.
Oak Tree is a pretty typical old-style neighborhood dive bar & grill. It and Helen's JAD actually make good bookends for the Armour corridor in NKC. Located behind the CVS, this is also the northernmost entry on the Swift Avenue dive bar row.
The seating area is divided into two main sections, with the V-ish shaped bar in the center forming the divider. There are pool tables, various bar games, and at the west end a stage area for live entertainment.
With friendly bartenders and regulars, this is a good, old-school dive bar to unwind in.
VFW Post 4050 (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1419 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-3256
http://vfw.org/ This is one of the few VFW bars I've been to that is not technically a private club ... it is advertised as open to the public.
Paci's Cafe (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1825 Buchanan
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 985-1157
This is a place that blurs the boundaries of my definition of a dive, but since it technically meets most of the criteria I'll go ahead and count it even though it's a little classier.
There's a very extensive bottled beer selection, and as of 2009 or so a nice semi-covered patio.
It's amazing how much traffic this bar gets, considering how hidden it is. (Though the demolition in early 2011 of a long-abandoned building across the street has improved visibility.)
Paul & Jack's Tavern (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1808 Clay St
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 221-9866
http://www.paulandjacks.com/ I've never had the food here, but this is one of my favorite places in North Kansas City to sit at the bar with my friends, having a few beers while watching a game.
In addition to the bar at the center of the restaurant, there's a courtyard in back with a stage for live entertainment. And they put it to use often!
The bartenders here are very friendly, and I really appreciate their attentiveness. They refuse to let my glass sit empty!
Helen's Just Another Dive (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2002 Armour Rd
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-8715
Probably the most popular under-the-radar place in North Kansas City. I rarely find people that know about it, but those that do love it. And the first time you go, it definitely is tricky figuring out just how exactly to get there.
As the first review noted, the hours are odd. And, at least in my experience, not always consistent during the week. I've arrived early (but during the posted hours) on a couple of occasions and found it not open yet.
Inside, the space seems a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Just about all the domestics are on tap. Helen's JAD has a surprisingly good beer selection --- almost too good -- it very nearly makes this place not qualify as a dive. :) However beer prices are a tad high -- at least for domestics. Imports seemed to be more reasonably priced.
I just discovered that you can order food online through the JAD's web site. Dive bars aren't supposed to do that! Maybe Helen's JAD isn't really JAD after all????
Marcy's Lounge (Antioch/Vivion, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2631 NE Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 452-0103
You wouldn't know this place was here from driving by on Vivion, all you might notice is Marcy's diner. But if you drive around back through the K-Mart parking lot, you'll discover an awesome little dive in the basement. Enjoy the karaoke!
JC's Sports Bar (Vivion, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]6135 NE Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 454-8388
We didn't get a good vibe from this place. No one would talk to us, no one was talking to each other. It was like drinking in a grungy monastery for bikers.
Hot Shots (Claycomo, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Charlie's Cue Ball Lounge )
8118 NE US Hwy 69
Claycomo, MO 64068
VFW Post 5606 (Oak Ridge, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5406 NE Oak Ridge Rd
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 452-9861
http://vfw.org/ This VFW is tucked back from the road a bit, located between a golf course and Stroud's North. This writeup is about my visit to it as a bar.
As VFW bars go, this is probably the most friendly one I have been to. (And most have been friendly.) The silver-haired crowd was very excited to see some young people in there. "We need more young people in here to keep this place going," one of them said.
I got a kick out of the men's room when I stepped through the door to find a woman standing in the corner staring back at me. (Look at the pictures to see what I'm talking about.)
This VFW's bar is open to the public and makes for a nice little dive to hang out at after a round of golf.
Bojo's Bar & Grill (Antioch, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Player's Sports Bar (Antioch, Gladstone, MO) [see details ](Formerly
The Peanut )
6024 N. Antioch Rd
Gladstone, MO 64119
816-455-8266
http://tannersbarandgrill.com/ Located in the Meadowbrook shopping center. Hopefully Tanner's will have better luck at this location.
Wetherbee's (Antioch/Vivion, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2510 NE Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 454-2455
We were the only people in the bar on our visit, we had arrived just after opening. The bartender tried to talk us into staying for the drag show later.
Jerry's Bait Shop (Old Town, Lenexa, KS) [see details ]13412 Santa Fe Trail Dr
Lenexa, KS 66215
(913) 894-9676
http://www.jerrysbaitshop.net/ Great little sports dive in downtown Lenexa, with live music on the weekends. I like this location better than the Lee's Summit location, it feels more "real".
Blue (Old Town, Lenexa, KS) [see details ]13424 Santa Fe Trail Dr
Lenexa, KS 66215
Upscale lounge in downtown Lenexa.
Cashew (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2000 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 221-5858
http://www.thecashew.com/ Popular upscale bar. I'm not a fan, I've found the bartenders to be somewhat unfriendly.
Sharp's 63rd St Grill (Brookside, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Jardine's Restaurant (Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4536 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-6480
http://www.jardines4jazz.com/ Great jazz spot. Drinks are expensive, but the atmosphere is worth it.
Embassy (Midtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Manny's Restaurant (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]207 Southwest Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 474-7696
http://www.mannyskc.com/ Mexican restaurant with a bar in the front.
Bar Natasha (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1911 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-5300
Cabaret with fun performances and friendly bartenders. Pricey, but a nice place.
Askew Inn (Scarritt Pointe, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]3600 Independence Ave
Kansas City, MO 64124
(816) 231-0526
Dodie's Roadhouse (Basehor, KS) [see details ]15302 Briar Rd
Basehor, KS 66007
(913) 724-2808
We both had Bud Light. 16 oz draws were $2.50 each.
The interior was decorated with marlins and had t-shirts stretched over several of the ceiling tiles.
Helen's Hilltop (Tonganoxie, KS) [see details ]19611 Mclouth Rd
Tonganoxie, KS 66086
(913) 369-3772
Kick-ass biker bar, though we were too early to have any company there. B had a Bud Light, I had a Miller Lite. 16 oz draws were $2.25 each.
Slow Ride Roadhouse (Lawrence, KS) [see details ]1350 N 3rd St
Lawrence, KS 66044
(785) 749-2727
We both had Bud. 16 oz draws were $2.25 each. The ceiling fans were designed to look like engines.
Check out the cool ceiling fans they had throughout the place...
Perry Bar & Grill (Perry, KS) [see details ]215 E Front St
Perry, KS 66073
(785) 597-5295
We both had Bud Light. 12 oz draws were $1.25 each. There was a fish fry in progress while we were there, but we weren't hungry yet so skipped that.
Stingers (Topeka, KS) [see details ]2335 NW Clay St
Topeka, KS 66618
(785) 234-4900
We both had Bud Light. 14 oz draws were $1.75 each. Our bartender, Norma, was very helpful and wrote down directions to several nearby bars on post-it notes for us. Unfortunately we still managed to get lost trying to follow them. :)
Twilighter Country Club (Topeka, KS) [see details ]816 N Kansas Ave
Topeka, KS 66608
(785) 357-7598
We had been searching for a bar recommended by a bartender at an earlier stop, following a set of scrawled instructions on a series of post-it notes. Instead of reaching our destination, we found ourselves completely lost in a seedy looking neighborhood.
Luckily for us, this neighborhood included a strip dotted with several little watering holes-in-the-wall. Having time for only one, we picked the first place we spotted. It turned out to be the diviest dive of the day.
We parked in front of the Twilighter Country Club and were actually a little skittish about walking in. We worked up the nerve and heading on inside.
We took our seats at the double-L shaped bar. To our right, an older gentleman on oxygen was chain smoking while nursing his whiskey. Catty-corner to us, two leathered older women gossiped over bottled beer. (Except that the ladies were not older after all, we later learned from context that they were in fact in their mid 20s.)
Our bartender was a heavily pierced young woman who was watching daytime television and munching on onion rings. She glared at us for a moment when we sat down before sighing, setting down her onion ring, and coming over to see what we wanted.
After pouring us each a 12 oz draw of Bud Light ($1.25 each) she huffed, grabbed her onion rings, and sat back down to watch TV.
Now when you've had a few beers it's inevitable that nature will come calling, and in our profession that means you grow accustomed to relieving yourself under a wide variety of conditions. Which is fortunate, because the men's room here was swarming with flying insects and even featured urinal millipedes -- a first for us!
As we reached about the mid-way point in our beers, the front door opened. The bartender, previously focused only on her television and onion rings, jumped to her feet.
"NO! You cannot come in here!" she barked.
"Why not?!?," growled a gravely voice from behind us. "I have money, I want a drink!"
Slowly we turned around in our barstools to see a dirty, haggard man wearing absolutely nothing except a pair of tattered jeans. No shirt, no shoes, no socks.
"No, you have to have a shirt to be in here!" the bartender yelled. "It's the law!"
"I come in here shirtless all the time! The owner lets me!" he insisted.
"Well number 1 I don't believe you, and number 2 he's not here so I'm the law. Now get out!"
"Well I'll just go to any of these other bars down the street since you don't want my money," he threatened.
"Fine! Go right ahead! They'll all tell you the same thing!" Our bartender was now shouting at the top of her lungs.
"Well I don't give a fat f*ck!" he screamed.
"Fine! Now get the f*ck out of here!" she yelled back.
"I will! F*ck this place, you f*cking bitch!". And with that, he surrendered and stormed out.
The bartender took a deep breath, looked at us, and said "I'm so sorry about that, guys."
"Oh no, don't worry about it," we said, "that was the highlight of our day!"
We all laughed and from that point on she warmed up to us.
* * * * * *
When we left the bar we discovered that shirtlessness is apparently common attire in this particular part of town. Next to our car a beer-bellied shirtless dude was sitting in the bed of a pickup truck oggling women walking past.
Rambler's Steakhouse & Saloon (Wamego, KS) [see details ]404 Elm St
Wamego, KS 66547
(785) 456-7402
http://www.rcmcgraws.com/ramblers.html We both had Bud Light. 12 oz draws were $2.00 each. As we sipped our beer the bartender called around to bars that were ahead on our list to find out if they were going to be open.
Cock & Bull (Manhattan, KS) [see details ](Formerly
My Place Tavern )
2413 Stagg Hill Rd
Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 776-6699
Based on its name I was certain would be a pretty rough and tumble gay bar, though B disagreed. The fact that was on Stag Road bolstered my theory even more.
I was wrong.
We both had Bud Light. 10 oz draws were $1.50 each.
Corner Club (Junction City, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Corner Club (Private) )
1202 N Washington St
Junction City, KS 66441
(785) 238-5510
This place was formerly a private club... the word "private" had since been scratched out on its sign. Inside free hot dogs and sausages simmered in a crock-pot in a small room packed with Coors memorabilia... but we both had Bud Light. 10 oz draws were $1.50 each.
JC Bar (Junction City, KS) [see details ]912 N Washington St
Junction City, KS 66441
(785) 238-7445
As we sat inside the woman sitting to B's left would not stop talking to us about tornados. Meanwhile a delivery truck brought in a shipment of snacks just in time to allow B to enjoy some 75-cent Chex Mix.
On the wall behind the bar, just above a "Happy Birthday" banner, at least 9 guns were displayed.
B had a Bud, I had a Bud Light. 12 oz draws were $1.50 each.
Uptown Lounge (Junction City, KS) [see details ]908 N Washington St
Junction City, KS 66441
(785) 762-4044
We both had Bud Light. 12 oz draws were $2.00 each.
This was one of the more run-down places we went to. Damage near the front seemed to speak of a recent fight ending with a good body slam to the wall.
The Kentucky Derby seemed to be the main thing people wanted to watch at the bars in Junction City, and the bartender had a brief but friendly argument with a customer who wanted to see it. (The bartender was insisting it was over, but it wasn't.)
Lumber Yard Restaurant & Bar (Chapman, KS) [see details ]114 W 4th St
Chapman, KS 67431
(785) 922-6140
B had a 12 oz. Coors Light for $1.50, I had a 12 oz. Killian's for $2.00
Needing to make a pit stop I proceeded to the logical part of the bar area but was quickly stopped by a handful of regulars and was told I was going the wrong way. It turned out the men's room was by the front door. While I was inside a young guy sat down at the bar and the owner (or manager), seated nearby, told the bartender to check his ID.
"Do I need to card those their IDs too?" she asked, referring to us.
"No need," said the manager, "I've served them before, they've been in here a few times."
Hmm, if that's true, then I guess I can't count this as a new bar. ;)
Downsouth Tavern (Abilene, KS) [see details ]210 W 1st St
Abilene, KS 67410
(785) 263-0359
We both had Bud. $1.50 for a 12 oz. draw.
We were seated next to a guy who told us about the four bars in town, about a place that he sometimes described as a liquor store and then other times described as a bar, and which streets we needed to avoid so that we didn't get pulled over and arrested for DUI. He also wanted to talk a lot about Westport.
Brownie's (Abilene, KS) [see details ]209 W 1st St
Abilene, KS 67410
(785) 263-3264
B had Bud Light, I had Coors Light. $1.50 for a 12 oz. draw.
This place had a pretty impressive stock of canned and bottled beers. The bartender gave us a detailed overview of how Kansas's liquour laws worked and all the different types of establishments you could be. She also reminded us that we were drinking 3.2 beer, which almost made it feel like we were cheating.
It was about an hour from the start of karaoke but we didn't have time to stick around. We were going to have to skip any remaining towns if we were ever going to make it to Salina.
Knucklehead's Tavern (Salina, KS) [see details ]311 E Pacific Ave
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 826-4909
We both had Bud Light. $1.00 for a 10oz. draw.
This place was pretty small and pretty brightly lit on the inside. We chatted with the guy next to us about Westport. It seems that any time you tell someone in a bar you're from KC, Westport is the part of town they know.
"Be careful, fellas, Salina is the DUI capital of the world," the bartender warned us.
Bootlegger's Saloon (Salina, KS) [see details ]616 N Broadway Blvd
Salina, KS 67401
We both had Bud Light. $1.25 for a 10oz. draw.
B got carded, as he often does due to his youthful appearance. A nearby patron in his 50s estimated B's age as young 20s. At 36 years of age he was pleased with that assessment.
We noticed jugs of corn squeezins behind the bar and asked the bartender about them. She told us that the guy who mis-estimated B's age was drinking some.
"By the way, be careful tonight," she said. "Salina is the DUI capital of the world. And I don't mean per capita either, I mean literally more arrests than anywhere else, period."
"Why is that?" we asked.
"Well," she said, "some years back the police chief lost a child to a drunk driver so he made it a personal campaign. It was so successful that now it's something the city takes pride in so please do watch yourselves tonight."
As we were leaving, that same customer that had earlier questioned B's age grabbed B by the arm and yanked him over, demanding to see his ID. He studied it carefully by the glow of his lighter before letting him go.
"I was getting close to decking that guy," B told me later.
Sharkey's (Salina, KS) [see details ]925 W Lincoln Ave
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 827-7769
We drank our beers quickly while watching a guy do some pretty impressive pool playing.
The bartender here told us about some of the places we wanted to check out in town. We mentioned that one place in particular we wanted to see was The Blind Pig, solely because of its name. We got directions and walked back to my car. Except we started to enter a nearly-identical car parked 3 spaces down. Only the discovery of a cooler in the back seat kept us from getting all the way in.
Blind Pig (Salina, KS) [see details ]2501 Market Pl
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 827-7449
We both had Bud Light. 10 oz draws were $1.25.
We asked the bartender here about non-chain eating options and after running through a few ideas she hit upon a place called Scheme that makes a good local pizza. We got directions from her before we headed out the door.
By now we had managed to get enough beers close enough together that I was starting to get a buzz for the first time today, so it was time to ditch the car. We called Sam, the manager at Budget King (our motel), and asked him to get us a cab while we returned to the motel to park the car. About halfway back we heard that strange beeping sound again.
We got back to the motel in short order and still needed to wait several minutes for the cab, so we chatted with Sam for a bit. Turned out he had previously managed motels in Kansas City and Atlanta. He seemed like a pretty good guy who cared a lot about his family.
Our cab finally arrived and we climbed into a van driven by Lee of Sunflower Taxi who took us out to get something to eat.
The Scheme (Salina, KS) [see details ]123 N 7th St
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 823-5125
B had a Bud Light, I had a Miller Lite. Bottles, I believe they were $2 each. B's was an insulated aluminum bottle.
We arrived just as they were about to close but they were kind enough to let us put an order in. Rushed, we blurted out "large peppperoni" then nursed our beers while waiting for our pizza.
Before long, the deliciousness arrived. Flavorful, hot, and very cheesy.
We were only able to eat half of it so decided to take the rest of it with us since we usually end up getting the munchies after a full day of drinking. We got a box and thanked the cook (who turned out to be the owner) for making such a good pizza. I got my camera back out to take a few more pictures and that's when the mystery of the beeping sound was solved. It was my camera warning me that my batteries were about to die.
The owner of Scheme was nice enough to give a new pair of batteries. Thank you!!! So I took a picture of him and our bartender...
They then gave us the grand tour of the place, showing us all of the art and memorabilia hanging on the walls and telling us the story behind them. Much of the art contained hidden images or was an optical illusion.
Some of the other pieces told the story of Salina's history and of the history of the owner's family. Such as the little girl who wrote to Abe Lincoln and told him more people might vote for him if he grew a beard. Or of an old family friend named Wild Bill Hickok. Other pieces were simply art for art's sake.
We thanked them for their hospitality, grabbed our precious cargo of pizza, and headed back outside.
Big Nose Kate's (Salina, KS) [see details ]121 N Santa Fe Ave # 201
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 820-8872
We were in downtown Salina, but we did not have our bearings and did not know where to go. We spotted a couple approaching from a parking lot and decided to follow them. They went in the back door of a building across the alley and up some stairs to the third floor. Which led us here.
We both had Bud Light. 16 oz. draws were $2.00.
This was a large area with 2 main rooms and an outdoor concrete deck overlooking the street. However, sorry, but this is one Big Nose that blows. It just wasn't the type of bar we like to go to. Pretentious and filled with an assortment of hipsters, fratties, and trendy people.
We drank 3/4 of our 16 oz beers, decided that 12 ounces was good enough to count, and got the hell out.
When we got back downstairs we found it raining and stood under the awning trying to figure out where to go next. We asked a guy with several piercings where all the bars were. "There's only three," he insisted. We knew he was wrong but pretty much everyone around here insisted that Big Nose Kate's, Martini's (the bar downstairs from Kate's), and Groove (a bar across the street) were the only bars around. He gave us tickets to Groove (it had a cover charge otherwise) and showed us how to cut through Martini's to get out the front door (since we had entered via the alley).
Martini's looked much the same as Big Nose Kate's so we didn't bother to stop. We ran across the street in the rain to Groove, peered in the windows, and reached the same conclusion. We decided to ditch this block.
We knew we were on the main drag but didn't know where on it we were. We started walking south as lightning began to strike with increasing closeness. After a few blocks and no sign of a bar, Brandon approached a car sitting at a Sonic and asked for directions.
It turned out we were at the sound end of the strip and neeeded to go back and walk the other way. As i lightly rained we headedd back north, our beloved pizza still in tow.
Well, what do you know? Only 1 block past the area we had just come from, we found a cluster of good dive bars! (Damn trendy people and their not-knowin' of things that exist outside their trendy little world.)
Paramount Bar (Salina, KS) [see details ]219 N Santa Fe Ave
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 827-0992
This place was crowded and did have a band, but there was no cover charge and the music was not too loud. We were able to get a table with ease.
We both had Bud 10 oz. draws were $2.00.
After finishing our beer we stepped out under the awning to scope out our situation. It was raining heavily (turned out to be one of the worst floods Salina had seen in years, over 5 inches of rain fell n just a few hours) and the next bar was up the street. As we made our plan, B felt something shift and heard a heartbreaking "sploosh" sound.
Weakened by several exposures to the rain, the side of the pizza box we had been carrying since The Scheme had popped open and our entire 1/2 large pepperoni pizza had just dropped face-down onto the wet sidewalk.
In what must have looked like a well-choreographed scene, we looked in horror at the mess on the sidewalk, then at each other, then at the pizza, then at each other, and at the pizza again, and bck at each other.
B was at a loss for words. He knelt down and somberly started putting the slices of wet pizza back in the box. "Well maybe it might still be salvageable," I offered.
He looked at it, frowned, and set it behind a bench. "There's no point," he said, before cursing himself repeatedly.
Devastated by our loss, we ran up-and-across the street to the next place we saw.
The Blue Goat (Salina, KS) [see details ](Formerly
The Spot )
232 N Santa Fe Ave
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 827-1800
http://www.myspace.com/thebluegoat A wedding party was in its death throes as we entered this place. Soaking wet, we decided not to cross the dance floor where some bridesmaids were dancing and instead cut through a narrow area where the groomsmen were hanging out. One of them was yapping on his cell phone and wouldn't step out of the way, and B accidentally knocked him down. B helped him right himself and apologized and he walked back to the bar.
We found ourselves against a barrier that was new to us but we would eventually experience many more times in our barhopping careers -- the sheer limit of stomach volume. There simply wasn't room in there to squeeze in any more beer.
Luckily they had $1 shot specials. Problem solved! We went for Kamikaze shots.
When we left B cut across the dance floor to avoid tipping over any more groomsmen.
Rendezvous Bar (Salina, KS) [see details ]249 N Santa Fe Ave
Salina, KS 67401
(785) 827-3830
We both had Old Style. 12 oz. draws for $1.25 each.
Before long we once again began lamenting the loss of of our pizza. "At least it will be a good meal for a bum," I said. B's face lit up and he started chuckling.
"I have a phrase that just popped into my head," he said. "Check this..... 'Bum Feast'. That's exactly what that pizza is."
I started cracking up.
"I'd make a good name for a band," he added.
"I can see the debut album now," I said. "Bum Feast: Pizza On The Sidewalk."
And the cover art could have been the photo I should have taken of us moping over spilled sidewalk pizza.
Believe it or not, we began to get a second wind here and decided to keep going. So we stepped outside to head down to the next bar. We were stunned to find that what had been rain when we arrived at Rendezvous had since turned into a sky-wide waterfall. A river was running down the street with the water level already up to the chassis of the cars parked in front. We decided to call a cab instead. We dialed the number for Sunflower Taxi and got Lee again.
"It's going to be at least half an hour because the streets are all flooded," he said.
We went back inside and played Golden Tee until he arrived. B heckled me for using my thumbs instead of my palm when putting.
Lee arrived, and the two of us plus a third guy who had also called ran out in the pouring rain with him. We were surprised to find an already-full cab waiting for us. Somehow the three of us + Lee managed to squeeze in. We asked him to take us to any bar that was still open, but the places he named we had already been to. Not wanting to delay anyone else, we asked to just go back to the Budget King motel so that we could figure out a new strategy from there.
By now all of the streets were under 1 to 1-1/2 feet of water (I later learned that Salina got 5.3 inches of rain in 90 minutes that night!) and Lee looked nervous as all hell trying to get us to our destinations. He did a great job though so our hats definitely go off to him.
It was a little after 1:00am when we returned to our room. With nature behaving the way it was and less than an hour before Kansas law mandated that the bars closed, we decided thet prudent thing to do would be to call it a night.
Comedy City (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]300 Charlotte St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 842-2744
http://www.instantcomedy.com/ When it was located in its own building in Columbus Park, Comedy City had it's own bar downstairs from the main stage.
American Legion Post 61 (Clay County, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5125 N Bellaire Ave
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 454-7570
http://www.legion.org/ This one was hard as hell to find and took several tries. I asked several locals, they all knew about it but none could give clear or accurate directions. Google Maps led me to someone's house. When I finally found it the mystery was solved: parallel streets both with the same name, one of which dead ends at the Legion while the other is what all the mapping sites lead you to. Once inside this was the darkest bar I've ever been in, and possibly the most redneck too. Hidden back behind Vivion & Compton.
Regularly hosts karaoke
Antoinette's Lounge (N. Brighton, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Bama's (N. Brighton, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5044 NE Parvin Rd
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 455-6000
Pizza place / bar
Hiway House (Colonial Square, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4071 Prather Rd
Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 454-7200
On Prather Road, just south of the Prather/Antioch split.
Mickey's Irish Pub (Englewood, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]420 NW Englewood Rd
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 453-1010
http://www.unwindbarandgrille.com/ As Mickey's: The most expensive Guinness I've ever had in the KC area! At least the hurricane-force hand dryers in the men's room were nice.
As Unwind: Inexpensive draft beer. Nice pool tables, DJ booth, dance floor. Golden Tee and Silver Strike. Was pretty busy for a Monday afternoon.
The Office (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]Hide Out Bar & Grill (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]6948 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 468-0550
http://www.myspace.com/frankgabel As karaoke was being set up and old woman made me sign a birthday card for someone I didn't know. At the far end of an easily-missed strip mall near 69th & North Oak.
I've since learned that this is a popular blues bar.
Mark & Michelle's Bar & Grill (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]7102 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 436-6600
Boomers Bar & Grill (Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7932 N Oak Trfy # 205
Kansas City, MO 64118
(816) 436-7245
Pretty decent strip mall sports bar. Features a good jukebox, pool tables, fried bar food favorites, Golden Tee and Silver Strike, etc wraped around a central horseshoe-shaped bar.
O'Dowd's Irish Pub (Zona Rosa, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Angela's Bar & Grill (Hamilton, MO) [see details ]211 N Davis St
Hamilton, MO 64644
(816) 583-2337
This was a pretty big place on the inside, occupying 2 buildings on the downtown strip. One building was set up as a dining and dancing area. Angela's had nice little personalized beer mugs.
Traphouse (Chillicothe, MO) [see details ]319 Henry St # A
Chillicothe, MO 64601
(660) 646-6800
This place was hard to find. Google Maps got us close but we just didn't see it. We circled around, drove all over, and even called for directions. Finally, with great effort, we found it. It turns out it wasn't on a street at all but on an "alley" of sorts that looked like the driveway for a nearby trailer house.
The bartender was the owner's mother, who was watching the final Bob Barker episode of The Price Is Right. She told us that several bars in town have gone under due to younger people moving away but that their place was doing well due to low overhead.
Behind us a wall was completely covered with photos of various parties hosted at the bar.
Trackside (Trenton, MO) [see details ]1242 Tinsman Ave
Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 339-7701
While B parked the car I stepped on inside, and all conversation came to a stop. With all eyes on my I slowly and nervously took a seat. After a lengthly pause I broke the uncomfortable silence and said my friend was parking the car and we'd order then. Only after he stepped in and we ordered our beer did anyone stop staring and get back to talking. I did find it odd that a bar filled with fairly tough looking men had a daytime soap opera playing on the TV.
Snappy's (Trenton, MO) [see details ]201 W 10th St
Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 359-6224
http://www.myspace.com/snappys666 When we first arrived there was no one to be found, but after a couple of minutes B did some exploration and found the bartender/owner in the poker room in the back. Named Craig, he was the first bartender we met on this trip to be internet savvy. His bar has a MySpace page, and in fact he moved to Trenton from Florida after using the internet to find this bar for sale. He whipped out a laptop and we showed him photos and blogs from our past barhopping adventures.
One interesting feature towards the back is the women's restroom, it's an outhouse brought inside and fitted with a more modern toilet.
Crossroads Bar & Grill (Princeton, MO) [see details ]Hightway 65 & Highway 136
Princeton, MO 64673
(660) 748-3833
This was the home of the biggest hairdos I have ever seen in person. Unfortunately I could not get a discrete opportunity to snap a photo. Also the men's restroom was located uncomfortably close to the dining area with uncomfortably thin walls.
American Legion #379 (Allerton, IA) [see details ]303 S Central Ave
Allerton, IA 50008
http://www.legion.org/ This town was a fairly significant detour off the main highways and had only one bar, so we had already called ahead to make sure they'd be open. "We'll be open at 1:00 on Saturday," they said. So you can only imagine our intense disappointment when we found the place closed. Luckily we found a nearby replacement in this American Legion.
This was one of the least bar-like bars we have visited... it felt more like drinking at the kitchen counter in a community center. Our host was very pleasant and friendly, though, so we increased our tip a little to help her out.
Fibbin Fisherman Lounge (Corydon, IA) [see details ]211 N Franklin St
Corydon, IA 50060
(641) 872-2883
I forgot to get a photo of
this sign that was hanging behind the bar, I also forgot to buy one of their t-shirts.
Neighborhood Tap (Seymour, IA) [see details ]419 W Wall St
Seymour, IA 52590
This was the first of many bars we'd visit this weekend on the town squares of small towns. We love those! I forgot to get an interior photo and I'm temporarily drawing a blank on what it was like on the inside, but I do remember it being a pretty nice place for such a small town.
The Silver Spur (Centerville, IA) [see details ]23771 Highway 5
Centerville, IA 52544
(641) 437-4777
While I tried 3 times to close the men's room door before giving up and peeing with it wide open, B struck up a conversation with the bartender about her carpal tunnel braces.
When we left this was a memorable bar, but we didn't realize until several hours later how memorable it would become. The following information was given to us by some people that we would meet 10-1/2 hours later:
The Silver Spur used to be called Larry's Silver Spur. Larry was a really nice guy, but then one day his wife up and shot him in the head. She's in prison now. Then later there was a couple in there and they had an argument. The girlfriend stormed out and the boyfriend stayed inside, he was going to wait for her to cool off and knew she'd come back in. But she never did... because when she went outside she stepped onto the highway and got flattened by a semi. They got most of her for the burial but "one arm was unattainable." I haven't been able to confirm any of this yet but it's too interesting of gossip not to pass along.
Gordie's Bar & Grill (Centerville, IA) [see details ]108 N 13th St
Centerville, IA 52544
(641) 437-7231
The bartender here was who told us about this town having the largest town square. This bar was on a one-way side street coming into the square. This particular street was once called Pill Row because every building was a doctors office.
The Alibi (Centerville, IA) [see details ]301 W. State
Centerville, IA 52544
(641) 895-1873
Address unknown, placement approximate. Located behind the Ben Franklin on the west side of the town square, on State Street. There is no identifying sign and it doesn't appear in any directory I can find. We would not have come here at all, except the bartender at Gordie's told us about it.
UPDATE - I finally found the business address by searching for the liquor license. :)
Fat Annie's (Moravia, IA) [see details ]102 E Chariton St
Moravia, IA 52571
(641) 724-9822
Either Annie wasn't working today or she's lost a lot of weight. The thing that most caught our attention was the nude paintings on the wall. There were four, all of the same woman. One thing that was odd was that two of them were identical.
Both when we arrived and again when we left, a young girl opened the door of the laundry next door and stared at us.
Murph's Sports Bar (Albia, IA) [see details ]17 S Clinton St
Albia, IA 52531
(641) 932-2232
B: Bud Lite 8oz draw - $1
S: Bud Lite 8oz draw - $1
Tennessee Owl Tap (Albia, IA) [see details ]2 S Main St
Albia, IA 52531
(641) 932-5954
We asked for the smallest draws available, and got the smallest draws we've ever had! They were almost embarassing.
This guy caught me taking this picture, so B went over to him and explained what we were doing to make sure he was cool with it.
Brick Street Pub & Eatery (Albia, IA) [see details ]24 A Ave W
Albia, IA 52531
(641) 932-5442
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $0.75
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $0.75
(Our tips were more than the cost of the beer!)
This place was built in 1904, and has always operated as a bar for all 104 (and counting) years of its life.
American Legion #136 (Albia, IA) [see details ]21 Washington Ave W
Albia, IA 52531
(641) 932-2716
http://www.legion.org/ We chatted with a guy named Bob who used to own a hardware store and would come to KC (technically to Overland Park, it was the Kansas City Merchandise Mart) for trade shows. On our way out B bought him a beer.
By the way, this American Legion has the distinction of being the most brightly-lit bar we have ever been in. Oddly, the darkest bar we have ever been in also was an American Legion.
Alpine Inn (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]1804 Albia Rd
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-3311
We circled around this place twice trying to determine if it was actually a bar or not. Finally we went inside and discovered it's all bar. B bought a beer for an old man next to us that we were chatting with.
Primavera Club (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ](Formerly
Harley's )
2801 Roemer Ave
Ottumwa, IA 52501
Our intention was to pass through Ottumwa for now because we had some business to attend to in Fairfield, two towns further down the highway. But as we reached the eastern edge of Ottumwa we were stopped in our tracks by barricades across the highway -- closed for construction. Luckily there was someplace right next to the barricades where we could ask for directions. :)
B: Bud Lite bottle - $1
S: Miller Light bottle - $1
Formerly Harley's, this place had just recently been bought by a nice Mexican family and re-opened as the Primavera Club. Our bartender, Lorena, was a former nurse who told us about heer life's travels. Her friends at a nearby table helped us out with directions around the construction zone so that we could get to Fairfield.
VFW Post 2271 (Fairfield, IA) [see details ]121 E Broadway Ave
Fairfield, IA 52556
http://vfw.org/ For years I have known of the statue of a distance ancestor in the town square at Fairfield but never had an opportunity to see it until now...
To celebrate my visit as well as something else worth celebrating, I wanted to find someplace appropriate. We checked out the square and found a few places, then checked the perimeter of the square and found the perfect setting...
B: Miller Light 12oz - $1.25
S: Miller Light 12oz - $1.25
There were about a dozen people inside this VFW. B got their attention, I announced the reason for my visit to the statue, then announced one other thing that I was also celebrating:
This is the 300th bar I've been to in my life!
I then bought the entire house a round and we had a good time with everyone there before it was time to move on.
George's (Fairfield, IA) [see details ]57 W Broadway Ave
Fairfield, IA 52556
(641) 472-9119
B: Coors Light bottle
S: Coors Light bottle
Now, my notes call this place "Taso's Pizza & Pub", but my photo is of "George's Pizza & Steak". George's is in the right location, and I can't find any listing for a place called Taso's. So most likely I mis-read a sign inside while taking notes. Anyway, we had some coors and then decided to get a little pizza after realizing we hadn't eaten in over 12 hours. I don't know how much our beers were since the pizza got added to the same tab.
Ned's Place (Batavia, IA) [see details ]1000 3rd St
Batavia, IA 52533
(641) 662-2600
Batavia was on the way back to Ottumwa and we stopped despite the fact that it was getting late, so we were disappointed that all we could find was an American Legion with a locked door. We walked around the side of the building and saw some people standing near a truck. "Can you tell us how to get to Ned's Place?" we asked. "Through that side door right behind you," they reeplied. Whoops!
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
B was gettting antsy for some reason so we played some shuffleboard as we drank our beer.
Front Runners (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]837 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-0720
B: Old Milwaukee 12oz draw - $1.25
S: Old Milwaukee 12oz draw - $1.25
The change to Old Milwaukee was a pleasant switch that helped give us a little bit of a second wind. I think we played a little bar trivia here.
The Keg (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]622 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
A zig-zag across a busy street from the previous bar.
Dugout (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]535 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 684-0895
B: Miller Light 10oz draw - $1.50
S: Miller Light 10oz draw - $1.50
And yet another zig-zag across the street. This bar was divided into two rooms - the front main bar area and a back room. It was karaoke night, with a karaoke guy set up in the front corner of the back room. Despite the bar being crowded, most of the people were in the front room and hardly anyone was doing karaoke. I'm not surprised, though, it was unusually loud in the karaoke room.
Uncle Buck's Bar & Grill (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]518 Church St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-4449
B: Bud Lite 16oz draw - $2
S: Bud Lite 16oz draw - $2
And, again, another zig-zag across the street. This place was also having karaoke, but here it was proving popular with singer after singer after singer. The setup was in the front room by the window which had to help. Upon our arrival B noticced a distinctive-looking fella and immediately nicknamed him "Blonde Jesus". Beefore we left, Blonde Jesus got up and sang "Sweet Home Alabama".
Owl's Nest (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]116 S Court St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-9368
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
We were now both feeling it. Not drunk... full. Stomach volume was proving to be a major challenge that looked likeely to keep us from reaching our goal.
Tom Tom Tap (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]107 E 2nd St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-8051
http://www.hotelottumwa.com/tomtom.htm Hotel bar for the Hotel Ottumwa
B: Bud Lite 16oz draw - $2
S: Bud Lite 16oz draw - $2
Our stomachs were so full that these beers were now massive. B had to step outside thinking he would be sick, and I did not think I was far behind. We nursed these beers, trying all we could to get them down.
Finally we were forced to invoke our rarely-used Emergency Stomach Volume Relief Rule. This rule allows us to bypass one large draw by drinking the same amount from the glass as the size of the smallest draw beer we had been allowed to purchase all day. (This rule was last invoked on Cinco de Mayo at Big Nose Kate's in Salina, KS.) Since the smallest draw we were served today was 8oz, that meant we had to drink half. I drank 2/3 for good measure. This rule is truly reserved for emergency use only since its use creates an automatic violation of the sacred "No Beer Left Behind" rule.
Scooters (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]305 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 684-4197
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=265317835 B: Tall Kamikaze - $3.50
S: Tall Kamikaze - $3.50
We entered through the back door and discovered that this was a dance club. A bouncer stopped us and told us there was a $2 cover. We don't pay cover charges so we turned around and left -- it's just not not right to have to pay in order to be able to buy a drink.
We went around the block and found another place. We went inside, another dance club. The bouncer stopped us, but this one said "You guys were here earlier, right?" About then we realized that we were at
the same place we had just left the other end of, so technically it wasn't a lie to say "Yes." :) The bouncer waved us on in.
With our stomachs still suffering from a volume issue I decided to order us kamikaze shots instead of beer. But the bartender misunderstood and made us tall kamikazes instead. Still, this was much less liquid than a pint of beer.
When we arrived a man to B's right began staring very affectionately at him, making B somewhat uncomfortable. The guy then started making some suggestive remarks. Just as the bartender handed me the drinks, B grabbed me and made me trade places with him, spilling some of my drink onto my shirt. The guy that was bugging B took my hand then told me he was going to have my friend "maybe not tonight, perhaps not tomorrow, but soon." We slammed our drinks and got the hell out of there.
The Salty Frog (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]314 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 683-8327
http://www.myspace.com/saltyfrog B: Bud Lite 8oz draw - $1.25
S: Bud Lite 8oz draw - $1.25
Right across the street from Scooters, this place had only been open for a couple of weeks tops when we visited.
Cocanana's (Ottumwa, IA) [see details ]1317 E Main St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-1931
We got our beers ($1 each for 10oz Bud Light draws) and I began looking through my notebook to see how we had done. I did a double-take and rechecked my figures. I was stunned to discover that we had just ordered our 30th drink at our 30th bar of the day, shattering our previous record by 7 bars.
We high-fived and clinked our glasses, sending a splash of beer onto the bar counter. A guy standing at the end of the bar asked what we were celebrating.
"We've been to 30 bars!" we said.
"Really? This is your 30th ever?" the guy asked.
"No," we replied, "our 30th today!"
"Oh my god!" interjected the bartender. "PLEASE tell me you are not driving!"
"Oh no," we reassured her, "we're on foot."
"Well, congratulations, then, and be careful," she told us as she wiped up our minor spill.
After we finished our drinks and left the bar, we were met in the parking lot by a group of patrons, a man and two women who had heard us talking about our accomplishment. They asked us where all we had been and shared with us a wealth of information about some of the bars we had been to earlier in the day.
American Legion Post 78 (Bloomfield, IA) [see details ]211 E Jefferson St
Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-2446
http://www.legion.org/ B: Coors Light 10oz draw - $1
S: Coors Light 10oz draw - $1
We had trouble figuring out how to get into this place, the front door seemed to be locked. (We later discovered it was just sticky.) We went in through the back.
We asked our bartender about the other bars in the area. She named a couple of places on the way out of town that she thought we'd like. More upscale. "Younger people, people more like you, you'll like it."
"There's also Jim's Silver Dollar around the corner, but you don't want to go. That place is a complete dump. Dirty, disgusting. Really nasty. Nasty people, too. [leaning in] True white trash. [leaning more and motioning towards the guys at the far end of the bar] Even worse than what you get in here. And it's expensive, you'll pay a buck-fifty, maybe even a buck seventy-five."
Now, with an endorsement like that, where else would we go next??? :)
Jim's Silver Dollar (Bloomfield, IA) [see details ]109 S Washington St
Bloomfield, IA 52537
(641) 664-3162
B: Old Milwaukeee 10oz draw - $1
S: Old Milwaukeee 10oz draw - $1
This place wasn't bad at all... exactly the type of dive we like. The antique bar was incredible, the ceiling ornate, and behind us a rustic old-timey piano sat side-by-side wwith a TouchTunes jukebox. The men's room was a bit odd... basically a closet with a toilet -- no sink and no working light.
Boondocks (Lancaster, MO) [see details ]104 Jackson St
Lancaster, MO 63548
(660) 457-3544
B: Bud Lite 7oz bottle - $1.25
S: Bud Lite 7oz bottle - $1.25
We asked for the smallest beer they had, and got the smallest beer of the entire trip. I'd never seen such small bottles before.
Checkers (Queen City, MO) [see details ]430 Cedar St
Queen City, MO 63561
(660) 766-2423
B: Bud bottle - $2
S: Miller Light bottle - $2
We sat at the square-shaped bar and talkedd across the bar to an old man with a tracheotomy as he smoked a cigarette. He and the bartender -- a young woman -- told us about how this place is usually pretty busy once the farmers come in from the fields. As we left, B bought trache-man another beer.
Full Moon Bar & Grill (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]816 W Northtown Rd
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-5600
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $2
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $2
The Locker Room (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]106 S Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-4448
http://www.myspace.com/kvlockerroom B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
We watched a couple rounds of UFC with several other guys.
TP's Office (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]110 S Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-9679
B: Bud 10oz draw - $1.25
S: Bud 10oz draw - $1.25
Ryan's Sports Bar (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]112 W Harrison St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 627-5919
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.75
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.75
Woody's Wooden Nickel (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]114 S Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-2760
http://www.woodennickelrestaurant.com/ B: Bud Lite 14oz draw - $1
S: Mule Kick 14oz draw - $1.75
They were just opening up and the bartender was doing side work so te owner poured our beers. "I'm just the owner, I don't know what these things cost," he said wwhile hooking us up with a sweet deal.
The owner restored a 1913 round barn that today ise used for stage play as well as a blues festival. See
roundbarnblues.com for details.
Dukum Inn (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]111 S Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-7722
http://dukuminn.com/ B: Coors Light 8oz draw - $2
S: Coors Light 8oz draw - $2
With school out of session, this was the busiest of all the places we visited in Kirksville. They had a great selection of beer on tap but the half-draws we wanted were only available for the domestics.
Too Tall's Two: The Inferno (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]220 N Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-1844
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
S: Fat Tire 10oz draw - $2.50
This place was originally Too Tall's, then it caught fire. It was fixed up and reopened as Too Tall's Two. Then
it's owner, the mayor, burned it down for insurance money . A new owner bought it, fixed it back up again, and reopened it as Too Tall's Too: The Inferno.
The fiery history is celbrated within including animated flames of light projected on one of the walls. This place seems prone to fire, even the new owner nearly did it again with an accidental trash can fire in the office one night -- spotted only because a patron outside at closing time asked about the new smoke machine. :)
Nemo Rocks (Kirksville, MO) [see details ]1512 Brook Dr
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-2999
B: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.25
We want to call this a biker bar... except there wwere no bikes but all pickup trucks. In any case it had a stripper pole and a cool bartender.
Chevy's Bar & Grill (Novinger, MO) [see details ]125 S Frankford Ave
Novinger, MO 63559
(660) 488-5300
On the way into town we spotted a guy driving a go-cart and tried to get his picture... but he was too fast and all we got was his dust.
B: Natural Light can - $1.50
S: Natural Light can - $1.50
When we arrived in town we found three bars lined up in a row, but only the southern one was in business.
Our bartender told us that she couldn't remember the name of the one in the middle but that the other one was named "Hotel California". She said that only one of the three bars ever seems to be in business at any given time, and that she has worked at each of them.
By the way, how often do you see a Bible verse on the side of a bar?
Legends (Green Castle, MO) [see details ]93 E Front St
Green Castle, MO 63544
(660) 874-4686
B: Natural Light can - $1.50
S: Natural Light can - $1.50
We couldn't go into the bar due it being rented out for a bachelor party. Luckily it had a nice outdoor beer garden. Our bartender was the former owner, a really nice guy.
We each did have to slip into the main bar to use the restroom and in doing so found that the the stripper, who was supposed to have been there by now according to the bartender, was late and only a few guys were anywhere to be seen.
We saw far too many cars parked nearby to be explained by the number of people in the bachelor party so looked around and found that the local Lion's Club meets in the "Opra" House [sic] across the street. We decided to check it out. B opened the door, and about 200 silver-haired bingo players stopped what they were doing and stared at us. B wanted to join them, but I wanted to hit the road.
Afternoon Saloon (Milan, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Cat's Den )
103 S Main St
Milan, MO 63556
(660) 265-5000
B: Bud Lite 8oz draw - $1
S: Fat Tire 8oz draw - $1
This place was almost cavernous and looked like it had been recently renovated. I selected a seat at some patio furniture.
Rob's Beer Joint (Browning, MO) [see details ]310 W Main St
Browning, MO 64630
(660) 946-9905
B: PBR can - $2
S: PBR can - $2
Rob still owns the place but has been having health problems the last several months, so his wife is running things for him.
Horseshoe Bar (Linneus, MO) [see details ]209 W State St
Linneus, MO 64653
(660) 895-9905
While we were sitting in this spacious bar the bartender's husband and 3 children arrived and sat near us. Cute kids, sipping on their Cokes.
B: PBR can - $2
S: PBR can - $2
Lucky's (Brookfield, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Shawn's Place )
610 W Lockling St
Brookfield, MO 64628
(660) 258-5303
B: Coors Light bottle - $2
S: Coors Light bottle - $2
Your basic strip-mall bar. When we arrived there were 2 cop cars waiting in the lot. Moments later two guys left the bar with drinks in-hand and started to get in their cars. Then they both noticed the cops and in unison turned around and went back inside.
OK Tavern (Marceline, MO) [see details ]126 E Howell Ave
Marceline, MO 64658
(660) 376-9400
B: Michelob 10oz draw - $2
S: Michelob Light 10oz draw - $2
I had mis-printed my map of this town so it took us for-e-ver to find this place... even having asked for directions. Finally I spotted the telltale neon and we eventually figured out how to get to it. The interior was pretty rustic.
My Place Ca Fae and Lounge (Bucklin, MO) [see details ]1416 N Livingston St
Bucklin, MO 64631
(660) 695-3476
We pulled in to Bucklin, MO a little after 10:00 on a summer Saturday night, and after a couple of wrong turns found the My Place bar.
The place was packed, in part due to a birthday party. Karaoke was in full swing, and a large guy in overalls named Norm was enjoying a few beers. We got ourselves a couple of cans of Busch Light and sought an empty spot to go hang out.
The karaoke DJ announced that Norm had a special talent to perform but only if the bar raised $50. A collection was taken up (we chipped in a few dollars ourselves), and before long the funds were raised.
Apparently under instruction not to do it inside the bar, Norm stepped just outside the door and proceeded to remove his underwear without removing his overalls to the delight of the crowd. After he got a round of ovation I got a picture of him, complete with his underwear hanging out of his pocket and the fifty dollars cash in his fist.
As we were leaving, a woman step out of the bar, spat a loogie into the street, and stepped back inside.
My Place is located in downtown Bucklin, just northeast of Hunt Street on Livingston (Mo-129). Bucklin is in Linn County, MO, about a mile-and-a-half north of US-36 on MO-129.
Bottom of the Hill (New Cambria, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Jimbo's )
101 W Front Ave
New Cambria, MO 63558
(660) 226-5959
B: Busch Light 8oz draw - $0.75
S: Busch Light 8oz draw - $0.75
Karaoke was in play here, but it was dead. We learned why when we tried it ourselves. B did a severely-truncated "You Never Even Call Me By My Name" and I did "Elvira". The karaoke guy had never done it before and apparently was uninsured because he warned both of us to be extremely careful around his "$22,000 of equipment". There was only one song book and it was fastened to the microphone stand. The songs were not organized by title nor artist, instead by what CD they were on, and most of the pages were hand-written. Several times he was unable to find the right songs using his "system". "Elvira" was my third attempt for him to find a song that he had listed, and it took him 3 tries to even find that. Wow. :)
At least we got to meet the dopplegangers of Julianne Moore and Kid Rock, who were having a beer together next to us.
Office Bar & Grill (Bethel, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]8016 Leavenworth Rd
Kansas City, KS 66109
(913) 788-5108
Our first stop was actually a bonus bar. We weren't expecting to find one here and were just flying by when B spotted it. Our bartender, who was watching women's softball on TV, was a wealth of information and filled us in on the concept of private clubs in KCK. She also told us about several others that would be open on a Sunday. This included two right next door on either side that we had completely failed to notice.
Jerry's Neighborhood Sports Bar (Bethel, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]8048 Leavenworth Rd
Kansas City, KS 66109
(913) 788-3596
Because of the lack of neon we had driven right past this place without noticing it. The main bar was full, with everyone watching one of the Die Hard movies on TV, so we had to sit at the side bar.
American Legion Post 199 (Bethel, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]7942 Leavenworth Rd
Kansas City, KS 66109
(913) 299-0281
http://www.legion.org/ We entered through the patio out back to find a fairly full house. There was a fish fry going on that we were invited to join, but we weren't hungry yet so politely declined.
To the Hoop Bar & Grill (State Ave, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]7912 State Ave
Kansas City, KS 66112
(913) 334-1700
A pretty small sports bar in a commercial area. I had a Bud Select and quickly remembered why I don't get Bud Select. A patron to our right filled us in on a couple of nearby places to try, includuding The Sports Page plus a place further down the road that he had never worked up the courage to try. So naturally that's where we went next. :)
61st St Pit Stop (State Ave, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]6102 State Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 334-6700
Your basic dive bar. I can't remember for sure but this might be the place where our 10oz draws were 75 cents. We had to chug, though, because several guys were about to try to squeeze a massive beer cooler through that small front door and we didn't want to get stuck waiting.
Sports Page Bar & Grill (State Ave, Kansas City, KS) [see details ](Formerly
an arcade and water slide )
941 N 74th Dr
Kansas City, KS 66112
(913) 788-5139
We had a hard time finding this place which was why we had to do some backtracking. We paused for lunch at an Arby's and while we were there deduced that our next stop had to be located down the hill across the street.
The locals all touted this as the premier bar in the area and the best place to be. It was large and decent, but an older man to our left was being a little too pompous about this place and describing everything else as a shithole.
Experience Sports Bar & Grill (Welborn, Kansas City, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Rax )
5934 Leavenworth Rd
Kansas City, KS 66104
(913) 788-2400
http://www.experiencesportsbarandgrill.com/ This was a bit of a surprise. This was the only bar whose web site we had checked out in advance. There was a major incongruity between what that web site presents and the converted former Rax restaurant we found ourselves in as the only white customers. No one seemed bothered by our presence, perhaps they were too distracted watching "Village of the Damned" on the TV at the bar, but a few newcomers did do double-takes when they saw us sitting in there.
Bill's 32 West (Muncie, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]6500 Kaw Dr
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 788-3843
This was our first stop at what we thought was a cluster of three bars (but would turn out to be more). We were invited to partake of free nachos but were too full from our earlier Arby's stop.
Roadhouse Bar & Grill (Muncie, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]6524 Kaw Dr
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 299-5599
When we stepped inside here we found ourselves at a nearly-full bar shrouded in total silence. No music, no TV, no conversation. So B told the bar his "schnauzer" joke to break the ice.
Frankie D's (Muncie, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]6411 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 287-9134
Part bar, part Mexican restuarant.
Jamie's Place (Turner, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]4901 Metropolitan Ave
Kansas City, KS 66106
(913) 287-1870
The bartender here was a really cool guy and came over to chat with us a bit. He pointed out that we missed a bar back in Muncie so we had to head back and search for that next...
Muddy Waters Bar & Grill (Muncie, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]6720 Kaw Dr
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 788-2050
No wonder we didn't see it, this biker bar was in a strip mall, across from Wild Woody's, but hidden from highway view by another building.
Coyote Blue Cantina (Argentine, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]2710 Strong Ave
Kansas City, KS 66106
(913) 432-8005
The photo is actually of the building we went in by mistake first. Coyote Blue is the next building to the left, the gray building.
We were invited to join in on a nacho bar and also to have some free tripe but we were too scared to try it.
As the only non-hispanics in the place, while I was in the restroom B was accused of being an undercover cop from the vice squad. B neither confirmed nor denied this allegation. ;)
Cafe Al Dente (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]412 Delaware St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 472-9444
Pizza/pasta joint with a small bar
Los Tules (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1656 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 421-9229
Nice little bar in the front room with friendly bartenders
Paddy O'Quigleys Pub & Grille (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Madrigall (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Houlihan's Restaurant (Boardwalk, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Dad's Hole In the Wall (State Ave, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1111 N 50th St
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 328-2583
This was a nice, tiny little spot. Bar seating for 9, with a total capacity of 32. Almost completely invisible from the main road, you have to be looking for it to find it.
Reich's Club (Argentine, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]3405 Strong Ave
Kansas City, KS 66106
(913) 831-3405
Despite the name this place had little to do with WW2 Germany. However it was a little bunker-like. After entering the front door you proceed down a long central corridor to another door towards the back where you are then buzzed in.
Country Cabaret Club (Armourdale, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]814 S 12th St
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 371-9501
This was like being in an entirely different world. The ultimate Mexican country-western bar experience. The bartender passing out free homemade tamales as the sounds of donkeys braying punctuate the music. The men's room was unusual too, facing the bar with only a partial saloon door offering any semblance of privacy.
Inside the men's room we noticed that evidently condom peddlers are patriotic and support right-wing conservative issues:
Casino Bar (Armourdale, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1100 Osage Ave
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 281-5800
With an interior finish of the finest particle board, this place looked like it had the potential to get pretty rough. There were several interesting characters about, but most of the people were pretty pleasant. The bartender was particularly helpful as he tried to explain the concept of KCK's private clubs and why some serve us and others don't.
Alibi's (Armourdale, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]975 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 233-1141
This almost went on the list of places that refused to serve us, but a customer "remembered" B and vouched for us to get us in. We of course reciprocated with a beer. And, B and D had actually been here before and never had a problem until now.
Oasis: the Club (Armourdale, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1111 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 321-7248
This was another rough looking place but we were comfortable enough to sit and play several rounds at the trivia box. The restroom however was one of the nastiest I've seen. The sink was grimey enough that B wouldn't use it, figuring it would make his hands dirtier. The toilet was clogged with cigarette butts, and the trash can had been put to use as a toilet.
Club Sparks (Armourdale, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1436 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66105
(913) 233-1099
This was a bonus bar, we were actually heading next door to a place called Carol's Place that for whatever reason was not open.
This place, open for only a few months now, was really nice and looking to be proving quite popular. It was very clean with a great smell (how often can you say that about a bar?) and they were serving up the Saturday taco special. Our bartender was the owner and was terrific. This may have been the most expensive bar of the day, as well as in this area, but it looks like it's going to do very well.
Pam's Pizza & Pub (Park Drive, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]2519 Park Dr
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 371-4969
We were hoping this would be more pub than pizza place, and we were in luck. :) The bartender gave D a birthday shot.
Gossip Inn (Park Drive, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]2418 Park Dr
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 281-3322
Had we realized how close this was to Pam's, we could have gotten here faster by walking. :) The pool table was free of charge today (quarters provided at the bar) so we played a couple of games.
Dot Landers (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1705 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 233-1872
All I remember really is that it was packed, but we did find an empty table.
Hideout Club (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1410 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 281-4115
I believe this was the bar where "The Perfect Storm" was playing on TV, and we discussed the futility of watching a 2-hour drama that's based on a true story where everyone dies at the end anyway.
Blue Rose (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1013 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 321-7673
We had first entered a private club called Dixie's and immediately faced a grilling not only from the bartender but also from a customer at the end of the bar. "Check their membership cards! They don't belong here! Throw them out!" he kept shouting as the bartender nagged a Mexican family who also were not members. This wasn't necessary at all, we had respected the rules everywhere we have been, but this customer was being way too much of an asshole about it. So, noticing that he was reading the new Harry Potter book, B leaned in and told him how it ended as we were heading towards the door.
We stepped outside into the blistering heat and saw The Blue Rose across the street. D and I were tired of being tossed out of places (Dixie's had made about 5 today) so B went to go check it out. After a few minutes of standing in the heat without a peep from B, we decided to go see what was happening only to find B sitting comfortably in the A/C halfway through his frosty cold beer.
The bartender gave us membership applications, the only private club we found that actually offered a way to become a member, and poured our beers.
Johnnie's Club (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]55 S 7th St
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 371-0300
We'd tried to come here 3 weekends ago but that was on a Sunday and they were closed. Behind the bar sits a really cool little brick street neighborhood.
Chicago's (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]534 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 281-9744
Another busy place, the 3 of us crowded around the far end of the bar. Chicago's is the buildding down on the corner, I forgot to get a picture until we were about to leave so had a lousy vantage point.
Sammy's Tavern (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]222 N 6th St
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 281-0184
We all thought this was a new bar for us, but once we were inside both of my companions recognized it. Oh well, it was still new for me.
Six-Ten Club (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]610 Reynolds Ave
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 342-6441
Turned out my cohorts had been here before, too.
The View (Downtown, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]204 Orchard St
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 281-0833
We played several rounds of trivia here. This may have been a gay-friendly bar based upon the rainbow-colored Bud Light clock and the colorful beer tap. However neither of my friends thought it was a gay bar, one of whom is gay himself.
Update: I was right. Looks like my friend needs to take his GAYBAR-GAYDAR in for a tuneup.
Jim Bob's Belly-Up Bar (Oceans of Fun, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]The Studio Restaurant & Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Bert & Ernie's (Plattsburg, MO) [see details ]108 Broadway St
Plattsburg, MO 64477
(816) 539-3136
A pretty nice place! After our first beer we decided to stick around and try the pizza. We had a medium pepperoni & sausage, and it was delicious. Actually good enough that I'd be willing to make the hour drive each way to have it again sometime!
Edit: Except now I can't, it burned down a couple of months later. :(
Katies Pub (Gower, MO) [see details ]308 Railroad Ave
Gower, MO 64454
Since the phone number was disconnected we assumed this place was out of business. But, on a hunch that a town this big would have to have at least one bar, we decided to make the side trip. Sure enough, Katies Pub was still there, just without a phone. While drinking our beer we played a few rounds of trivia.
B Z Bar (Edgerton, MO) [see details ]409 Frank St
Edgerton, MO 64444
(816) 790-3261
Conveniently located right next to the town's police station, this bar featured a birthday board for all the regulars and a resident lhasa apsa.
On the Rocks Bar & Grill (Smithville, MO) [see details ]101 N Us Highway 169
Smithville, MO 64089
(816) 532-3937
A strip mall bar right off the highway. Everyone assumed we were here for some fishing event that was going on at the lake.
Town Tavern (Smithville, MO) [see details ]111 E Main St
Smithville, MO 64089
(816) 532-0943
As I was looking for the men's room in a dark hallway someone opened the bar's back door, sunblinding me enough that I had to ask the woman who entered which door was the one I needed. :) My beer may have been the first draw of the day, it had a slight fruity taste.
Brick House Cafe & Pub (Smithville, MO) [see details ]111 N Bridge St
Smithville, MO 64089
(816) 532-8865
Nice place with a good tap selection. We had Mule Kick, it was sweeter than usual and the coffee and chocolate flavors were stronger than usual. B didn't like it, I didn't mind it but it was too rich for me to be able to drink lots of it. B found an inchworm on the bar and took it out to a tree.
Destiny's Bar & Grill (Nashua, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]11129 N Oak Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64155
(816) 734-4877
Located in the former Sour Octopus restaurant location, Destiny's has the distinction of being the northernmost bar in Kansas City proper.
Goodtimes Restaurant & Lounge (Excelsior Springs, MO) [see details ]1903 W Jesse James Rd
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
(816) 630-1227
Though we didn't see anyone eating when we were here, apparently the food here is pretty good.
VFW Post 741 / American Legion Post 256 (Excelsior Springs, MO) [see details ]200 Concourse Ave
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
(816) 630-7711
http://vfw.org/ This was the first VFW/American Legion combo we've seen, and also the first of either variety we've been to where we encountered any resistance. The door required a passcard to open but the bartender let us in. The lone vet inside grilled us for a few minutes about our military status in an obvious attempt to point out that we did not belong, but the bartender convinced him to allow us to stay.
Our Place Bar & Grill (Richmond, MO) [see details ]39735 Business Highway 10
Richmond, MO 64085
(816) 776-9018
Big place off the highway with a stage for bands. Pay for your drinks with exact change or else the bartender may put your change directly in the tip jar without asking first!
Hide a Way Bar (Richmond, MO) [see details ]113 S Shotwell St
Richmond, MO 64085
(816) 776-5252
Tucked away on a side street just west of downtown, we watched some college football and chatted with the bartender.
Depot Tavern (Richmond, MO) [see details ]408 W Lexington St
Richmond, MO 64085
(816) 776-2415
Just around the corner from Hide Away, this bar is adjacent to a skateboard park so has a sign on the door warning those damn kids that if they want drinks of water they better bring their own damn cups.
Shakers Nightclub (Richmond, MO) [see details ]303 Wollard Blvd
Richmond, MO 64085
(816) 776-7095
Modern, clean, and decked out in purple. Also, at $1 a draw, this was the cheapest beer of the day. We thought it odd that the bartender was a large older man in overalls but before we left the shift changed and a younger country girl that fit with the nightclub theme took over.
The Dukes (Richmond, MO) [see details ]815 Wollard Blvd
Richmond, MO 64085
(816) 776-5900
"It was the Dukes it was the Dukes..."
Steakhouse / golf course bar
V.P.'s Bar (Lexington, MO) [see details ]900 Main St
Lexington, MO 64067
(660) 259-4533
The shop next door started as an antique store, but evolved into a restaurant when ebay began cutting into their business. The bar opened a couple of years ago to complement the restaurant. It features lightweight aluminum bar furnishings and the coolest beer glasses I've seen:
Riley's Pub & Grill (Lexington, MO) [see details ]913 Main St
Lexington, MO 64067
(660) 259-4770
We spent some time chatting with a local in this tiny but popular spot in the heart of downtown. The food smelled great!
Lexington Inn Lounge (Lexington, MO) [see details ]1078 N Outer Rd
Lexington, MO 64067
(660) 259-9025
aka "Edge of Town"
This motel bar is a popular hangout, especially at the end of hospital shifts, and gets pretty packed.
Red Dawg Saloon (Buckner, MO) [see details ]315 S Hudson St
Buckner, MO 64016
(816) 650-6265
http://thereddawgsaloon.com/ I was excited about seeing the bar famous for its bartender flipping out and attacking a patron a couple of years ago. However we soon discovered that the original was gone and this was a new, much larger incarnation across the street from the old saloon.
Jersey's Sports Cafe (Ripley, Independence, MO) [see details ]17307 E US Highway 24
Independence, MO 64056
(816) 257-1771
We grabbed some Guinness and played a few games of Silver Strike. I was way off my game. Just like I have been with bowling in real life.
Dr Pikl's (Ripley, Independence, MO) [see details ]16606 E US-24
Independence, MO 64056
We finished the evening relaxing at a table covered in photos before finally calling it a night.
Paradise Pointe Clubhouse Bar (Paradise Pointe, Smithville, MO) [see details ]13th Street Bar & Grill (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]417 E 13th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 221-3313
Decent lunchtime bar & grill but no evening hours. Eventually closed. Re-opened under new owners who tried to turn it into a night-weekend business. But the hours they were open were spotty and unreliable, making it hard to establish a customer base. Went out of business in late 2007.
Now it's the home of Tarantino's. And now it's the home of Power & Light Grille.
McFadden's (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1330 Grand
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 471-1330
http://www.mcfaddenskc.com/ Initially positioned itself as an Irish sports bar but it's really neither. Food is good, service is spotty. Gets crowded at night with the striped-shirt set.
Mac's South KC Jazz & Blues (Hickman Mills, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]11816 Blue Ridge Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64134
(816) 763-9400
Practically in Grandview but technically in Kansas City, Mac's South KC Jazz & Blues is both a popular neighborhood lounge and regional music destination.
Open from 4pm to 2am, in evening Mac's might remind one of "Cheers", a relaxing place with friendly, familiar faces every day. After 10:00 the younger crowd comes in and Mac's transforms into an energized dance club.
(We were invited in before opening to take some photos. The photo above with the crowd is one we found on the Internet.)
If you're hungry, the daily bar food includes wings, fish, and shrimp. On Sundays and Tuesdays the dinner special is pork chops with chicken rice and gravy.
For entertainment, there are dart leagues Wednesdays and Thursdays, and a DJ on Tuesdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. There is also a live band once a month.
Mac's is where KC native and rising star Tech N9ne launched his career. Some of Mac's guests also include comedian Reynaldo Rey, as well as the Blue Angels, both of whom stop in whenever they are in town.
In business for 10 years, Mac's is owned by the McKenzie family. Ken McKenzie runs the club, and his wife Etta is also active in the local business community.
Mac's is on the north side of Blue Ridge Blvd, a quarter mile northeast of US 71 Hwy. Most of the parking is in the rear, so don't be scared away if the front lot looks full.
Brio Tuscan Grill (Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Ranch House (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1505 SE AA Hwy
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 229-4720
Technically in unincorporated Jackson County, the Ranch House is believed to be the oldest bar in Eastern Jackson County, both in terms of continuous operation as the same bar and in terms of the age of the building housing it.
Our bartender was extremely friendly and helpful, giving us information about the locations of all sorts of bars in Blue Springs to help us start off our day.
Gridiron Lounge (Downtown, Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1123 W Main St
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 229-9517
The Gridiron is the end point for one of the world's shortest St. Patrick's Day Parades, an annual tradition for over 3 decades. The parade begins across the street at the old Lowe's Drug building and has a total length of 66 feet.
One thing that was amusing to us was the restroom. Tiny side-by-side stalls for women and men opened to a common sink. The stalls were so small that the men's stall had a notch cut in the door so that it could be closed without hitting the toilet. The toilet itself had a makeshift tank lid fabricated out of a piece of sheet metal. A true classic.
By the way if you are a KU fan, stay away. You'll be mocked and ridiculed until you cry.
Clancy's Cafe & Pub (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]800 NW South Outer Rd
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 229-2233
http://www.clancyscafeandpub.com/ Lots of beers on tap, but nothing any of us hadn't had before so we stuck with the basics. Too clean and too big of draws for our tastes, but many consider this a Blue Springs bar staple.
Trouser Mouse Bar & Grill (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]625 NW Mock Ave
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 220-1222
http://www.trousermousebar.com/ Blues, Jazz, Bluegrass, & Rockabilly venue in a strip mall. Several pool tables, too.
The coin boxes on the pool tables were being emptied while we were here and I never realized how much money pool tables make. Sounded like slot machines.
Twin Stroke Bar & Grill (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]501 NW Vesper St
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 224-6188
http://www.myspace.com/twinstroke Despite how it looks in the photo, this place was pretty busy and we lucked into the last 3 open seats in the house.
Special Kay's Pub & Grub (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1513 SW State Route 7
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 229-9229
When we asked for 10-oz draws our bartender asked us why we wanted such small beers. Not wanting to get into too much detail about our plans for the day we just said that we were on lunch break for work. "Where do you work?" she asked. Not wanting to get trapped, I said "Oh, we all work at different places and just decided to meet up here for a beer."
With our 10-ouncers in hand, we settled down to play the trivia box.
The odd centerpiece of this bar is the televangelist-style image of (presumably) the owners, painted onto a mirror...
Stick's Bar & Grill (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]786 SW 40 Hwy
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 220-2280
Pool hall. I can't remember if we played any pool, but I'm pretty sure we introduced D to Silver Strike here.
Night Shades (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1325 West 40 Highway
Blue Springs, MO 64105
(816)229-4548
http://www.myspace.com/night_shadesbs This bar had no sign and at the time wasn't listed in Google, but we found the name on a drink special sign inside. We played the trivia box here and it was an unbelievable 50 cents a credit, but D insisted several times throughout the remainder of the day that it was worth it because the box itself looked "very sleek" and "modern". :)
Firehouse Bar (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1222 NW Woods Chapel Rd
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 220-3735
We played a made-up "Foods You Will Or Will Not Eat" drinking game, then noticed some "timely" fire related decor:
Wise Guy's Bar & Grill (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1405 NW Woods Chapel Rd
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 228-6656
I'd always thought this was a convenience store or liquor store, I never realized until now that it was a bar.
Edge of Town (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]960 SW 37th St
Blue Springs, MO 64015
(816) 224-0595
http://edgeoftowncafe.com/ B had said we'd be carded harder here than any other place, and he was right. All 3 of us were carded... sort of. The bartender changed her mind about carding me after checking D's and B's IDs. :)
One odd thing about the layout of this bar is that while the women's restroom is inside, you have to physically leave the bar to get to the men's restroom.
Tool Shed Cocktail Lounge (Knobtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]14940 E US Highway 40
Kansas City, MO 64136
(816) 373-1747
It was my turn to buy so B & D went to use the restroom while I ordered us three beers. The bartender poured the drinks, returned to where I was standing with my hand outstretched with money, and said "Where did he go? Did he order three beers and walk out?" The customer next to me started laughing and said "He's right here!" "Good thing she's cute, huh?" he leaned in towards me to say.
The walls of the men's room were white, but I'm told that they used to be covered with centerfolds that someone had meticulously cut out and glued to the walls.
Doc Hollidays Bar & Grill (Knobtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]14816 E US Highway 40
Kansas City, MO 64136
(816) 478-0766
http://www.myspace.com/dochollidaysbarandgrill Just down the road from Tool Shed, this place is also technically in Kansas City (just barely) and was very busy.
Realizing we hadn't eaten all day we got ourselves an appetizer of fried pepper jack balls and they were really good.
Hot Shots (Independence, MO) [see details ]13520 E US Highway 40
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 478-3183
This bar was just a few hundred feet west of Doc Holliday's but located in Independence. If laws prohibiting smoking in bars is good for business it wasn't apparent here -- this was a big place but the three of us made up half the patrons present. We played the trivia box (which D complained wasn't as cool looking as the one back at Night Shades) and considered another appetizer but didn't see anything on the menu we wanted.
Secrets Lounge (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Pizza Hut )
12949 E US Highway 40
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 356-5477
Several minutes after our arrival, the architecturally-observant D noted that he thought this place might have formerly been a Pizza Hut.
Time Out Lounge (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ]10215 E US Highway 40 # A
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 358-3302
I believe we played some Silver Strike here. I think this was also the place with an interesting men's room. A toilet and urinal were positioned side-by-side, which isn't unusual in dive bars. Was
was unusual, though, was the bar stool positioned in the corner behind them, as if offering a place to wait and watch for an opening.
B decided that this stool was actually a challenge to see if your stream could reach the bowl from the chair. It's almost unfortunate that I wasn't present to record the semi-successful effort.
Harvey's Tavern (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ]10129 E US Highway 40
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 358-1002
The place with a fireplace and stuffed deer heads in the back room. After enjoying the warmth of the fire for a while we played some more Silver Strike.
Bamboo Hut (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ]10111 E US Highway 40
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 353-9472
Serves up stek & fried chicken
A quick walk from Harvey's. Our bartender didn't seem veery receptive to us at first but quickly warmed up to us a few minutes later after the only other customers in the place had left.
Independence's ban on smoking in bars Sandbar (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ]9807 E Us Highway 40
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 313-2091
We took turns playing pool and hanging out with the stuffed-and-mounted residents.
After I sent the cue ball flying across the room I decided to let D take over for me in the game I was playing against B.
R G's (40 Hwy, Independence, MO) [see details ]9100 E 35th St S
Independence, MO 64052
(816) 358-5777
This was confusing because the marquee sign had me convinced this was a Chinese restaurant, but inside it was all bar. We played darts, surprisingly well for after 20 beers. A case of the hiccups frustrated me early in the game but I overcame them shortly.
D noticed this claw machine and we realized we had seen about 4 of them during the day. Kind of an odd thing to see in a bar.
415. Keyhole Tavern (Downtown, Mission, KS) [see details ]5902 Woodson Rd
Mission, KS 66202
(913) 262-9881
Neighborhood dive/sports bar tucked away on a side street in downtown Mission.
Martini Loft at The Aladdin (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1215 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 421-8888
http://tinyurl.com/4csq5e The tiny bar on the mezzanine level of the Aladdin Hotel. Visited during a scavenger hunt. At first the bartender seemed perturbed but he quickly warmed up and helped us find items for our list. I'm pretty sure we distracted the lone customer, though.
Tootsies (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1818 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 471-7704
http://www.myspace.com/tootsiesbar Visited during a scavenger hunt. Who says 4 guys can't go to a lesbian bar? They had just opened for the day so the place was almost empty, but our bartender was very happy to help us find things for our hunt. She even gave Bill a dance, marking off one of the items on our list.
Michael Smith's Restaurant (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1900 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 842-2202
http://michaelsmithkc.com/ Visited during a scavenger hunt. I wasn't sure how welcome we'd be at the bar of a fine dining restaurant but our bartender thought what we were doing was fun and he and a waitress gave us a good deal of assistance.
1924 Main (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Hereford House (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]2 E 20th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 842-1080
http://www.herefordhouse.com/ I've been here on 2 different scavenger hunts.
On the first, a couple sitting at the other end of the bar were fascinated by the scavenger hunt and helped us out by letting Brad buy one of them a beer.
On the second, we mentioned our hard luck finding someone in a Royals t-shirt. A man at the bar happened to have one, went to his car to get it, and gave it to us!
(We also got a slap out of the deal, another item on our list.)
Balanca's (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1809 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 474-6369
http://www.balancaskc.com/ The first time I visited I got the cold shoulder. Since then I've had a great time and the staff has been more friendly.
An all-lifestyles/swingers bar, but don't let that scare you away if you're not into that sort of thing.
Blackjack Bar (Ameristar Casino, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Boomer's Sports Bar (Purcell, OK) [see details ]126 W Main St
Purcell, OK 73080
(405) 527-3404
Boomers is located right in the heart of downtown Purcell. It's slightly larger than most small town bars and a little cleaner than many I've been in too.
The bar sometimes hosts live bands, though there wasn't anything like that going on while I was there. It was a mix of mostly older folk and a few younger folk. Our bartender took time to converse with us despite being fairly busy.
Overall, a good but typical small town bar.
Industry Bar (Dallas, TX) [see details ]5427 Belt Line Rd
Dallas, TX 75254
(972) 763-1600
http://www.industrybardallas.com/ Maybe I went on the wrong night of the week. I've heard great things about this bar and I wanted to like it, but it just didn't come off right for me. It didn't seem to be the fault of the bar itself, more the crowd. It was PACKED (how we managed to actually get a table is beyond me).
Though there were a few older people, overall the crowd was young... VERY young... and much of it was people trying to look and act cool (but failing at best, others were coming off as douches).
Based on what I know of the bar, I'd probably have loved it if I'd gotten there earlier when it wasn't so crowded. I may give it another shot next time I'm in that area.
Jake's Joint (Plano, TX) [see details ]701 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 398-9900
Played a lot of trivia here
Austin Avenue Grill & Bar (Plano, TX) [see details ]935 W Parker Rd # 410
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 422-8003
http://www.myspace.com/austinavenue Huge places divided into multiple rooms -- each room with its own format.
A private club to get around the local smoking ban. Membership was easy.
Al's Hideaway (Dallas, TX) [see details ]14902 Preston Rd
Dallas, TX 75254
(972) 233-0500
A private club to get around the local smoking ban. Membership was easy.
Flying Saucer (Addison, TX) [see details ]Plano Super Bowl (Plano, TX) [see details ]2521 K Ave
Plano, TX 75074
(972) 881-0242
Bowling alley bar, but totally isolated from the bowling alley.
West End Pub (West End, Dallas, TX) [see details ]Cadillac Bar (West End, Dallas, TX) [see details ]Spiatza Pizza & Pasta Co (West End, Dallas, TX) [see details ]2001 N Lamar St # 125
Dallas, TX 75202
(214) 999-0066
Pizza/pasta place with a mid-sized bar.
Garozzo's Ristorante (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]526 Harrison St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 221-2455
http://www.garozzos.com/ Formal restaurant, the bar is well-separated from the dining area so can be enjoyed on its own.
Old Chicago (Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details ]Neighbors Cocktail Lounge (Leeds, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]9025 E 35th St
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 924-0244
Having been kicked out of this place at the end of our last run through Independence (one member of our gang was visibly drunk when we arrived), we decided to make this our first stop of the day. We arrived around 10:30 in the morning and found they had already been open for a while. We ended up having to sit at a table as there weren't two seats open at the bar.
Rack Daddy's (Ripley, Independence, MO) [see details ]305 N State Route 291
Independence, MO 64056
(816) 257-1529
We took a couple of seats at the bar populated by older, blue-collar men. B needed to break a large bill but was worried it might be too early. "Oh, it's no problem," the bartender laughed. "We opened at 6am and those guys have been slamming back beers all morning. I have plenty of change."
We noticed that one customer had a metal claw for a hand. There was also a claw machine against one wall. Unfortunately the photo opp never happened. :)
Cosmo's (Ripley, Independence, MO) [see details ]15700 E US Highway 24
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 836-1000
This was the first of many bars we went to today where the bartender lamented that they have lost business due to Independence's smoking ban. So many bartenders today wanted to know where all the nonsmokers were who supposedly would start going out once they got their ban.
However, at first, this place actually saw increased business last summer due to being one of the only places in the city with a patio. But with the weather cold, the business has dropped off.
Down the Road Lounge (Independence, MO) [see details ]1200 E US Highway 24
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 254-0550
This is kind of cool... a former Mugs Up Root Beer restaurant that has been converted to a bar, and a pretty nice one on the inside at that! Over 30 years ago I likely had a root beer here, now I've had a real beer here.
Wild Stallion Saloon (Independence, MO) [see details ]1016 N Doris Ave
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 836-0123
Big John's Corner Bar (The Square, Independence, MO) [see details ]213 W Maple Ave
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 461-9790
A very tiny, long-standing institution in the heart of downtown Independence. Since this was my first visit we were entitled to their free Virgin Shots... other than the alcohol-infused cherry to pop the ingredients remain a mystery.
The restrooms here were essentially closets, and this is the 4th bar I've been to where the sink is outside the restrooms. So everyone knows if you washed your hands!
Tommy's Tavern (The Square, Independence, MO) [see details ]217 S Main St
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 461-3000
On the edge of the Independence Square. I missed the parking lot so we circled around the block and parked in the alley. We sat at the far end of the L-shaped bar and played some Mystery Phrase while trying to determine the purpose of a strange electrical device in one of the windows.
Scrawled just above the handle on the inside of the men's room door was this message to anyone who dared not wash up:
Players Club Bar & Grill (Independence, MO) [see details ]1501 S Noland Rd
Independence, MO 64055
(816) 836-9400
This former Mr. Steak restaurant was bought, gutted, and transformed into a bar last year by the current owner/bartender.
My beer was flat, but the bartender made it right by making me a mixed drink at no extra charge.
Norm & Betty's (Englewood, Independence, MO) [see details ]11713 E 23rd St S
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 254-9823
We met with Norm and/or Betty and learned how much the smoking ban has hurt their business as well. They've owned this place for decades and only now for the first time have ever worried about getting by.
Tonahill's Three of A Kind (Englewood, Independence, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Cecil's )
11703 E 23rd St S
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 833-5021
Formerly Cecil's, the interior has been renovated to make this place the third Tonahill's location.
On the way out we noticed this message on one of the tables:
Stix & Stones (Sugar Creek, MO) [see details ]11404 E. 24 Hwy
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 833-STIX
http://www.stixstones.com/ We had heard about this as a new place earlier in the day back at
Down The Road but coming across it was actually kind of a fluke... we'd
never have even driven past had heavy traffic not forced us to backtrack a little earlier.
We didn't quite get the name since the inside was decorated mainly with a classic car theme. The beer taps were kinda cool I thought:
We were starting to get hungry but didn't see anything on the appetizer menu that was quite what we were wanting, so after some bar trivia we pressed on...
Verona Room (Sugar Creek, MO) [see details ]11216 E US Highway 24
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 252-2111
It'd be very easy to miss this little bar attached to (but isolated from) the corner of a small bowling alley.
Tonahill Sugar Inn (Sugar Creek, MO) [see details ]719 N Sterling Ave
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 461-3232
Our second Tonahill location for the day.
We'd later end up revisiting this bar in June 2010 as Cuzzy's. We had thought it was a new bar for us, but recognized it when we arrived.
Here's some pictures from the second visit:
Kross Lounge & Restaurant (Sugar Creek, MO) [see details ]605 N Sterling Ave
Sugar Creek, MO 64054
(816) 254-9494
http://www.krosslounge.com/ It was kind of a shame we had just had Taco Bell, because the food available at the bar here looked pretty good and wasn't expensive at all.
Calico Cat (Fairmount, Independence, MO) [see details ]10325 E Independence Ave
Independence, MO 64053
(816) 461-9643
A customer at Down The Road had told us this morning about his lifelong ban from The Calico Cat, and I've heard from a number of sources about this being the filthiest, scummiest bar I'd ever see.
Well, when you've seen hundreds of bars, the odds are you've seen scummier. And I must have, because this place didn't really seem all that bad to me.
Bills Pappys Den (Maywood, Independence, MO) [see details ]10805 E Truman Rd
Independence, MO 64052
(816) 461-9345
We did some quick backtracking after the Calico Cat when we realized we were on the verge of missing a couple of spots on Truman Road. We weren't 100% sure at first what place this was but we found identifying info inside. I believe we played some Silver Strike while we were here.
Tonahill's South (Maywood, Independence, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Charlie's )
10817 E Truman Rd
Independence, MO 64052
(816) 252-2560
Formerly Charlie's, then Tonahill's South, then a closed bar, it's now Tonahill's South once again, albeit leased out. Our bartender was a recent transplant from the west coast. This completed our tour of the Tonahill bars.
Cozy Inn (Fairmount, Independence, MO) [see details ]10042 E Wilson Rd
Independence, MO 64053
(816) 461-9562
Re-backtracking back to where we were about to go when we realized we needed to backtrack, we came across this little dive near some railroad tracks.
We played the
Bags game and made friends with this little guy sitting next to us:
Lafferty's (East Side, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]6301 Blue Pkwy
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 924-6888
http://www.laffertyslounge.com/ I've been driving by this place for over 20 years and never been inside until tonight. A guy playing pool helped us out with directions to a few other locations. In return, we bought him a drink. Except, after we left, we realized we forgot to pay for his drink! Oops!
Flamingo Lounge (East Side, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8642 E 63rd St
Kansas City, MO 64133
(816) 353-9667
http://www.myspace.com/flamingoloungekc "We're going to be the only white people in here," said B. "Naw, this is going to be pretty much all white," I replied. I wish we had bet, as I was right.
The place was divided into two rooms separated by the bar in the middle. On one side a dart league was underway, on the other a billiards league.
Eclipse Bar & Grill (Raytown, MO) [see details ]6512 Raytown Rd
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 356-0550
Since we were pointing this way we decided to head on into Raytown to pick up a coupe of places we'd missed on an earlier Raytown run a couple of years ago. We started off at The Eclipse, where we played some more Silver Strike.
Daily Double Lounge (Raytown, MO) [see details ]11509 E 63rd St
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-1730
Then, after getting turned around on unfamiliar roads, we stumbled across another spot on our list while trying to find out way back tot he main road. I had my only Guinness of the day here, and saw my first Guinness Surger.
Bob's In Motion (East Side, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5709 Troost Ave
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 523-9111
aka Mr. Bob's Place
Security hit us the second we stepped in but gave us the ok. I struck up a brief conversation with another guy at the bar while B used the restroom but for the most part no one talked to us. We watched a game of pool and some dancing, then headed on up the road.
Rumor has it no one under the age of 30 is admitted.
Mike's Tavern (UMKC, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5424 Troost Ave
Kansas City, MO 64110
(816) 444-3399
http://www.mikestavernkc.com/ Our last stop of the evening corrected a 15-year-old injustice. This is essentially the college bar for UMKC and Rockhurst. But on my one and only visit in college, I drank only a Sprite!
This place was packed for a Monday night. We played Silver Strike again, this time a few games of trick bowling.
Dicarlo's Mustard Seed (Knobtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Maniax )
15015 E Highway 40
Kansas City, MO 64136
(816) 373-4240
http://www.restaurant.com/microsite.asp?rid=337049 Mexican restaurant / burger joint / bar / dance
This place changes its name and format every few years but has always had the same owner.
Living Room Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]14th & Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64106
http://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/ In the center of the courtyard of the KC Live! block of the Power & Light District. An entirely outdoor bar. Closed in the winter.
Crosstown Station (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Flying Saucer (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Lucky Strike (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]PBR Big Sky (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Final Approach Pub (Tiffany Springs, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]10024 NW Ambassador Dr
Kansas City, MO 64153
(816) 891-9431
Stopped by here for a Guinness after dropping a co-worker off at an airport. By doing so, I got caught later in a torrential thunderstorm.
Dave & Busters (The Legends, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1843 Village West Pkwy # 201
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 981-6815
http://www.daveandbusters.com/ Arcade bar & grill, but the rooftop bar is a nice escape since kids are banned.
Twist (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Sarah's On Grand )
1815 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64108
Looked like a nice little martini bar, but nothing seems to lats long in this location.
Puckett's (Baldwin City, KS) [see details ]309 Ames
Baldwin City, KS 66006
Puckett's is in a converted gas station, with the pump canopy still in place in the parking lot. From the color scheme on the canopy it was likely a Texaco or a Phillips 66.
B ordered a PBR, D a Bud Light, and I ordered a Coors Light. Our beer was served in mason jars.
This was a surprising find. Usually you see these machines at Chuck E. Cheese or Dave & Busters, where you gamble for tokens. In this case it was filled with quarters. I wonder if this is even legal in Kansas.
Salt Mine (Baldwin City, KS) [see details ]301 Ames St
Baldwin City, KS 66006
(785) 594-2498
It took us quite a while to find the Salt Mine earlier in the morning, which is funny because it was right next door to Puckett's. Until the beer signs lit up we thought this was a house.
Like Puckett's it used dollar bills as wallpaper, but to a much greater degree. Unlike Puckett's, it seemed to be the college kid hangout as 7 students from nearby Baker University showed up in 7 different cars and sat together talking about their classes.
I had a Boulevard Stout, while B & D had Bud Light. The draws here were a little large, which is probably what draws the college kids, so we played some trivia while finishing our drinks.
Wooden Spoke Rest & Sports Sln (Baldwin City, KS) [see details ]203 1st St
Baldwin City, KS 66006
(785) 594-2222
We were hesitant to enter because it looked too much like a Cracker Barrel. But inside we found a legitimate bar.
Tracy's Tavern (Edgerton, KS) [see details ]100 E 2nd St
Edgerton, KS 66021
(913) 893-9949
This was almost our first stop for the day, as it was already open when we first passed through at 10:15, but we made a last-minute decision to press on to Baldwin City first.
We violated our 1-drink-per-bar rule by ordering a pitcher of Busch Light due to the price. This gave us a lot of time to discuss video games and game systems. Our bartender, who bore a vague resemblance to Ron Jeremy, gave us a wealth of tips about bars to visit in Gardner and Olathe.
BJ's Oasis (Gardner, KS) [see details ]132 E Main St
Gardner, KS 66030
(913) 884-2107
This was the darkest bar we went to by far. We were blind for a few moments upon entering, then re-blinded when we stepped back outside.
We all had Bud Light draws.
I took a break to use the restroom. The restroom area had an exterior sink and 2 unmarked doors for the toilets. While I was taking care of business I noticed that all of the graffiti was in women's handwriting.
"I don't know if it matters which door you choose," I said upon returning, "but if it does, I choose poorly."
B & D started snickering, both having chosen the correct door. I went back for another look and discovered that the men's room was indeed labeled, in marker, but the text was visible only if standing directly in front of it.
We all dug the antique cigarette machine. It was currently empty but the owner said it does indeed still work.
Tumbleweed Saloon Bar & Grill (Gardner, KS) [see details ]615 E Main St
Gardner, KS 66030
(913) 884-9594
Everyone keeps trying to sell us more beer than we want evern though we're fine with paying a higher price for single draws. We ended up settling on a mini-pitcher of Bud Select.
Wally's Neighborhood Bar-Grill (Gardner, KS) [see details ]808 E Main St
Gardner, KS 66030
(913) 856-3885
Strip mall chain
Austins Bar & Grill (Gardner, KS) [see details ]245 N Moonlight Rd
Gardner, KS 66030
(913) 856-6965
http://www.austinsbarandgrill.com/ Like Wally's, another small regional strip mall bar & grill chain. I had a Guinness, while B & D had Bud Select. B&D opted for 20oz draws since they were cheaper, so we played trivia in order to allow them time to finish.
Double Nickel Bar & Grill (Olathe, KS) [see details ]189 S Rogers Rd # 1614
Olathe, KS 66062
(913) 782-4140
http://www.myspace.com/doubnick55 I nearly used the women's restroom for the second time today! Luckily I was corrected by a passing server. In my defense, the doors of both restrooms were propped open, hiding the signs. Though B&D both insist there was exterior signage that I overlooked.
Jobsite (Olathe, KS) [see details ]1318 E Park St
Olathe, KS 66061
(913) 782-2449
http://www.jobsitebarandgrill.com/ I had a Bud Light while B & D both had Bud Select. We found a Silver Strike machine, where I proceeded to bowl my second worst game in nearly 2 years. At least I managed to use the correct restroom on the first try.
Note the stripper pole...
D found a bar game that dispenses porno DVDs as the prizes! We couldn't decide between "Peter Girls" and "Heat Strokes" though.
Bad news... the machine ended up eating B's quarter.
Mulligans Bar & Grill (Olathe, KS) [see details ]911 S Parker St # D
Olathe, KS 66061
(913) 764-3884
This was also a private club, but we were allowed in as guests. The bartender insisted on selling us a pitcher of Bud Light.
We didn't want to drink all that beer so after one each we gave the remainder of our pitcher to a group at a nearby table.
Brickyard (Olathe, KS) [see details ]1001 S Weaver St
Olathe, KS 66061
(913) 780-0266
http://www.olathebrickyard.com/ Another private club. After showing the bartender our out-of-state (Missouri) IDs, we were allowed to sign in as new registrations.
As we entered the bar we noticed a tough looking guy standing outside in hot pants. D asked the bartender about it and she was puzzled at first, then realized what he was talking about.
"Haha! That's the owner!" she laughed. "We're always kidding him about it, telling him Daisy Duke called asking for her shorts back."
If you're a guy and need to take a crap, you're S.O.L. here. By the way, make sure no one is behind you when you are taking photos in a men's room. Kinda embarrassing.
Pickering's Restaurant & Pub (Olathe, KS) [see details ]11922 S Strang Line Rd
Olathe, KS 66062
(913) 782-6464
A pretty generic strip mall bar & grill.
Final Approach Bar & Grill (Overland Park, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Mulvaney's Beef & Brew )
7955 Frontage Rd
Overland Park, KS 66204
(913) 648-6005
Formerly Mulvaney's Beef and Brew, I thought Google Maps was wrong when it identified this place as Final Approach. Nope, it turns out the owner of the popular Tiffany Springs bar of the same name bought Mulvaney's to open a second location. Our bartender was a transplant from the original location.
Incidentaly the original location has been sold, though it still operates as Final Approach as well.
The internet jukebox was continuously pausing to buffer. Don't those things download the entire song first??
Jackson's Bar & Grill (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]7405 Nieman Rd
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 766-5225
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=404019096 This was an unexpected bonus find and turned out to be one of our more entertaining stops.
As D sipped his Bud Light and B & I sipped our Coors Lights, a news story was on the TV about the suicide of the alleged anthrax mailer.
I wondered aloud if we'd ever know the real reason behind the attacks, and B wondered if the government would even allow a suicide note to be published in the media. He used an analogy of "What if a scientist died and left a suicide note describing exactly what is really at Area 51?"
"Did I hear you correctly?" came a voice from the end of the bar. "Did you say you've been to Area 51?
"No, no," B said, "I was just using that as an example. I was..."
"Oh that's cool," the stranger interrupted. "I love talking about Area 51, that's one of my favorite topics."
"Oh yeah?" B replied. "Then you need to talk to this guy," B said, pointing to his brother, D. "He's a scientist and knows all about that stuff."
B then excused himself from the conversation while I pretended to receive a phone call.
The ensuing ponderings frum this dude were priceless:
"I have a theory. This can't be the only planet in the solar system. This [pause] just can't be the [pause], it can't be the only planet God created in the entire Galaxy. I mean, he's like a smart dude."
Bilski's Bar & Grill (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]5831 Merriam Dr
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 831-2337
We entered a neighborhood where I fully expected to find bonus bars, and this was the first such find. This was another bar where the bartender insisted on selling us a pitcher, even though he would have made more money selling us draws and it would have been no more work for him.
Behind my head was a display of autographed baseballs that someone had draped a set of Mardis Gras beads on. B mistook this for some sort of game and tried to get D to remove and rearrange the balls.
Just as we told the bartender would be the case, we did not wish to finish our pitcher and gave the second half to two women sitting at the bar. Not only did the bar get a couple bucks less from us than they would have if they had sold us what we wanted, now these two women had extra drinks that no one was paying for. Oh well.
Chief's Bar & Grill (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]5541 Merriam Dr
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 831-3250
As we stepped inside we were met by two women who were sitting just inside the front door, and one of them asked B if I was his dad. This irritated me to no end, since I am only a year older than B. Naturally, B hammed this up for the entire visit, calling me "pops" and putting his head on my shoulder to tell me how much he loves his dear old dad.
KC's Neighborhood Bar & Grill (Merriam, KS) [see details ]10201 W 47th St
Merriam, KS 66203
(913) 262-7211
We were about to give up on finding this place, because the neighborhood was just seeming way too residential and we figured we had to have bad information. We were stunned when suddenly, there it was, in a tiny strip mall anchored by a gas station.
This place too was a private club. We were asked repeatedly for club IDs but kept pretending not to hear. After a while it was forgotten about.
Just before we played some free games of Silver Strike and Bags, the bartender demonstrated with B's PBR that the Guinness Surger actually works with any beer... except that it has the side effect of making non-Guinness beers go flat.
Double T's Roadhouse (Merriam Lane, Kansas City, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Miss Kitty's )
421 Merriam Ln
Kansas City, KS 66103
(913) 432-5555
After getting extremely lost (only Kansas would have a 47th Street curve around on itself and then intersect with a perpendicular 47th Avenue) we finally got back on track and found our way to a cluster of biker bars I had been excited for a long time about visiting.
So imagine my disappointment when we stepped inside and were hit with a $2 cover charge.
We left, but then B said "Hold on, let me talk to them."
D and I waited outside for B to inevitably be thrown out. And waited. And waited. Then the door opened.
"We're good, come on in," B said. We were stunned.
It turned out the owners, Tony and "Taco" (the T's of Double T's were seated just inside and agreed to let us come in to buy a drink and see the place as long as we left before the band finished setting up.
Formerly a club called Ms. Kitty's, Double T's was quite nice on the inside and had a good stage area. Unfortunately for us the band set up pretty quickly so we were not able to stay for long.
Thank you, T & T!!
Hitching Post (Merriam Lane, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]1328 Merriam Ln
Kansas City, KS 66103
(913) 677-3949
http://www.myspace.com/hitch_post Across the street from Double T's, and thankfully lacking in a cover charge. Getting here was a bit tricky though as the high humidity kept fogging up our windows. :)
B & D played darts, while I tried repeatedly to use the men's room only to have someone beat me to it each time. (I know I should have stood and waited but I had other things I wanted to be doing.) When I finally did get to go inside, I found that the condom mechine also dispenses erotic photos. Once I discovered that I was careful not to touch anything in there.
Jaywalkers (KU Med Center area, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]3916 Rainbow Blvd
Kansas City, KS 66103
(913) 671-7464
This wasn't on our planned route but we decided to knock this one out since we were in the general area. It was probably the lamest of the places we visited, it was packed with the "see and be seen" crowd. Though there's something kind of ironic about going to a converted fast-food restaurant to see and be seen.
Camaro's Lounge (Bethany, MO) [see details ]22208 E Us Highway 136
Bethany, MO 64424
(660) 425-6665
Our draws (Bud Light & Busch Light) were the most expensive of the day, at $2.50 each. It may seem cheap to you, but that's really high for the small town bars we typically visit.
The building is divided into two well-distinguished sections: a steakhouse buffet on the west end and the lounge on the east end. The lounge is decorated with Camaro and racing themes, with a small stage in the northeast corner.
Toot-Toot Lounge (Bethany, MO) [see details ]2905 Miller St
Bethany, MO 64424
(660) 425-6662
This is another place that is half buffet restaurant (very famous and apparently very good), with a seperate and well-isolated lounge.
You enter the bar through that door on the right in the photo. However, the bar is not downstairs, it's upstairs. And do you go up by way of stairs? Nope... you go up by way of the steepest ramp I have ever seen. We got a chuckle imagining how many people must have stumbled and rolled all the way down at the end of a good bender.
For our beer selection, we chose the beer we saw advertised at the previous bar: MGD64. A 12-ounce beer with only 64 calories.
"You sure you guys want this? It's only 3.2% alcohol..." our bartender asked us after he'd already opened them and put them before us.
You know those frilly fru-fru brands of bottled water infused with hints of fruit flavor? Now imagine one of those except instead of fruit it's hints of beer flavor. That's about what MGD64 is. Sorry, there's really no reason to drink this.
Long Creek Saloon (Bethany, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Double D Saloon )
205 S 16th St
Bethany, MO 64424
(660) 425-8650
From my 2008 visit:
We had this down on our list as the "Double D Saloon" so it must have changed hands in the recent past. This place was pretty busy, filled with rough-and-tough looking dudes ranging in age from their late 20s to late 60s. One older guy near the door in this small room chatted loudly on his phone with some people who had apparently gone to the wrong bar while others shot him annoyed glances as they tried to pay attention to the episode of "Gunsmoke" playing on the TV.
From my 2010 visit:
Wow, what a difference! This place has really re-invented itself. The new owner has somehow made it twice the size it used to be even through the exterior change is very subtle. It's also been fixed up a lot on the inside. The bar itself is new, curved, and seats a lot more people. It's almost what you'd call a classy joint! :) The crowd seems younger than what I remember from the past, and the additional space means Long Creek can now host live music.
Southside Tavern (Gallatin, MO) [see details ]903 S Main St
Gallatin, MO 64640
(660) 663-4094
We had a hard time finding this place because the GPS unit in the car kept telling us it was on the downtown square. We could not find it anywhere, but we knew it existed because we had called ahead to confirm. Finally I checked Google Maps on my phone and noticed it was placing the bar a few blocks further south. We followed Google's lead and found the bar moments later.
"Did this place used to be further north?" we asked the bartender.
"Nope, it's been here as long as I can remember," she said.
"Actually it used to be down on the square," chimed a customer sitting at a nearby table. "About 3 years ago I think it was."
So it looks like B needs to update his GPS database. :)
At first this place seemed pretty run-of-the-mill, but it did have one thing in particular that made it unique: Coasters cut from carpet.
Jamesport Tavern (Jamesport, MO) [see details ]209 S Broadway St
Jamesport, MO 64648
(660) 684-9906
When you think of the Amish, do you think beer? Neither do we. So when we heard that there was a bar in the Amish town of Jamesport, MO, it was time for a little road trip.
As Missouri's largest Amish community, the horse-and-buggy easily outnumbered the automobile as we arrived in town. We found the tavern on a quaint downtown street, and parked in a small gravel lot next door.
The first thing we noticed was two hand-painted pub signs with arrows pointing towards the door.
The second thing we noticed was a sign we'd never seen on a bar before: a handwritten sign in the window stating that guns are available for purchase inside.
As it turns out, the bar's owners Jim and Shirley are members of the National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association. They build their own black powder rifles and pistols and sell them at the bar. They also do restoration work on black powder guns and supplies.
We entered the Jamesport Tavern at about 2:10 on a Saturday afternoon, becoming perhaps the first tourists in the history of Jamesport to come here specifically and only to have a beer here.
Our beer was poured and has happened to me on rare occasion, I was "tricked" by the lightweight clear plastic beer mug and nearly got a faceful of my own brew as I lifted my mug with the force normally required for the glass variety.
Inside, the Jamesport Tavern is typical of many downtown bars in small towns. The jars of pickled eggs were a nice touch, as were the mega-oversized bags of chips. Souvenier bottle-opener keychains and beer koozies were available for purchase. There was also an odd assortment of koozies under the bar for use within the bar.
By the way, before you get depressed and lose your mind because your entire view of the balance of the universe is now in disarray, there is no need to worry. As far as we know, there is still no such thing as an Amish bar. Jamesport Tavern is one of the English merchants mixed in among the Amish businesses.
Saales Tavern (Chillicothe, MO) [see details ]605 Webster St
Chillicothe, MO 64601
(660) 646-1600
We arrived at what is usually a pretty dead time for bars.... the hours between lunch and the after-work crowd. Our bartender seemed bored and lonely. B and I played some trivia as we drank our Budweisers.
This place has the classic grungy dive bar men's restroom...
Particularly noteworthy is the wall that is so badly deteriorated that you can easy see out into the bar from the men's room. And, actually, you can see the toilet and urinal quite clearly from out in the bar, too.
D & J Bar & Grill (Breckenridge, MO) [see details ]645 W Broadway St
Breckenridge, MO 64625
(660) 644-5343
The draws were full pints... which is pretty rare for a place like this where the pours are generally 10 to 12 ounces. So we played some more trivia to kill time while we drank from the textured glasses. We did learn that D&J were the couple who owned the bar, but they split up and "D" left town, but the "J" (Jodie) still runs the place.
Lincoln's Lounge (Polo, MO) [see details ]407 Main St
Polo, MO 64671
(660) 354-3129
Right at the heart of downtown Polo, this place opens at 5am (though I doubt they start pouring drinks that early). It's 1/2 bar, 1/2 diner, and though it's all a big open area there was still a clear separation of the two halves.
On the TV pundits were discussing the presidential candidates, so naturally a mini presidential debate commenced among the older people at the bar. The best exchange in the conversation?
"What would you think if we did have a woman president?"
"I'd be fine with that, because at least she'd be giving the blow jobs."
Overtime Sports Lounge (Lathrop, MO) [see details ]619 Oak St
Lathrop, MO 64465
(816) 528-3860
Lathrop used to have as many as 4 bars at once, by a year ago it was down to just two. Then last year one of the two burned down, leaving Overtime Sports Lounge across the street as the only remaining bar in Lathrop.
This place is pretty nice on the inside, with a polished stone (marble? granite?) bar top and high-backed leather barstools that were beyond comfortable.
Hilltop Tavern (Holt, MO) [see details ]5288 SE PP Hwy
Holt, MO 64048
816-320-2666
This is a pretty big place and B used to hang out here and has known of some brawls breaking out. It wasn't too busy yet during our visit but a big group was on the way for a birthday celebration. We took in some Silver Strike, playing a Red Pin version of the game that we hadn't seen anywhere else before.
Lawson Tavern (Lawson, MO) [see details ]322 N Pennsylvania Ave
Lawson, MO 64062
(816) 296-3888
The fact that this looks like a church is an optical illusion that I didn't notice until later.... the thing that looks like a cross is actually a bar sign viewed edge-on. :)
Dani's Hitch Lot (Downtown, Excelsior Springs, MO) [see details ]259 E Broadway St
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
(816) 637-3264
It wasn't at all by design that my 500th bar turned out to be a brand new bar in the home town of two of my best friends, we had expected that to happen somewhere between Lathrop and Lawson. So to me personally I thought it was really cool that it worked out that way.
Dani's Hitch Lot opened this summer in the space formerly occupied by the Downtowner. However it is three times the size of the old bar... walls have been knocked down extending the bar into two adjacent buildings.
For those unfamiliar with Excelsior Springs, the Hitch Lot is a piece of land downtown that was gifted to the city around the turn of the last century by E.L. "Liv" Morse, with the stipulation that horses never be barred from the land. (Hence the name.) While technically it's probably still legal to tie up your horse there, nowadays it is set aside by the city as a safe place for teenagers to cruise and hang out. Dani's Hitch Lot, while borrowing the landmark name, is a few blocks away on the other end of downtown Excelsior Springs.
Oddly, B and I went back and forth asking for various beers we were in the mood for and they didn't have any of them. Since we were unable to make up our minds, the bartender gave us both Mickey's Malt Liquor.
Centerfield Pub (Excelsior Springs, MO) [see details ]115 Crown Hill Rd.
Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
816-637-2288
This place is so new it doesn't even have signage yet (other than a pole sign facing the interstate) so we had to ask what the name was.
Corner Bar (Downtown, Liberty, MO) [see details ]200 E Kansas St
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 781-5298
With a little bit of time left, we stopped at tiny bar in downtown Liberty that was so dark when we pulled up we thought it had gone out of business. It was moderately busy inside. We got some Coors Light cans and decided to chill for a while, playing some shuffleboard and then some Silver Strike. Liberty's most well-known homeless guy came in and said hello to everyone while we played.
The men's room here is the epitome of a dive bar Men's room. It has enough fixtures that theoretically three peoople could be in here at once, but there's barely room enough for even 1 person to stand and still be able to close the door.
Delaware Cafe (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Indie on Main (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1228 Main
Kansas City, MO 64105
http://midlandkc.com/indieonmain.php From the web site:
This music-centric bar is the best place to grab a drink before and after a show. The Indie on Main features a full bar, appetizers and lounge-style seating. The bar opens at 4 p.m. on show nights and ticket holders inside the bar have the opportunity to enter the venue before doors to the public are opened. On non-show nights, The Indie on Main is open Wednesday - Saturday from 4 p.m. - 3 a.m.
Frederick's Tikki Bar (Turner, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]4448 Speaker Rd
Kansas City, KS 66106
(913) 371-9211
Tiny private club in the railyards. Serves pizza and canned beer. Karaoke on Friday nights.
Blue Moose Bar & Grill (Prairie Village Shops, Prairie Village, KS) [see details ]RC's Restaurant & Lounge (Martin City, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]Kennedy's Bar & Grill - 2 (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]512 W 75th St
Kansas City, MO 64114
(816) 361-9788
With a bare concrete floor and partially-unfinished drywall, Kennedy's currently has virtually no ambiance at all. But that's just fine, because what's important is that a neighborhood institution has survived a devastating fire in this temporary location. A new building has been constructed in the footprint of the original location, and by Christmas 2008 Kennedy's is expected to return home.
Jalisco (Indian Springs, Kansas City, KS) [see details ]5000 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 287-6733
The Pendergast Club (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]931 Broadway
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 471-8484
http://www.kansascitymenus.com/majesticsteakhouse/ (From the web site...)
The Pendergast Club (Boss Tom's Hangout)
A Private Club for Members and Guests Only. Located on the Third Floor of the Historic Fitzpatrick's Saloon Building - the Home of the Majestic Steakhouse. The Club will operate seven days a week from noon until midnight or by reservation. All food and beverage consumed in Club must be purchased through the Majestic Steakhouse. Cigars should be purchased through the Club except for private stock brought in by Charter Members.
J and J Roadhouse (Belton, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Jaudon Hideout )
20300 Holmes Rd
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 331-4867
This was a surprising find. Who'd have expected to find a bar at 203rd & Holmes? And how many people from the KC area have even heard of the unincorporated town of Jaudon (pronounced juh-DAWN) southwest of Belton? Our bartender was eager to fill us in on some of the local history.
The town of Jaudon was organized in 1893 as a stop on the Kansas City and Southern Railroad. It was named for James A. Jaudon, from a family of French settlers in the area on whose land the town was founded.
There a long history of a military presence here, from a nearby training area all the way back to Civil War skirmishes. Our bartender told of stories of homes not too far away still bearing scars, including one with a cannonball still lodged in the chimney.
Which brings us back to the bar. The Roadhouse is actually constructed atop a Civil War era military bunker. The original building has served many purposes throughout its 100+ year life, most recently as a gun shop. An addition was built on the south side of the building several years ago, seamlessly integrating itself to the look and feel of the original building to its north. That addition housed a small bar that was then called the
Jaudon Hideout .
Recently the gun shop closed, and the building underwent a major renovation to expand the bar to fill the entire building. The inside has been renovated to modernize it, all while still retaining the historical feel.
In addition to drinks the bar features a nice menu, with a particular emphasis on buffalo burgers. Amenities include pool tables, several dart boards, and a patio. There is poker 2 Tuesday and Friday nights as well as Sunday afternoon, and karaoke and live blues acts provide entertainment throughout the rest of the week.
Jaudon is located at 203rd & Holmes (MO Hwy D), southwest of Belton, MO. From Kansas City take Holmes south 12-1/2 miles beyond I-435 to 203rd Street. From US-71 take the MO-58 exit and go west through Belton to MO-D (Holmes). Turn left and go 4 miles to 203rd Street.
Butcher's Inn (Raymore, MO) [see details ]422 W Pine St
Raymore, MO 64083
(816) 322-7821
The closest thing to a downtown bar in this town that seems to lack a downtown, Butcher's Inn is hidden away behind the bend in MO-58. The L-shaped bar is nestled into the back of the blue-painted dining area, with a patio off to the side.
McGrew's Pub (Raymore, MO) [see details ]1276 W Foxwood Dr
Raymore, MO 64083
(816) 322-5782
Located in a strip mall off MO-58, McGrew's doesn't fit the usual profile of a suburban strip mall bar. What on the outside looked like a generic chain was genuine local dive on the inside. As we played on the trivia machine (which was prestocked with a couple dozen credits) our surly bartender had no qualms about chewing out her assistants in front of the customers. A good find. :)
Frankie and Johnny's (Belton, MO) [see details ]17209 S. 71 Highway
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 318-1474
http://www.frankieandjohnnyspub.com/ A relative newcomer to Belton in a former bowling alley, this bar was much bigger, and much nicer, than I expected it to be. And in my book this is usually a bad sign. :) However the upscale appearance didn't translate to expensive drinks, and our bartender was very friendly and attentive. The beer was served very cold -- so cold in fact that it was hurting our bartender's hands.
Located off the outer road on the east side of US-71.
The Locker Room (Belton, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Jose Pepper's )
1314 E North Ave
Belton, MO 64012
816) 331-7600
Locker Room opened in September 2008 in a former Jose Pepper's restaurant. The bar has a nice decor that fits the theme well, and our bartender slung drinks with lightning speed while entertaining us with magic tricks (and teaching us how to do them). We were surprised to see children running around, but should have expected that with the word "Family" on the sign out front.
One-Eyed Jacks (Belton, MO) [see details ]114 E North Ave
Belton, MO 64012
(816) 322-2793
I've never seen this place not busy, and this afternoon was no exception. While relatively peaceful on the bar side, the billiards side was crowded and peppered with arguments and bickering. Already this early on the afternoon there was talk of people that needed to be thrown out. This is the kind of place I can see fights likely breaking out at, yet at the same time looks like a fun place to hang out.
Corner Bar (Grandview, MO) [see details ]702 Main St
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 761-9055
http://grandviewcornerbar.com/ Located in downtown Grandview, this was a really good find. Our bartender was a hoot and made some pretty mean looking shots for the regulars. One of these regulars was a woman with the unusual speech impediment of being unable to pronounce the letters "L" or "R". In a good-natured ribbing sort of way, our bartender would ask her questions whose answers would require using these letters, all whilee she sipped her "wemon dwop mahtini". It was all in good fun, it was clear everyone in there was friends.
As we left an older woman seated near the door informed us that this was the best bar in town and invited us to return the next time we were in the area.
Fatheads and Braindeads (Grandview, MO) [see details ]514 Main St
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 761-6060
http://www.fatheadandbraindeadssaloon.com/ 2 blocks west of downtown, Fatheads and Braindeads is a huge and popular biker bar.
We entered through the rear, as had all the employees and the few customers inside. Which was a bad thing, because the angle of the sun was creating such a glare on the tinted front windows that the "Open" sign and lighted beer signs were completely invisible. Couple with no cars in the front lot, it created an illusion that the bar was closed. We saw numerous cars pull into the lot, drive by slowly, and leave. One of the employees started running to the front door each time trying to wave people in, but her efforts went unnoticed. So we we had the spacious interior pretty much completely to ourselves as we played Silver Strike.
If other times that I had driven by are any indication, the place was likely packed after the sun sank low enough to make the lighted signs visible again. So a note to any would-be visitors, yes this place IS open on Saturday afternoon despite how it may look from the front! :)
By the way this bar has a feature usually found in coffee shops but slowly spreading into bars these days: free wi-fi.
Full Moon Bar & Grill (Vandalia, IL) [see details ]Sparta (Downtown Square, Newark, OH) [see details ]16 W Main St
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 345-6040
Established in 1900, recently refurbished. Popular Italian-themed bar on the square.
Draft House (Downtown Square, Newark, OH) [see details ]15 W Main St
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 345-9380
Dive bar with VERY loud internet jukebox. In business as Draft House since 1973, but has been a bar far longer.
Dew Drop Inn (Newark, OH) [see details ]64 Union S
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 344-5024
Big space divided into 2 main areas. Two pool tables, DJ booth and small dance floor. The wall behind the bar is decorated with a jungle scene and lined with stuffed animals.
Nick's Saloon (Newark, OH) [see details ]191 S 2nd St
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 349-7713
This was a classic, rustic dive bar. The bar was covered with photos of the regulars, an internet juke box provided tunes, and pool tables were available in the back.
The bartender was a really nice guy. I asked how late they would be open as it was a pretty quiet night. "2:30," he replied. "I live alone and I have everything I need here, so I'll just kick back and watch TV if no one is here. I don't want anyone coming by and not be able to get a drink."
Elbow Lounge (Newark, OH) [see details ]76 S 2nd St
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 349-7312
When we arrived the place had just opened and we were the first customers. They were waiting for a DJ to arrive and expecting a big crowd later.
This is a pretty old building, but I liked the way they put in a modern ceiling without completely hiding the 100+ year old original ceiling.
While this place is easy to find, it's tricky to figure out how to get to. Your best bet is to park in the paved lot at the SW corner of 1st & Canal and then walk down the alley (Scheilder St.) around to the front of the building.
Tony's Bar (Newark, OH) [see details ]392 W Main St
Newark, OH 43055
(740) 345-8657
http://www.myspace.com/tonysbarentertainment I sought this place out specifically because of an online review I found that made this out to be the absolute worst bar in town. Because part of me enjoys seeing a bar that's really that bad, but mostly because 9 times out of 10 the bar turns out to actually be perfectly find and the reviewer is in fact one of those uptight snobbish types who wants everything cleean, pristine, and high-dollar. That's the way it turned out to be with Tony's.
The front part of Tony's very much resembles a 1950s style diner, down to the booths, the bar stools, and the photos on the walls. The back room has pool tables and is occasionally used for bands.
The selection of beer on tap, while limited, is more varied than most dive bars. This was the only place in town where I had Guinness from tap.
Big Mike's (Heath, OH) [see details ]733 Hebron Rd
Heath, OH 43056
http://www.myspace.com/bigmikespub Formerly a sports bar and now a night club, Big Mike's is technically the hotel bar for the Quality Inn. However it's isolated enough from the motel to give it a standalone feel like it's for the locals as mucch as it is for the tourists.
I enjoyed the spherical goldfish bowl at the end of the bar. Unfortunately is was so cloudy it was hard to see the fish inside.
Somewhere Else (Newark, OH) [see details ]Tristan's (Newark, OH) [see details ]Village Tavern (Waldo, OH) [see details ]104 S Marion St
Waldo, OH 43356
(740) 726-9622
Established in 1840, this is by far the oldest bar I have been to so far.
The front area did not look anything like a bar at all, more like a snack shop. But it served a limited supply of beer and liquor, along with friend walleye sandwiches and other bar food. Hidden away in the back was a much larger room with three pool tables and several booths. The Village Tavern hosts area pool leagues.
Ye Ole Inn (Cloverdale, IN) [see details ]101 S Main St
Cloverdale, IN 46120
(765) 795-5533
Ye Ole Inn has been open since 2004 in a building that has served many purposes: previously a video store, before that a furniture store, and originally a 1940s gas station.
These eclectic uses explain the unique layout of the bar, broken into multiple rooms. There's a pool room, the main bar area with the jukebox and a 3-sided arcing bar, and a back nook.
531. The Peanut (South Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]5000 Main
Kansas City, MO 64112
(816) 753-9499
Arguably the best of the Peanut locations. Very old, tiny, but cozy neighborhood bar. Fills up with college students weekend nights but the rest of the time is a comfortable, laid back place.
Bo Ling's (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]20 E 5th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 423-8036
http://www.bolings.com Upscale Chinese restaurant in the City Market. The bar is backed by large windows looking out over 5th street.
In case you are wondering about this photo, this was a scavenger hunt where we had to get bartenders to pose like this. :)
Le Fou Frog (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]400 E 5th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 474-6060
French restaurant on the edge of the River Market neighborhood downtown. the dining area is in the back, in front is a friendly little bar that isn't anywhere near as pretentious as one might think a bar in a French restaurant would be.
In case you are wondering about this photo, this was a scavenger hunt where we had to get bartenders to pose like this. :)
The Phoenix (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]302 W. 8th St.
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 221-5299
http://thephoenixkansascity.com/ Famous Jazz bar downtown. It had closed for a while but is back open under new management.
Crowne Plaza Hotel Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]The Riot Room (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4048 Broadway
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 442-8177
http://www.theriotroom.com/ Night club / venue in Westport. I went during the daytime for a charity mini golf pub crawl.
Ernie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4115 Mill St.
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-2444
http://kansascity.erniebiggs.com/ Dueling piano bar in Westport. I went during the daytime for a charity mini golf pub crawl.
Clarette Club (Downtown, Mission, KS) [see details ]5400 Martway St
Mission, KS 66205
(913) 384-0986
Old school dive bar / lounge in the back of a shopping center in downtown Mission.
The Pool Hall (Downtown, Platte City, MO) [see details ]238 Main St
Platte City, MO 64079
(816) 858-9989
We actually came to Platte City expecting to visit Outlaws, but we found that place long gone (it's something else now) but The Pool Hall was open right next door.
We had a seat at the rustic wooden bar, designed to look sort of like a stable or maybe a blacksmith shoppe. Behind us some gentlemen were playing poker at the tables, and far in the back were a couple of pool tables. We were offered menus, but I had already eaten and B wasn't quite ready to eat yet.
TD's Bunkhouse (Weston, MO) [see details ]17965 N Hwy. 45
Weston, MO 64098
(816) 386-2196
I must have driven past this place several times and never noticed it, it's well hidden from the main road. Most online mapping services get the location wrong (it's correct in my map link above, though) so it took some serious online sleuthing to find the real location before heading up this way.
Situated at the far end of a huge gravel lot, this place looks smaller than it actually is. Inside the bar area is in the front, while the back half has tables, games, and a small stage area for bands.
Music Box Saloon (Weston, MO) [see details ]17985 State Route 45 N
Weston, MO 64098
(816) 640-2640
This is another one that mapping sites get wrong. In fact if you were on my TD's Bunkhouse map & info page above and then clicked the link on that to Music Box, the mapping tool would give you directions taking you half a mile away. Actually it's just across the same gravel parking lot.
This place was big, and obviously catered to live bands and dancing. At not quite noon, though, we were the only people in there.
B noticed this doorknob to nowhere, evidently a door that at some point was converted into a window:
The upper wall of the bar area was lined with classic vintage beer cans. One in particular caught my eye:
RJ's Bar (Downtown, Weston, MO) [see details ]707 Thomas St
Weston, MO 64098
(816) 386-5258
This was a charming downtown dive. The main room was much smaller than I expected from the outside. Later I noticed an additional room, with games, located past a swinging door that I had mistaken for an employees-only area.
Marfield's Pub (Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]312 N 2nd St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 651-4401
As we pulled up we saw the "Esplanade Tavern" signs and the Mexican style architecture and decided this would be where we'd have lunch. "Mexican sounds great right about now!" said B as we got out of the car.
Then we rounded the car and saw the "Marfield's Pub" sign in the front. Huh?
Once seating inside we asked the bartender about the confusion.
"Oh, this is Marfield's, an Irish pub," she said as she handed us menus that contained food neither of us were in the mood for, as we were expecting Mexican. "A few years ago we were sandblasting the building to repaint it and that old sign appeared under all the layers of paint, we decided to keep it, something historic."
I was happy to at least be able to get a Guinness, but the taps were down (temporarily) so I had to settle for a bottle of Coors Light.
High Noon Saloon & Brewery (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]206 Choctaw St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 682-4876
thehighnoon.com This place was unbelievably huge, quite possibly the biggest bar I've ever been in. We both had the stout. B thought it was a little too sweet, I didn't agree at the time but after I finished I noticed the sweetness in the aftertaste. At $4 a pint the prices weren't bad for this type of place.
The men's room had a couple of eye charts: one of a stripper that gets smaller as she undresses and one telling you that if you can still read it you need more beer. There was also a flow chart for determining whether it is time to go home.
Our Place (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]313 Delaware St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 682-3523
By now the sky was clear and the sun was bright, so we were completely blinded upon entering this totally dark bar. We felt our way to some seats and as our eyes adjusted the bartender did an ID check. (In retrospect I'm surprised we didn't have to fill out membership cards.)
Once we had finished our drinks our eyes had adjusted, so we were re-blinded by the sun and white sidewalk upon leaving.
Sweetwoods Bar & Grille (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]325 Delaware St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 680-1670
sweetwoodsonline.com This was a clean, well-lit, open place. A band was setting up in front, and we grabbed some lunch while watching golf and baseball on the TVs.
Fatheads Irish Pub (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]327 Delaware St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 651-1006
myspace.com/fatheadsirishpub This was the first place we went to to make us fill out membership cards. This was a split-level bar, thee bar area was down a half flight of stairs from an initial seating area, then below that initial area was a third room.
I don't understand the concept of places that call themselves Irish pubs but don't have Guinness on tap. We grabbed our Bud Lights and went to the back corner to play some Silver Strike.
Cyclone (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]610 Cherokee St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 651-0446
This was a very nicely done biker bar, we were very impressive with the place. Our bartender was pretty cool. I couldn't help but notice her heavily tattooed arms, but B quickly spotted what I didn't for a long time -- it was actually a tight, flesh-colored shirt with tattoo print on the sleeves.
We took in an episode of "Cash Cab" on the big screen before walking down to the next place.
Tom's Country Stampede (Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]745 Cherokee St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 682-7085
We walked in and immediately felt the "who are you and what are you doing here?" vibe from the regulars. The bar was completely full, but it wrapped around to a small room in the back so we walked around to that corner looking for an empty seat. I could feel all the eyes in the place following us as we did so. Finding no seats, we walked around to the front.
"Now that you've had the tour, you gonna order something?" gruffed the bartender. The entire place erupted in laughter at our expense. I timidly got the beers, and as I paid for them the bartender asked if we had membership cards.
"Not yet," I said, "do we need to fill them out?"
"Naw, forget it," he said. I think he figured we weren't worth the trouble and not at all likely to become regulars.
Club Savage (Leavenworth, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Creamy's Place, Firehouse Club )
813 Cherokee St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
Formerly the Firehouse Club, also formerly Creamy's Place. We almost did not come here because our research had given us the impression that this place was
very private and exclusive and would not likely let us in. Instead it turned out to be one of the best stops of the day. We quickly filled out membership and spent our entire visit in nonstop conversation with the bartender and one of the regulars.
Little Bar (Leavenworth, KS) [see details ]1431 10th Ave
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 758-0036
We weren't sure if this was really open or not, the
Google Maps Street View did not look promising. But, because of the lit porch light, we decided to assume that maybe the Street View images were taken on a Sunday. We're glad we made that assumption and went out of our way, because this turned out to be a good find!
Little Bar appears to be a converted gas station from the 1930s or so. The actual bar has seating for about 5 and had no room for us, luckily some time in the past a couple of small additions were made so we were able to squeeze into 2 chairs around a tiny table holding a trivia machine. The people here were very friendly and welcomed us among them. This was probably our best find of the day.
Gator's VIII Bar & Grill (Platte Woods, MO) [see details ]6712 NW Tower Dr
Platte Woods, MO 64151
(816) 741-0631
I'd long suspected that there ought to be a bar in this location, but despite numerous drive-bys and Google searches I couldn't come up with anything. Which bothered me because I didn't like that my BARDAR was not functioning correctly.
It turns out I was right after all, there
is a bar here, but it's virtually impossible to see from the road. But being hidden doesn't seem to hurt business, Gator's was absolutely jam-packed. We barely found room to stand around a Silver Strike machine.
Brass Rail (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]4940 NE 81st St
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 468-6100
brassrailkc.com This is definitely not the same type of Brass Rail as the
other Brass Rail I've been to. Basically a gigantic pool hall with a bar. We got in another round of Silver Strike here.
This was an unplanned stop. I was minutes away from dropping B off at this home when his wife called and asked us to stay out later so she could get the baby to sleep. That's a once-in-a-lifetime phone call, so we pulled over at the first place we found to kill some more time. :)
The Marquee (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1400 Main
Kansas City, MO 64105
816-474-4545
http://themarqueekc.com The Marquee Bar fills the north lobby of the AMC Mainstreet Theatre in downtown Kansas City. You do not have to be seeing a movie to visit the bar and it it quickly becoming a popular hangout. Lots of comfortable seating in the lounge areas for watching sports on the plasma TVs or hanging out. Live music weekend evenings.
American Legion Post 318 (Downtown, Parkville, MO) [see details ]11 Main St
Parkville, MO 64152
(816) 741-5387
Technically a private club but open to the public, this is the only true bar in downtown Parkville and serves its role as a neighborhood bar well. Open 7 days a week, with breakfast Sunday mornings and various food and drink specials throughout the week. There's also a bingo night, an open mic night, and other entertainment. This is also the only bar in Parkville where smoking is legal.
Brock's Bar & Grill (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]6541 N Cosby Ave
Kansas City, MO 64151
(816) 741-0410
http://www.brocksbar.com Nice sports bar in Platte County. Good food, good prices, friendly people. Front patio is fully enclosed during the colder months or during rain so it can be used regardless of the weather.
Quackers Bar & Grill (Mound City, MO) [see details ]1012 State St
Mound City, MO 64470
(660) 442-5502
The bar area was fairly small, and while several tables were occupied we were obviously the first bar customers of the day. The room (and much of the town, for that matter) was all decked out with a duck hunting motif. Down to the shotgun shells embedded into the bar top.
Terri's Place Bar & Grill (Mound City, MO) [see details ]520 State St
Mound City, MO 64470
(660) 442-5516
It only took our second stop to find our first bar with nothing on tap. We popped open a couple of cans of Coors while a table of old regulars chatted about the results of some sort of tournament.
Blue Moon Bar (Hamburg, IA) [see details ]908 Main St
Hamburg, IA 51640
(712) 382-1323
It was pretty busy inside, with a smell of burgers and fries permeating the air. There was nothing on tap so we got some bottles of Bud Light.
Wagon Wheel Bar (Downtown, Nebraska City, NE) [see details ]612 Central Ave
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 873-9827
To our right, an old man with a very, very large nose. To our left, a child shot pool while his dad was getting himself drunk. A good bar!
Ron's Bar & Grill (Nebraska City, NE) [see details ]1219 Central Ave
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 873-9926
This was a pretty big place, and the bar had kind of a lunch counter feel to it. The older couple that was running the bar told us about various sights to see in Nebraska City.
Paul Tavern-Kats Place (Paul, Nebraska City, NE) [see details ]5996 N Rd
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 873-4501
Located in the unincorporated community of Paul, one of approximately 6 buildings in the village. The inside of the bar was a dingy white and fairly bright. We talked with a former truck driver (possibly the owner), whose beard merged perfectly with his chest hair, about the time several years ago that he spent 14 weeks driving loads of bagels to the Cold Storage building in the River Market back in Kansas City.
End Zone (Nebraska City, NE) [see details ]703 S 11th St
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 873-9909
Looked like a converted Pizza Shoppe. Had a sand volleyball court outside, something we soon found to be common about Nebraska bars. (The other commonality is that nearly all of them have Keno.)
The Silver Strike machine had inadvertently been left in admin mode, so we could easily have had a lot of fun with that.
Dinty Moore's Lunch Room (Nebraska City, NE) [see details ]108 S 8th St
Nebraska City, NE 68410
(402) 873-5833
This was a tiny, tiny bar. Though no one was eating at the moment, the lunch cooking in the kitchen filled the bar with a delicious, beefy smell.
Brown Bottle (Union, NE) [see details ]108 Main St
Union, NE 68455
(402) 263-9755
By now it was a little after 3:00 in the afternoon. We walked up to the front door of the bar, and it was locked. We turned to walk away, then noticed the other door we were standing right next to. Open. We had been tricked by a false door.
The bartender was not from Union herself, and told us about how the nearby town of Nehawka is where most of the people around this general area go to school.
Midway through our drinks the back door opened and a thick, tough-looking farm guy entered. He sat down to our left and ordered, a vodka cranberry??? C'mon, dude!
Ruli's Pour House (Nehawka, NE) [see details ]417 Elm
Nehawka, NE 68413
(402) 227-2026
This place had a pretty big beer garden to the side. We asked the bartender who Ruli is and we learned it is an amalgamation of the names of the bar's owners: Ruth and Lisa.
By the way, Ruli's had been the end point of Bikers for Boobies just a few weeks earlier.
Roadrunner Bar (Avoca, NE) [see details ]513 House St
Avoca, NE 68307
(402) 275-3334
We played a few games of bartop trivia and set a respectable new high score.
Hopkins Tavern (Weeping Water, NE) [see details ]305 W Eldora Ave
Weeping Water, NE 68463
(402) 267-5232
When we first arrived the bar was empty. As we drank our beer we asked the bartender for directions to our next town, Manley. He was new to the area and didn't know, so called a friend. His friend's first question to me was if we were riding bikes or driving. ""Driving,"" I said. He told me he'd come down and hung up.
The bartender told us the story of how he came to be in this area and working at a bar, and within moments his friend arrived and started giving me directions.
The route would take us on dirt roads and the instructions included an important detail: ""You'll see scale houses on each side of the road. As soon as you pass the scales on your right, that's when you need to turn.""
By the time he finished giving us directions the bar had filled up, and some nearby patrons had overheard and asked where we were heading. We explained that we were going to the bar in Manley, and they wished us well.
Good Times (Louisville, NE) [see details ]225 Main St
Louisville, NE 68037
(402) 234-9900
The people in this bar were very friendly. While walking back from the restroom I accidently bumped into a biker, causing him to spill some of his beer. ""Oh, I'm really sorry,"" I told him. ""Oh don't worry about it,"" he said with a laugh, ""it's no harm at all.""
Get-A-Way Bar & Grill (Manley, NE) [see details ]115 Main St
Manley, NE 68403
(402) 234-9903
We got inside and the first thing we noticed was that our friends from Hopkins Tavern back in Weeping Water were there.
""It's about time!"" they said.
They got a good laugh out of it when we explained that we had arrived by way of Louisville.
The bar was completely full so we had to sit at a table. We decided to go ahead and get a little food, just some fried appetizers, and the bartender was so service-minded that she wouldn't hear of it when we got up to order from the bar and she instead came around to take our orders.
I knew it had to be getting late since the evening news was on, which meant we had fallen a little behind schedule. As we watched the TVs we noticed that the ceiling was decorated with dozens of classic beer tap handles.
Bulldog's Bar & Grill (Murdock, NE) [see details ]301 Nebraska St
Murdock, NE 68407
(402) 867-9191
http://www.myspace.com/bulldogsmurdock We made our way over to Murdock and parked across the street from the bar, conveniently right in front of the post office. Unfortunately I still did not have any stamps and this was the town I wanted to mail my cards from.
As we stepped in the door we were bum-rushed by two little kids who darted in past us and took the only two remaining seats at the bar. Most of the tables were occupied. As we looked around for a place to sit, three guys at the other end of the bar scooted around to make room and invited us down to sit near them.
Our bartender's name was Lori and she was very busy dealing with a full house, but I was finally able to get a moment of her time to find out if she or the bar had a couple of stamps I could buy. Unfortunately, she did not.
Just as it looked like my hope of mailing out these cards with my last name as the postcard was dashed, one of the local guys who had moved earlier to make room for us chimed in. ""I think I have some stamps in my car,"" he said, ""I'll be right back.""
A few moments later he returned. I gave him a buck for the stamps and bought him a beer for going above and beyond the call of duty.
Had those two little kids not chumped us for the barstools, I'm most likely have had to mail my cards from Lincoln instead and lose the fun of the Murdock postmark.
One Eyed Dog Saloon (Eagle, NE) [see details ]540 S 4th St
Eagle, NE 68347
(402) 781-2739
http://oneeyeddogsaloon.com Biker bar with a pretty good sized beer garden. This was where we really started noticing the popularity of Keno. We read through a Keno book and B played a few games.
The Cellar (Lincoln, NE) [see details ]6913 O St
Lincoln, NE 68510
(402) 488-2002
A retro lounge (in decor, not theme) with a regular, laid-back vibe. The bartender was really into what we were doing and, after getting a feel for the kinds of bars we like, wrote down a good list of places we should check out. (Unfortunately, as it would turn out, the only bar on his list we would make it far enough today to see was closed.)
(For the curious, he recommended: Zen, Marz, Zoo Bar, Buffy's, Watering Hole, and Cliff's. Zoo Bar was the only of these we reached before the end of the night and it was closed for some inexplicable reason.)
Tam O'Shanter Lounge (Woods Park, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]105 S 25th St
Lincoln, NE 68510
(402) 474-2394
It was 'Crappy Beer Night' on our visit, so we got $2 Miller High Lifes.
The Keg (Woods Park, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]104 N 20th St
Lincoln, NE 68503
(402) 474-9395
http://kegsteakhouse.com There were quite a few motorcycles in the parking lot. We stepped inside and the first thing we noticed was that the floor under the bar was covered in piles of used lottery tickets. ""I dropped a winner in here the other night, I'm here to reclaim it!"" B announced to the bartender.
Saddles hung from the ceiling, and beer was served in jars. I was bothered by a strange smell that I thought was similar to baby diarrhea, but B thought I was crazy so maybe it was just my imagination. We reminisced about our trip to Salina back in 2007 and discussed plans for a domain name inspired by that trip.
Sidewinders (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]1644 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 261-5826
Whenever you have a bar that's set up primarily to be a music venue, very often you wind up with a bar that doesn't seem to have any character or personality if there isn't a band playing. That seemed to be kind of the problem here. B though this place blew and wanted to hurry and leave, but I thought that any bar that had Family Guy playing on the big screen can't be all that bad.
The Spigot (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]1624 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 435-4582
http://thespigotlounge.com There were a couple of college kids loitering outside. ""I don't want any trouble!"" B informed them as we stepped inside.
As is the case with most bars in college towns, beer gets served in oversized glasses that make it hard to drink it all before it's warm and flat. (At least, unless you are one of those 22-year-old fratboy types who still thinks drinking beer is about chugging as much as you can, as fast as you can.) So, to get around that problem, we requested cans. Much to our chagrin, we were given 16oz cans.
As we worked our way through the volume (keep in mind, this was beer #21 for each of us and our stomachs can only stretch so far) we told the girls sitting next to us about the trip we were taking. They were in utter disbelief that we had walked here from 27th Street, making me wonder if maybe Lincoln is less safe than I assumed?
Harry's Wonder Bar (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]1621 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 474-7309
On the advice of our friends at The Spigot we crossed the street and found ourselves in a nice little dive, the kind of place we really like.
We ordered beer, but evidently mixed drinks are supposed to be the way to enjoy this place. While other bars are stingey, this place serves up a basic mixed drink in a beer mug, at least in the demonstration we were given.
Brass Rail (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]1436 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 474-5741
Upon entering we noticed that this was definitely a fratboy hangout.
Bison Witches Bar & Deli (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]1320 P St # 100
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 474-3366
http://bisonwitches.com It was microbrew/import night, all microbrews and imports were $2.50. While B perused the cooler I I went to use the restroom. ""Just get me whatever,"" I told him, ""I trust your judgement.""
I returned to find a choice between Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Mike's Hard Lemonade. I chose the Sierra Nevada. I chose poorly. I forgot I really don't like the Sierra Nevada ale. We ended up trading bottles halfway through.
Merle's Food & Drink (Emerald, Lincoln, NE) [see details ]8250 W O St
Lincoln, NE 68528
(402) 474-6435
http://merlesinemerald.com/ I think we were the day's first customers, though more began trickling in. There was no shortage of service, we had at least 3 people taking care of us. I got myself a nice big steak, while B ordered one of the day's specials, sirloin hash. The latter was so good that I have since learned the recipe and made it a few times.
Lou & Mary Anne's Bar (Bee, NE) [see details ]176 Elm St
Bee, NE 68314
(402) 643-2313
Luckily for us, Lou and Mary Ann were awake and doing business. This place felt like a perfect small town gathering spot. It was also a welcome relief after the land of oversized college beers in Lincoln: nice little 10oz draws! As we enjoyed our drinks, we watched Judge Judy decide a case about a vandalized car and a case about a sick dog that had been put to sleep.
""Do you know if there's any more rain coming?"" the bartender asked me.
""No, I think it's over,"" I said. ""I hope it's over, anyway.""
""I hope it's not,"" he replied. We really, really need it.
Guess it was pretty selfish of me to want good weather for the drive. It hadn't occurred to me how important rain is here.
DJ's Bar & Grill (Staplehurst, NE) [see details ]330 A St
Staplehurst, NE 68439
(402) 535-2253
We weren’t 100% sure if there would be a bar here or not, our research had given us an iffy impression that it might have gone out of business a few months ago. But it was open and business seemed to be good.
There was a beer garden, and this place was unusually clean and well-maintained for a bar in such a small town.
Spare Time Lounge (Seward, NE) [see details ]123 S 4th St
Seward, NE 68434
(402) 643-3898
This was a bowling alley bar but was pretty isolated from the bowling, enough to give it its own personality. It had a very unusual, split-level layout (see pictures above) that made the bartender actually lower than the customers at about 2/3 of the barstools. They had recently opened a new patio, I believe they called it "The Beach Club".
RO'S (Seward, NE) [see details ]719 Main St
Seward, NE 68434
(402) 643-3152
This was originally supposed to be our first Seward bar but it was closed when we arrived, we spotted it open as we were leaving town. A nice big clean bar. $1 draws, some of the cheapest we’d find. It took us about 10-15 minutes to drink our 12oz beers, meanwhile a guy behind us drank a 32oz red beer in just a couple of minutes.
Bullet Hole (Utica, NE) [see details ]430 1st St
Utica, NE 68456
(402) 534-2323
This was a COMPLETE bonus bar , absolutely nothing in our research indicated this would be here and we wouldn’t expect a town of this size to be able to support two bars side-by-side. The Bullet Hole is over a century old (believed to have opened in the late 1800s) and it has always been named The Bullet Hole. The bar itself was constructed in 1892 by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company in St. Louis and originally used in Dubuque, IA before being shipped here in 1906. For being so old, it’s in amazing condition!
First Street Bar & Grill/American Legion Post 49 (Utica, NE) [see details ]440 1st St
Utica, NE 68456
(402) 534-2777
After The Bullet Hole there really wasn’t much to say about this place, it was pretty plain, but it had some interesting grandma's-house-like décor.
Hunters Restaurant Lounge (Waco, NE) [see details ]311 Midland St
Waco, NE 68460
(402) 728-5613
http://thehuntersrestaurant.com This place has a split personality. When you walk in you are presented with a choice of two doors: one leading to the Keno lounge and one leading to the restaurant/lounge. We chose the door on the right and sat at a bar that was your basic bar & grill type of place with a slight sports bar feel to it. We also checked out the other side, it was much darker and more lounge-like with more of an emphasis on hard liquor and mixed drinks as opposed to the beer emphasis on the other side. Though the Keno lounge is where the hard core Keno players hang out, you can actually play Keno on both sides.
Midway Cafe & Bar (York, NE) [see details ]728 N Lincoln Ave
York, NE 68467
(402) 362-9912
This was a long, narrow space that was well lit. It was really more grill than bar, the actual bar was just a small section at the front end of the lunch counter. In the back past the pool table were several older arcade games including a few that seemed to be just getting stored there.
Behind the bar I noticed a police scanner -- something I later spotted in a number of bars -- and a two plaques. One honored Midway as the best bar in York, the other was an award for best Bartender in York. Which are nice accomplishments, although as best as we could tell there wasn't a whole lot of competition.
Hoffman's Cafe & Lounge (Bradshaw, NE) [see details ]105 E Highway 34
Bradshaw, NE 68319
(402) 736-4441
Bonus Bar! We have now established the First Law Of Rural Nebraska Barfinding . Grain towers of suitable size = bar in immediate vicinity.
Our bartender had a tattoo on her breasts and wasn't shy about joining in with a beer of her own. Behind the bar we saw signs identifying this place as both Hoffman's Bar and as Rog & Lou's Bar but the Hoffman's name seemed to be the predominate one.
Korner Still Bar & Grill (Hampton, NE) [see details ]111 A St
Hampton, NE 68843
(402) 725-3362
This is about as incognito as a bar can get. Circling around the block a few times we deduced that this was the most likely building given the address, but there was absolutely no identifying signage, or any signage whatsoever. We tried peering in windows and couldn't make anything out. Finally I worked up the nerve to go open the front door, hoping I wasn't stepping into someone's house. Thankfully, we were right and had found the bar.
Mitchell's Recreation (Aurora, NE) [see details ]1229 M St
Aurora, NE 68818
(402) 694-3272
This was a pool hall with a very nice bar. Lots of original brick and exposed timbers. When we first stepped in I thought this might be a gay bar because the bartender had a big mustache and was wearing very short, tight denim shorts, but the place was pretty full with women slightly outnumbering men so it must have just been his personal style.
Pam's Pub & Grub (South Locust, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]2848 S Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 382-7687
The front area was a buffet style restaurant, serving up all-you-can-eat fried chicken. It smelled really good and we were starving, but we wanted to hold out for pizza. The bar was in another room in the back and overlooked a golf course. We were a little early for a bartender so had to wait for an of-age server to become available to serve us.
BT's Lounge (South Locust, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]2320 S Locust St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 382-9773
We had to drive around the building to get to the parking lot, and we noticed several people out back smoking. ""The cool people must use the back entrance,"" B said. We pulled around front, where we were the only car, and went inside. ""Oh! I'm glad I remembered to unlock the front door this time!"" said the bartender.
We played some Silver Strike and B set a new high score. Meanwhile on the bar's TV, ABC was airing a segment on J.K. Rowling (the author of the Harry Potter series, in case you've been in a coma), specifically focusing on her sorrows and tribulations. ""I, [sniff] I fell asleep in a big pile of money, and [sniff] I didn't know where I was!"" exclaimed B in his best sobbing British female voice, to the delight of the other patrons.
Upper Deck Sports Bar & Grill (Grand Island, NE) [see details ]2110 W 2nd St
Grand Island, NE 68803
(308) 381-8666
Entering this place was kind of strange, we walked down a smelly, carpeted hallway though a series of glass doors, with meeting rooms on either side. At the end of the hallway a couple of flights of stairs led to the bar that occupied most of the building's upper level.
Their draws were all pints so we ordered 12-oz bottles. B asked for a glass to pour his beer into. He was handed a pint glass, and B's beer filled it to the top. Busted! One of the barbacks overheard us talking about it and gave us a physics demonstration showing that what looks like very little liquid at the the top of the glass looks like a whole lot at the bottom of the glass. But that still doesn't explain where other other 4 ounces went.
Bonzai Beach Club / Wave Pizza Company (Downtown, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]107 N Walnut St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 398-9283
Finally, the place we had been waiting for all day! The owner of this place owns a few other places around town, and the person B talked to a week earlier during our planning was very nice and helpful. We'd been waiting all day to try their pizza.
Our plan was to put in an order, go hit up a couple of nearby bars, and then come back. But when they said it would be only 15 minutes, we decided to just stick around and wait.
After several minutes of watching others eat we were getting impatient, so I went outside to call our backup motel and reserve a room, knowing that stepping away always triggers food to arrive. It worked.
The pizza was absolutely delicious and very cheesy, one of the best pizzas I've had!
Club 69 (Downtown, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]106 E 3rd St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 675-0187
This was a rock bar. As we entered, B expressed concern over the ""NO NUDITY"" sign posted at the door. ""Oh, it's more of a guideline,"" joked the bouncer.
B had tremendous difficulty finding the restrooms, which turned out to be in the room with the pool tables. When he returned, he told me to go look for them and even showed me which room. I went to the pool table room and looked around, and I was stumped. One wall of windows, 2 bare walls, and one wall painted with graffiti. No doors anywhere! I was just about to give up when suddenly a rectangle of light appeared on the graffiti wall as someone exited a restroom. The doors were camouflaged, blending perfectly into the wall.
J Alfred Prufrock's (Downtown, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]308 N Pine St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 398-8466
This was a cool place. We started out at the angular, stainless steel bar but later moved into the lounge room and relaxed on a very comfortable leather sofa looking out onto the patio.
Nathan Detroit (Downtown, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]316 N Pine St
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 384-3655
This place was more restaurant than bar, though by this time of day the bar was the only thing open. Everything inside was woodwork, and the dining area included upstairs and downstairs booths forming a ring around the outer walls.
White Horse Tavern (Grand Island, NE) [see details ]1803 W North Front St
Grand Island, NE 68803
(308) 384-4586
This was a good, basic roadhouse-style dive. There was a menu and the food smelled good, but we had leftover pizza waiting for us back at the motel. The Game Show channel was on the big wall TV, we watched some ""Deal or No Deal"" and another game show I was unfamiliar with.
RK's Pub (South Locust, Grand Island, NE) [see details ]217 E Stolley Park Rd
Grand Island, NE 68801
(308) 382-4288
A pretty generic strip mall bar in a new building. A big, open sports bar with a high ceiling and blank, gray-painted drywall walls. The place was so new it hasn't really established any character yet, but business seemed to be good and customers were enjoying themselves.
The Independent Club (Central City, NE) [see details ]417 G St
Central City, NE 68826
(308) 946-9819
A very big, old bar with all sorts of large, inflatable objects hanging from the ceiling.
Sportsman Bar (Polk, NE) [see details ]160 N Main
Polk, NE 68654
(402) 765-3291
When we got out of the car we were greeted by a cute little scruffy dog named Chloe who was waiting outside the bar. The bar was a big, wide open space and was fairly active for this time of day. Chloe kept trying to come inside, so her owner finally told her, ""Chloe, go home."" And she did. I guess small town dogs are smarter than city dogs.
Shelby Hotel (Shelby, NE) [see details ]240 N Walnut
Shelby, NE 68662
402-527-5457
http://www.myspace.com/shelbyhotel I later found a notation in an earlier draft of my guide book for this trip:
Also check out the local hotel, it has a liquor license. Probably just to serve wine for dinner but maybe it has a bar.
As it turns out, the Shelby Hotel is not a hotel at all. Or, at least, it hasn't been for a very long time. It's actually a bar and grill inside a historic hotel building. It was very busy serving up lunch and is apparently mostly a daytime operation, but it served us well.
Hinkle's Pub (Rising City, NE) [see details ]730 Main St
Rising City, NE 68658
(402) 542-2400
This was a family run place, enough that children were working behind the counter and had to call for mom when we ordered beer. The only beer on tap was Keystone Light, and Mom had to look up the price ($1.35 each).
Avenue Bar (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]1061 26th Ave
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 563-3635
We picked this place first because we happened to stumble across it first. We ended up parking the car here to do the rest of Columbus on foot. The bar had just opened and the bartender wasn't quite ready for customers but she took good care of us. She told us about the railroad construction that had nearly cut the town in half and how several trains roll by an hour.
Hot Shotz Bar & Grill (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2501 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 564-5767
75-cent draws! I discovered I had left my camera in the car so the pictures for this and the next few bars all had to come from my phone.
Double T Bar (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2403 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 564-2909
This was the busiest bar we'd seen so far today.
Glur's Tavern (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2301 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 564-8615
Having opened in 1876, this is the oldest continually-operating bar in Nebraska and one of the oldest in the west. It was a favorite spot of Buffalo Bill and more recently of Leon Sphinx. We really, really wanted souvenir glasses from here, but they were in the basement and the bartender had a broken foot and couldn't get them for us.
Gottberg Brew Pub (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2804 13th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 562-6488
http://dustersrestaurant.com We had trouble finding this place. First off, the building doesn't look like a bar. Second, we went inside and the first set of doors took us to a fancy restaurant. Then we tried another direction and found ourselves in a business office. Luckily a friendly person there told us how to get to the bar through the restaurant.
B tried their American Gold, while I tried the 1916 Irish Stout. We met the brewmaster, who had actually just started working there a few days earlier. He had applied at a few places, including the 75th Street Brewery back home in KC. 75th Street had apparently called to offer him a job just after he accepted the job here.
We also learned that the Gottberg brew pub is owned by the same guy who owns Dorothy Lynch Salad Dressing .
By the way, $2 draws. How often do you see that at a brewpub?
Micek's Shangrila (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2506 12th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 564-3093
Micek's was really busy, we couldn't sit at the bar and had to take one of the few remaining tables.
4 Jokers Bar (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details ]2521 11th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 563-3002
There were two things about this placed that cracked us up. One was all of the KISS decor throughout the bar. The other was the redundant urinal. The men's room contained two urinals, but one of them was pointless because they were places side-by-side at 90 degree angles to each other so only one could ever be used at any one time. (Except I suppose in the case of conjoined twins, I guess I shouldn't rule out the possibility the restroom was designed to accomadate two very specific regular customers.)
Bootleggers Bar & Grill (Schuyler, NE) [see details ]1109 B St
Schuyler, NE 68661
(402) 352-9900
We watched an episode of ""Cash Cab"" here. I got a laugh out of a handwashing poster in the men's room, which in an attempt to be politically correct seemed to imply that your ethnicity will change several times as you wash your hands.
Tiny's Bar (Schuyler, NE) [see details ]120 E 12th St
Schuyler, NE 68661
(402) 352-9949
50-cent draws! A new all-time price record for us! (Excluding quarter draws of Natural Light served in dixie cups at frat bars.) There were no normal white light bulbs in this place, each light was a different color.
The men's room here fit the dive bar restroom mold beautifully. It was basically an alcove behind the pool table and pretty run down.
Little Ricky's Saloon & Grill (North Bend, NE) [see details ]644 Main St
North Bend, NE 68649
(402) 652-8383
This was a surprisingly nice place. We played with some interlocking horseshoe puzzles for a while that were very tricky, though B finally solved one of them.
The Pour House (North Bend, NE) [see details ]725 Main St
North Bend, NE 68649
402-652-8314
The bartender's side of the bar is a pit sunken down about 2 feet below floor level. The bar itself is also shorter than at most bars. So there are no barstools, you sit in office chairs instead. There wasn't room for both of at the bar us but everybody moved down so we could squeeze in another chair.
Bottom Road Bar (Morse Bluff, NE) [see details ]3041 County Road 26
Morse Bluff, NE 68648
(402) 666-9226
This place looked like it was built somewhat recently. I expected it to be a biker bar, but it seemed to appeal to a wide cross section.
Franky & Oly's (Fremont, NE) [see details ]353 W 23rd St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 727-4119
Big Red Keno (Fremont, NE) [see details ]2323 Laverna St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-8545
Having missed the Big Red Keno in Lincoln, we made sure to visit this location. It wasn't what I expected on the inside being brightly lit and restaurant-like. Every booth had a flat panel screen that could be used for Keno results or to watch any channel you want.
Dugout Bar (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]239 E 6th St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-5868
Before we went inside we walked around the block looking for a pizza place that was supposed to be there, but it was closed and looked like it might have been out of business. We continued around the block back to The Dugout.
This was an awesome little neighborhood dive. The bar was full so we had to take a table in the back corner. ELO was playing and the women in the bar were rocking out.
J's Steakhouse (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]406 N Main St # 1
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 727-6100
http://jssteakhouse.com This was a bonus bar in a building that looked like it had been converted into some sort of mall. The bartender talked with us about the Royals and Kauffman Stadium.
There was food here, including a pretty good looking pizza being eaten by a couple a few barstools over, but it looked like it would take a little too long for us so we decided to wait.
Corner Bar (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]300 N Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-9996
Our beers were $1.80, an odd price. This was a risky place to enter and exit, the dart boards are immediately to the right inside the front door while the dart line is immediately to the left inside the front door.
Doe's Place (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]148 N Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 727-9825
There's a pretty big courtyard, monitored on a closed circuit television facing the bar. The bartender told us that the owner also gets a feed and can watch it in her home.
DJ's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]415 S Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-2001
We made it just in time, 10 minutes before the kitchen closed. B ordered a hot ham and cheese sandwich, an I ordered a smoked prime rib sandwich with swiss.
The food. Was. Amazing. A perfect barhopping meal!
Remedy Lounge (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details ]500 S Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-9833
http://theremedylounge.com Except for J's Steakhouse, every bar we had visited tonight was busy. So it was surprising to find this place, dead. There were a few people out on the patio, but no one inside. The bartender seemed happy to have customers.
This was a big place with a barn-like feel. We played a Silver Strike series while cartoons played on the bar TVs. More customers arrived just as we were leaving to begin our long walk back for the night.
Willie's Bar (Valley, NE) [see details ]327 N Spruce St
Valley, NE 68064
(402) 359-5734
We had called ahead and knew that this place opened at 8am, though neither of us remembered this at the time and were surprised at first to find it open.
There were a handful of people here already, including a guy who from the looks of it had been there since opening. Everyone was watching the movie ""Sorority Boys "".
Outer Limits Sports Bar (Valley, NE) [see details ]28564 W Reichmuth Rd
Valley, NE 68064
(402) 359-8757
I honestly didn't expect this place to be open, suburban style sports bars usually do not open this early. But this one does, at least on Saturday, in order to take advantage of the nearby golf course. And sure enough, there were already a few golfers inside.
The problem was, the linoleum part of the floor was being waxed, during business hours. We were not able to enter through the main door and were only able to enter through a side door by making a jump to the carpeted area. All the furnishings had been moved to this carpeted area so there was very little room to maneuver. The four golfers were trapped, and the room smelled of floor cleaner. We even had to reach to get to our beers, unable to completely approach the bar. Luckily we were limber and sober enough to make a leaping escape when we were ready to go.
Depot (Waterloo, NE) [see details ]310 3rd St
Waterloo, NE 68069
(402) 779-4110
A railroad themed bar, though we didn't notice the theme quite so much on the inside as we did on the outside. There were breakfast customers inside, we were the first bar customers. However it didn't take too long before others started coming in and filled up a majority of the barstools.
The Fire Barn (Waterloo, NE) [see details ]2601 River Road Dr
Waterloo, NE 68069
(402) 932-3600
Not too far from The Depot we found The Fire Barn, a firefighter-themed bar in a brand new strip mall. (Which is why the map link puts it in the middle of a field.) The bar was covered with photos of burning buildings, the walls were adorned with fire station memorabilia, and there was even a fire pole near the door. (Unfortunately, with no upper level from which to slide down, it is more forr show.)
Lighthouse Bar & Grill (Northwest Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]15676 W Maple Rd
Omaha, NE 68116
(402) 498-3824
http://omahalighthouse.com This one came very close to not making the cut, but it was saved only because the very nondescript web site suggested that it was a dive even though the location suggested to us otherwise. We were intrigued enough to check it out.
The Lighthouse was very tricky to get to from Maple. It was only barely visible -- we'd never have spotted had we not plotted its location in advance. Two congested left turns, then a parking lot maze that took us around the back of a strip mall in order to get us around to the far side where the entrance was.
It was still early so we were the only customers. We watched part of the movie ""Cocktail"" with the bartender and learned about the heroics of a local legend, illustrated in one of the photos above.
Moe & Curly's Pub (West Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]2946 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
(402) 493-9808
We picked this location on name alone, and the fact that its advertising uses the phrase ""Why Soitenly!"" sealed the deal as this being a ""Three Stooges"" themed bar.
Delta House (West Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]3121 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
(402) 934-4042
An ""Animal House"" themed bar! The walls were covered with props, publicity photos, and posters from the movie. We were the only customers at this time of day but this place looks like it could be a pretty fun hangout in the evenings.
I Don't Care (Northwest Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]3346 N 108th St
Omaha, NE 68164
(402) 763-2800
This was a place we had selected simply because of its name. If we had pulled up and found it was named anything else, we were going to move on. Thankfully we found that we could indeed go on inside for a drink.
We sat at the large rectangular bar. It was now lunchtime and a few tables were occupied with families sitting down for a meal. We watched an episode of ""The World's Most Amazing Videos"" and drank the raspberry version of Mike's Hard Lemonade. This would be the last of the girly drinks of the day, our stomachs were now ready for a return to beer.
Dave's Pub/Keno (Westside, Omaha, NE) [see details ]8805 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68134
(402) 391-2589
This was one that barely made our list, primarily because we couldn't find any information about it whatsoever. Instead it turned out to be one of our favorite stops.
At first it looked like a basic boring cookie-cutter joint in a run-down strip mall. But that was from the outside. Inside we found an honest-to-goodness neighborhood dive bar, the kind that people make their home away from home. This was a nice place and we enjoyed our visit.
Wayside Tavern (Westside, Omaha, NE) [see details ]8503 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68134
(402) 391-7162
Westside Why did we have to eat breakfast????? This place was serving up a pizza that looked even better than the one we saw earlier in the day at The Fire Barn. Actually we were starting to get hungry, but we had plans of another sort for food coming up soon.
Swig's Bar & Grill (Midtown, Omaha, NE) [see details ]6913 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 505-5448
This was probably the dive-iest dive we went to today.
Full House (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details ]6135 Military Ave
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 558-3133
We found a place to park the car and began a short walking adventure in the Benson neighborhood. We started out with this place, a little removed from the main strip.
After nearly four full days of taking pictures in bars, it took until #81 for someone to ask us what we were doing. They were cool about it though, the people here were friendly.
Burke's Pub (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details ]6117 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 558-1365
The bartender offered us up some free hot dogs and popcorn. I declined, but B went ahead and dug into the corn. I enjoyed the barber chair inside the front door.
The Waiting Room (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details ]6212 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 884-5353
http://waitingroomlounge.com This place looked like it's probably a music venue or dance club by night. B and I had a discussion about Tourette Syndrome, Tourette camps, and some of the things that each of us are constantly thinking in various situations that we might accidentally blurt out if our internal filters were impaired.
Musette Bar (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details ]6020 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 554-5830
http://musettebar.com There was a cute little dog running around in here that loved to chase the ball and play fetch.
We noticed that this bar had more shuffleboard tables than most places. Turns out the owner is Shane Hagen, a champion shuffleboard player.
We asked the bartender about the name of the bar. He didn't know the origin, just that it had had that name for nearly a hundred years and the current owner saw no reason to change it when he bought the place.
Nifty Bar & Grill (North Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]4721 NW Radial Hwy
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 933-9300
We picked this place because the online reviews we read talked about the rowdy crowd and that customers are constantly getting their cars towed.
Admittedly we did have trouble figuring out how to get to their parking lot, but once we did it wasn't too hard at all to park legally. The crowd inside seemed pretty mellow, thought it was still early. We played Silver Strike. Starting at the 9th frame a little kid repeatedly asked us when we'd be done because he wanted to ""play"".
Lynx Lounge (Dundee, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1604 N 47th St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 553-8787
We would end up going to 101 bars on this trip, yet this was the only one we went to where we were the only white people inside. Usually that should be the case at about at least 4 or 5 places. Oh well. It was still daytime so the handful of people in here were older.
It should be noted that of the 640+ bars I had been to as of this visit, this is absolutely the nicest smelling bar I have ever been in.
Homy Inn (North Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1510 N Saddle Creek Rd
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 554-5815
We have a winner! Normally it would be hard for me to pick a favorite bar of each day, but this was it. From the beeer trays on the ceiling, to the wall of cans, to our awesome bartender named Nikki, this place was perfect!
Oh, and did I mention that it serves champagne on tap ?
That's right! See for yourself in the photos. Naturally we passed on beer here in favor of a couple of glasses of the bubbly goodness.
We told Nikki about our trip and she gave us some great suggestions for places to hit up later when we reached downtown. (T Henery's, Billy Frog's if they hadn't lost their license, The Dubliner, and The Maxx)
Underwood Bar (Dundee, Omaha, NE) [see details ]4918 Underwood Ave
Omaha, NE 68132
(402) 556-7727
The parking lot was very small and very full. I had to parallel park inside the lot, and the lot had only one entrance -- behind me. We ended up leaving the car here for the next couple of bars.
As I took the picture of the outside, a woman ducked away saying ""Oh, I can't be in your photo!"" B jokingly informed her we were with the FBI.
Underwood was one of our top picks and we soon found out why, this bar bills itself as The Hub of the Universe .
The bar was pretty full, and as we started taking he indoor pictures, the women who had been outside asked what we were doing. B explained to her the trip we were on and how we had been out since Wednesday morning on a quest to have a drink at 100 bars.
She thought that sounded awesome, and immediately turned to her friends and told them what we were doing. ""Wow! That's like one of those things people people talk about doing but never actually go and do,"" said one of them.
""Are you guys talking about anal sex?"" asked another woman sitting catty-corner to the first group.
That end of the bar erupted in laughter and word about what we were doing spread throughout the bar.
Beer and Loathing in Dundee (Dundee, Omaha, NE) [see details ]4949 Underwood Ave
Omaha, NE 68132
(402) 614-4999
Right across the street from Underwood. We had a very nice waitress who gave us 1/2 price, 1/2 pint draws so that we could continue on our mission quickly.
Old Dundee Bar & Grill (Dundee, Omaha, NE) [see details ]4964 Dodge St
Omaha, NE 68132
(402) 558-0801
At long last! B had been searching for the new PowerPutt Golf game for a few months, and now he finally found one. So we took a break to enjoy a game of virtual mini golf.
Rose & Crown Pub (Downtown, Omaha, NE) [see details ]515 S 20th St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 346-8242
This place is rated as one of Omaha's top dives. The bar area itself is nice, and it has a beautiful deck in the back. We had also read a review that told us we needed to check out the basement bathrooms that would remind one of Buffalo Bill's basement in ""Silence of the Lambs"" , but since neither of us had to go, we both forgot about doing so.
maybe but it wasn't flaunted.
Bishop's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1901 Harney St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 934-7808
http://bishopsbar.com We walked over here to grab one last been before in this area before calling a cab. Our cab showed up just as we finished, so that was good timing.
Old Market Tavern (Old Market, Omaha, NE) [see details ]514 S 10th St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 341-0191
Since Barry O's blew, we were on a mission to find a nearby bar that didn't blow. This was the least-blowy one we found on this street. We were able to get our drinks quickly, though there was no place to sit. B went outside and chatted with the bouncer, who was a nice guy, to get some advice from him as to where to find some less busy/upscale bars. We advises us to head further west and south.
Bullpen (Old Market, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1125 Jackson St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 502-5150
This was more like it. It wasn't super crowded like the other places had been. The front end of the bar was open air with a garage door style entrance. The bartenders were fun, as were the customers.
The restrooms were down a long corridor and were pretty disgusting -- obviously a public restroom not associated with the bar.
T Henery's Pub (Old Market, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1102 Harney St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 345-3651
We were making circles throughout the neighborhood and sort of stumbled across this place when we saw people disappearing under the sidewalk. The allure of a basement bar drew us in so we headed on down. We later realized this was one of the bars the bartender back at Homy Inn had recommended to us.
We found a basement sports bar that looked like a frathouse rec room, but I actually mean that in a good way. There was a DEA dog present, as far as I could tell it was here only because its handler was in for a visit, it didn't seem anyone was getting busted for anything.
O'Connor's Irish Pub (Old Market, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1217 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 934-9790
http://oconnorsomaha.com I can't remember exactly what it was that B asked the bartender for when we sat down. But when the bartender said he didn't have it, B jokingly replied ""You don't have that? This is a pussy bar.""
""You're the pussy who chose this place,"" replied the bartender.
As we drank our beers, a girl came by whose shoe had broken and asked for advice. The bartender didn't have anything to help out, so we tried to rig something using toothpicks, a stir stick, and matches. Unfortunately we just couldn't get the strap back through the sole in order to fasten it in place.
Downtown Blues (Downtown, Omaha, NE) [see details ]1512 Howard St
Omaha, NE 68102
(402) 345-0180
Just as we were giving up, the light of this place appeared. We only had 10 minutes left until closing time but we managed to get served.
A band that I think was called ""Over The River"" was playing ""Night Moves"" when we arrived. The bar wasn't very busy and only a few people were dancing. The band had time for a couple more songs. They did covers of other southern rock hits, and when the final song played, everyone in the bar was dancing.
Barley's (Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA) [see details ]114 W Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712) 322-0306
http://barleysbar.com This was a really nice looking old bar. However, the bartender was MIA. We sat there for about 10 minutes before she appeared from a back room, surprised to see us.
After she served us she disappeared again. A few minutes later a woman came in who had left her card here the previous night. She looked around, checked the other room, then came back. ""Is anyone working here?"" she asked us. ""Nope, we had to serve ourselves,"" B joked. She finally managed to find the bartender and got her card.
Glory Days (Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA) [see details ]106 W Broadway
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712) 256-5922
This was a pretty nice sports bar. We discussed our plans for the day -- would we stop when we reached 100, or was 100 just a goal and we'd hit up a few more until we were ready to go home? We decided we would stop at 100 since it was a nice round number.
Quarthouse Bar (Downtown, Council Bluffs, IA) [see details ]107 Pearl St
Council Bluffs, IA 51503
(712) 322-9830
We headed over to Main Street and drove up and down both sides trying to decide what our next bar would be. We were looking specifically for a place called Uncle Charlie's Boston Boozers at 519 S. Main because that name is just awesome. But it either does not exist anymore or is very well hidden because we could not find it. But we did find the Quarthouse, and it was open.
This was a nice, quiet old-timer dive with canned beer. There we a few other guys in here. I believe everyone was watching golf.
Update: There is a pool table in the back room, and they have karaoke on the weekend.
Caddy Shack (Council Bluffs, IA) [see details ]1426 4th Ave
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
(712) 322-9708
http://caddyshackinc.com We were the first customers of the day, and the bartender was still cleaning up from previous night's RAGBRAI crowd that had kept him extremely busy Saturday night.
This was a spacious roadhouse type bar with some pretty entertaining graffiti in the men's room. We played our final game of Golden Tee for the trip before hitting the highway for real.
The Jones (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1271 Main, 6th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 221-8846
http://thejoneskc.com Seasonal rooftop pool & bar on the roof of the downtown Cosentino's grocery store. There is a swim-up bar as well as a standard part for those who prefer not to get in the water. The Jones Ultra Pool is essentially an outdoor pool themed night club. Admission charges apply.
Buck's (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]5708 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 455-2825
A former Ponderosa restaurant converted into a sports bar with pretty good Italian food and BBQ.
Tommy's (Gladstone, MO) [see details ]6221 N Chestnut Ave
Gladstone, MO 64119
(816) 413-8311
http://www.cascones.com/ Usually restaurant lounges are kind of lame, but the lounge at Tommy's holds its own as a sports dive. It's isolated enough from the restaurant area that it feels like its own place.
Dr Lucky's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Mitchell, SD) [see details ]205 N Main St
Mitchell, SD 57301
(605) 996-3200
http://docluckys.com 19 beers on tap. Food was basic fried standard bar food.
Loud American Roadhouse (Downtown, Sturgis, SD) [see details ]1305 Main St
Sturgis, SD 57785
(605) 720-1500
http://loudamericanroadhouse.com/ If you're not going for a show, then go on Sunday night for the famous all-you-can-eat steak tips!
Silver Dollar Bar (Downtown, Cody, WY) [see details ]Silver Saddle Saloon at Irma Hotel (Downtown, Cody, WY) [see details ]1192 Sheridan Ave
Cody, WY 82414
(307) 587-4221
http://irmahotel.com/ A tourist mecca, yet ironically one of the most genuine old-west style bars I have visited.
Proud Cut Saloon (Downtown, Cody, WY) [see details ]1227 Sheridan Ave
Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-6905
Dive bar on the main downtown strip in Cody. The bartender seemed to have some difficulty with improvising when he didn't have exactly what I had asked for to drink.
Cassie's (Cody, WY) [see details ]214 Yellowstone Ave
Cody, WY 82414
(307) 527-5500
http://www.cassies.com/ Started out originally as a brothel, then relocated to the edge of town and eventually converted to a steakhouse/lounge.
The Gusher (West Yellowstone, MT) [see details ]40 Dunraven St
West Yellowstone, MT 59758
(406) 646-9050
http://gusherpizza.com/ The pizza may not be anything spectacular pretty standard. (I'm not a fan of any pizza that hides onions in the sauce. If I want onions on my pizza, I'll order them.)
But, I got the most perfect pour of Guinness here that I have ever received. :)
Grumpy's Goat Shack (Victor, ID) [see details ]37 S. Main
Victor, ID 83455
(520) 387-5771
http://goatshack.com/ Seasonal (Summer) bar in a converted 1-car garage. The bar seats 8, but there's ample seating outside. There's a wide selection of bottled beer and wine, and some of the best back-yard food you'll ever eat!
The bar is an offshoot of the Dewey House Restaurant next door.
And, yes, there are goats!
Crescent Moon Ale House (Leavenworth, Omaha, NE) [see details ]3578 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68131
402) 345-1708
http://beercornerusa.com This place is actually 3 bars in 1, plus a liquor store:
Crescent Moon is the main bar where you first walk in. It has more of a sports bar feel. This was what we visited.
Huber-Haus is a German beer hall in the basement. We tried to go here but it was packed. This section features beer in boots.
Max & Joe's is off to the site of the main level, it's a more quiet, laid-back restaurant/lounge.
Beertopia is the liquor store portion. We didn't see an entrance from the bar area but may have missed it.
BT's Sports Bar & Grill (Bristol Park, Grain Valley, MO) [see details ]640-B NE Yennie St.
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 867-1187
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grain-Valley-MO/BTs-Sports-Bar-Grill/204111973817 Had it not been for the giant banner hanging from the front of the building, BT's would never have set off my BARDAR at all. It's in the last place anyone would expect to find a sports bar -- located inside a tiny enclosed strip strip mall attached to the leasing office of a large suburban apartment complex.
BT's is brand new -- in fact it had only been open just over a week when I visited -- and so obviously hadn't had time to develop a sense of character yet. But business was brisk and it does seem to have already established a steady stream of regulars. There are several large screen TVs around the room and each table has an individual sound system that can be tuned to any of the TVs. There's also a good variety of bar food with different daily specials. And the staff was very friendly, too.
An interesting feature -- if you live in the attached Bristol Park apartment complex, you can order "room service" from BT's.
Nila's Pizza & Pub (Downtown, Grain Valley, MO) [see details ]522 Main
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-7990
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grain-Valley-MO/Nilas-Pizza-and-Pub/192766144385 This was a bit unexpected, I checked it out on a whim but wasn't expecting to find an actual bar inside.
Granted, the bar area is very small, a platform next to the kitchen with seating for maybe 6-8. But it does indeed seem to be serving as a neighborhood bar.
A couple of young guys setting next to us had been there drinking since opening. They had had breakfast (an appetizer sampler), has just finished lunch when we arrived (pizza), and were planning to stick around for dinner.
A handful of video games, a dart board, and a couple of TVs give this place a slight sports bar feel but it's first and foremost a pizza place. And the pizza is VERY good. A true cracker crust and LOADED with cheese. I'll have to come back for more.
DA's Bar (Grain Valley, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Pete's Place )
112 SW Eagles Pkwy
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-2226
While not obvious in the photo, I arrived to a nearly full parking lot and mine was the only vehicle in the lot that was not a pickup-truck.
The interior is painted what I like to call
East Berlin Gray , a medium-dark slate gray that makes the area seem darker and smaller than it actually is. This is definitely the "toughest" of the Grain Valley bars (apart from the dance club
Whiskey Tango which has actually had a shooting).
My drinking companion was nervous about being here, but the rough & rowdy atmosphere wasn't anything I hadn't seen many times before.
Year's ago on this site was a small white wooden shack that housed a tavern called
Pete's Place . It burned down in the 1980s and was replaced with the stark cinderblock building that sits here today.
Miss Kelly Jo's (Downtown, Oak Grove, MO) [see details ]1219 Broadway
Oak Grove, MO 64075
(816) 690-0039
There were three bars we planend to visit in Oak Grove. One turned out to be a formal restaurant, another appeared to be closed. But Miss Kelly Jo's made the stop in Oak Grove worthwhile.
The space is clearly set up for live music and dancing, though none of that was going on this afternoon. There's plenty here to keep you entertained, though, at any time of day.
The actual bar is a little tricky, it's slightly elevated and as a result the stools are bolted to the floor, so if you've had a lot to drink it's a bit of a challenge to get to get in and out of your seat. :)
Woody's Tavern (Downtown, Odessa, MO) [see details ]111 S. 2nd St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 918-6634
Your basic neighborhood dive bar, exactly the type of place you expect to find downtown in a small town.
There were several customers here and they were all women. I wondered briefly if it was a lesbian bar, but I could find no obvious evidence. After we were here about 20 minutes several other guys came in, so I guess that was just a fluke. :)
Something about this place seemed familiar to me, even down to the Woody Woodpecker car hood hanging on the wall. I never figured out why I was having such a sense of deja vu here.
Jugheads (Downtown, Odessa, MO) [see details ]121 S. 2nd St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 651-0397
Another basic small down, downtown neighborhood dive. There was some cleaning/repair work underway.
Though there was essentially no difference between Jugheads and its neighbor Woody's, Jugheads was nearly empty while Woody's had maybe a dozen or so customers. I have no idea why the disparity.
Red Rocket Saloon (Downtown, Odessa, MO) [see details ]115 W. Mason St.
Odessa, MO 64076
(816) 456-8663
From outside I expected this place to be huge, instead I found Odessa's tiniest bar. The few barstools were occupied so we had to take one of a few small tables. By the front door several people were playing at the one pool table that could fit, while the jukebox blared '90s dance hits.
Johnny's Tavern (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1310 Grand
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 268-2260
http://www.johnnystavern.com/ Downtown KC location of a sports bar chain. It wasn't super busy during my visit but it seems less likely to draw the Axe-wearing crowd than it's neighbor McFadden's down the street. I didn't try the food but the menu looked impressive, with a good variety of sports bar favorites.
Tengo Sed Cantina (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1323 Walnut
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 442-8112
http://www.tengosedcantina.com/ I was in here on a snowy Tuesday night so I was the only customer. Often this place gets pretty packed. They serve Mexican food, but I haven't heard good things about it.
Qudos Cigar & Cognac Bar (Financial District, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1116 Grand Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 474-2270
http://www.qudoscigarbar.com/ A very comfortable, laid-back lounge on Grand Avenue downtown. The main lounge area features plush leather chairs. The screen behind the bar is used as a TV by day, then becomes the stage for silhouette dancers by night.
To get around the smoking ban, the bar also has two private street-facing patios that are isolated from the lounge, have windows that can be open or closed, and include TVs and heat.
Gordon Biersch Brewery (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]100 E. 14th Street
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 471-2340
http://www.gordonbiersch.com/ Kansas City location of a brewpub restaurant chain. Beer is served directly from the vats via chilled taps.
The bar area is removed from the restaurant and has a more cozy feel than you might expect from a place of this size. The large windows behind the bar are a nice touch.
681. Harleys & Horses Bar & Grill (Kansas City, MO) [see details ]7210 NE 43rd St.
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 452-2660
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kansas-City-MO/Harleys-Horses/128395624809 Biker & rock/blues themed bar in a converted restaurant near Worlds of Fun. The bar is a rectangle in the center of the building, with a stage to once side and pool tables to the other side. There is a covered patio in back for the smokers.
This is a fairly new place, it opened October 2009.
The menu features a 5-lb burger challenge. But plan ahead, it requires 48 hours advance notice.
Spirits Pub (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1211 Armour Rd
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-3451
http://www.myamericaninn.com/northkansascity.htm Motel bar for the regional American Inn chain. The bar is located on the fact side of the lobby building.
The bar is decked out in a deep red color and has a small stage area for their popular karaoke nights. There's free popcorn and a food menu from the adjacent restaurant.
Happy hour ends at 7pm, draft beers are $1.50 during happy hour.
Los Corrals (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]408 W. 9th St.
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 421-9440
This is an extremely popular Mexican restaurant. The bar is a separate room in front, it is fairly tiny and was packed shoulder to shoulder during my Saturday afternoon visit.
Savoy Grill (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]219 W. 9th St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 842-3890
http://www.savoygrill.net/ Given that this bar is located inside what could be considered downtown's ritziest restaurant, I was really surprised that they allowed my group of jeans-wearing guys in off the street to have a drink at the bar. But they did, and our bartender was a really cool guy and fun to chat with.
Savvy Coffee & Wine Bar (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1201 Main
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 471-7044?
http://www.savvykc.com/ Coffee and wine bar on a busy corner in downtown KC. A nice spot to sit and people watch. Free wifi available. The restrooms have some of the coolest sinks ever.
Odd hours though:
Mon - Wed 7 am - 4 pm
Thurs - Fri 7 am - 11pm
Saturday - 5 pm - 1am
Closed on Sunday
Jerry's Bait Shop (Downtown, Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]302 Southwest Main Street
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 525-1871
http://www.jerrysbaitshop.net/lees-summit/ 10:30am
Jerry's main focus is as a music venue, but as we were the first customers of the day on a weekday we had the place to ourselves. Our bartender actually seemed confused to have customers this early. :) We got in a round of Silver Strike while enjoying our beers.
The Peanut (Downtown, Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]219 Southeast Main Street
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 524-9966
http://peanutkc.com/lees.html 11:05am
The Peanut's Lee's Summit location is much larger than the Plaza or Downtown locations, but doesn't have the same character or neighborhood feel as those locations. We played some Golden Tee during our late morning visit.
Sharkeez (Downtown, Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]Logan's Cabin (Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]807 SW Oldham Pkwy
Lees Summit, MO 64081
(816) 525-9370
12:20pm
Now that it was lunchtime we would no longer be the the only bar customers for a while. We walked in to find about half a dozen older gentlemen regulars and a nice bartender who was vacuuming up feathers left over from the previous night's St. Patrick's Day celebration.
The bar is horseshoe-shaped with a cowbell hung directly over the center. The surrounding area has tables, pool tables, darts, and a small stage/dance area.
Stumble Inn (Holden, MO) [see details ]104 S. Pine St.
Holden, MO 64040
(816) 732-5525
1:40pm
I had been looking forward to visiting this bar for over a year since I first found it on
Google Street View and fell in love with its run-down look.
"Are we really going in there?" my brother asked incredulously. "That building needs to be condemned and knocked down. Or at least repainted."
Nonsense. Some people just can't appreciate a rustic old building with character.
It took some time for our eyes to adjust once inside, it was quite a bit darker than the photos below make it seem. The locals were very friendly.
I really liked the original exposed natural stone at the back end of the bar.
Cowboy Inn (Holden, MO) [see details ]119 E. 2nd St.
Holden, MO 64040
(816) 732-6711
2:10pm
This was a nice quiet downtown bar with a small deli counter in the front and a good menu of sandwiches and fried foods. I had a pretty delicious tenderloin and some rather good fries.
Mary's Corral (Strasburg, MO) [see details ]512 Gamble Ave.
Strasburg, MO 64090
(816) 865-3330
3:25pm
This is another place I've been curious about for a while, having seen it a few times while driving on MO-58.
I imagine this place gets pretty busy, but the 3:00 hour is one of the deadest times of day for a bar so we were the only customers. On the first day of NCAA basketball tournament games, our bartender welcomed us by turning on the TV to a PBS documentary about working conditions in copper mines in the 1910s. This led to my brother calling our visit "depressing".
Though Coors and Miller were listed on the menu, "We don't carry Coors and usually don't have Miller," the bartender told us.
The pool table was in a separate room in the front of the bar.
While pooping in bars is generally a violation of proper bar etiquette, one would
definitely not want to do it here. The sewer system can't handle toilet paper so your wipings all have to be tossed into a basket.
Fugly's Bar & Grill (East Lynne, MO) [see details ]109 Indiana
East Lynne, MO 64743
(816) 626-3307
4:05pm
Operated by
Modern Day Veterans Post 295, Fugley's (aka
The Assembly of the Drunken Brethren Church ) is a bar & grill built from a converted century-old church. (Or older? I found a reference to a church founded in town in 1874, which would be consistent with the construction style.)
Not surprisingly this has offended a few people -- there is
a small Facebook group opposed to this bar -- but I got the impression that the majority in the community enjoy the gathering spot and are happy seeing the historic building in use instead of sitting empty.
The building's history results in the interior being one of the most beautiful bars I have ever visited (my pictures don't do it justice), with much of the original woodwork exposed.
Where the pulpit once stood there are now some games and a stage, where there were once pews there are now bar tables and pool tables. The bar itself is V-shaped and occupies most of one of the long walls.
Thanks to it being happy hour this was the cheapest bar of the day, with $1 draws. So I broke my rule and stayed for another round. :)
Pleasant Hill Pool Hall (Downtown, Pleasant Hill, MO) [see details ]19 South 1st Street
Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
(816) 540-2004
4:55pm
Pleasant Hill Pool Hall, operated by
Vikings USA Bootheel MO Post 190 , is rumored to be the oldest pool hall in Missouri and possibly west of the Mississippi. The floor and most of the exposed surfaces are original, and the inside of the building definitely has a rustic beauty to it.
Rooster's Sports Bar (Pleasant Hill, MO) [see details ]100 S State Route 7
Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
(816) 987-5769
5:25pm
Roosters is part steakhouse, part sports bar. It was pretty busy during our visit. According to the collapsing billboard outside they also feature live entertainment and dance nights.
Home Plate Grill & Sports Bar (Pleasant Hill, MO) [see details ]2119 N State Route 7
Pleasant Hill, MO 64080
(816) 540-2000
http://www.homeplate08.com/ This was a pretty basic strip mall hangout. Half the place was dedicated to the restaurant, the bar was on the other side of a dividing wall.
The bar side was set up like a sports bar and hosts live entertainment.
Lake House Pub (Lake Lotawana, MO) [see details ]27909 East Colbern Road
Lake Lotawana, MO 64086
(816) 578-5770
http://www.myspace.com/lakehousepub 6:35pm
This visit to an extremely popular night spot in Lake Lotawana finally settled a personal mystery of mine that has intrigued me since our accidental (but unsuccessful) discovery of this place
3+ years ago .
The tropical-themed bar is split level, with pool tables on both levels and a stage, patio, and the main bar on the lower level.
In the space of ten minutes we witnessed overfly friendly happy drunks and angry drunks trying to start trouble. But happy drunks were the clear majority, which is probably what makes this bar such a draw.
Canoe Club (Lake Lotawana, MO) [see details ]27905 E. Colbern Rd
Lake Lotawana, MO 64086
(816) 578-5700
http://www.myspace.com/canoeclub 7:05pm
This was a bonus bar -- we didn't know about it at all even though it was right next door to Lake House Pub. The bar is inside a somewhat-upscale restaurant that seemed to be seafood-oriented. Just off the side of the bar is a large outdoor deck. I didn't see an obvious stage area but the bar does occasionally host bands.
Russo's Pizza & Pub (Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]9324 Missouri 7
Lees Summit, MO 64064
(816) 578-4943
7:40pm
I've driven by Russo's for many years but for some reason had never stopped in before tonight. Apparently it's a biker bar, though I've never seen many bikes outside.
The pizza is a cracker crust with a delicious sweet tomato sauce and plenty of cheese. I would have liked a little more pepperoni but overall it was very good -- we devoured a large in minutes.
The main bar room is fairly large, with several smaller dining areas broken off throughout the building.
I'd never seen wicker bar stools before...
Do Drop Inn (Downtown, Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]22 SW 3rd Street
Lees Summit, MO 64063
(816) 525-7806
8:45pm
This was supposed to be our first stop of the day since it was listed online as opening at 10am, but they had recently changed their hours and now open at 2pm. So we decided to give it a visit on our way back into town.
There were few places left to sit in this downtown Lee's Summit neighborhood dive, so we had to take a table by the door. The bar's most interesting features are its piano and a collection of arrowheads displayed over the bar.
Daytimer Lounge (Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]829 South Kingshighway
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
(573) 334-9171
I arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday. The bar was very dark, so dark it took a good 15-20 minutes for my eyes to fully adjust.
The tiled, horseshoe-shaped bar was filled with middle aged an older people, as one would expect this time of day. The cavernous interior of brick and concrete made it loud with even just a dozen patrons, so the somewhat timid bartender was very hard to hear.
The bar's entertainment includes pool tables, some sort of video poker type games, a jukebox, and a stage for live entertainment.
From talking to others, it seems this bar draws some its patrons from up to 40 miles away.
Buckner Brewing Company (Downtown, Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]132 N. Main
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573) 334-4677
http://www.bucknerbrewing.com/ Nice brewpub on the riverfront in downtown Cape Girardeau. Two levels of restaurant seating and a long, curving bar under a 2-story skylight.
I only tried the porter. It was slightly more bitter than I prefer but it was still quite good.
Rude Dog Pub (Downtown, Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]123 N Main
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573) 335-4447
http://www.myspace.com/rudedogpub The bar was pretty crowded when I arrived and only got busier during the course of my visit. Nonetheless I was served immediately. I didn't catch the bartender's name -- he was a young man with a pony tail -- but he was very attentive and friendly and was a key part of what made this a good place to hang out for a little while.
The crowd was about an equal mix of bikers and middle-aged people.
The decor, while bordering on gimmicky, is whimsical enough to be amusing. (I particularly enjoyed the upside-down Christmas Tree on the ceiling.)
The bar has one pool table and a setup for live music in the front. As much as was in here it should have been crowded and claustrophobic, but it wasn't. They make good use of their space.
This is definitely a bar I'll be back to on future visits to the town.
Roxy's Big Country Saloon (Downtown, Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]107 N. Main
Cape Girardeau, MO 63701
(573) 803-0023
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=326411961111&ref=share I'm not sure if this is formerly Club Moxy or if Club Moxy is what was upstairs from here. They had just opened and I was the first customer of the day. The (loud) sound system was being tested with popular country hits. The bartender was a very nice kid who barely seemed old enough himself to drink.
Rhymer's on the Plaza (Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]10 Plaza Way
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
Name Formerly Visit Order:
http://www.myspace.com/rhymersontheplaza When I pulled up to the run-down strip mall where Rhymer's is located, I didn't expect much. Probably just a simple dank room with a pool table and nothing but cans. So I was surprised to find a spacious, well-designed bar space with tons of character and personality!
I was helped by two different bartenders during my visit, both of whom were friendly and had a good sense of humor. The L-shaped bar was clean and comfortable. Beer was available on tap, and drinks were cheap.
The layout of the space is unusual, but very clever. The front half divides into the bar area and the table-seating area / game area. (Darts, and in a first for me for for any bar I've been too -- sit-down arcade racing games.) The back-half splits into the restrooms to one side and the pool tables room on the other side. In the center is a stage. It is separated from all the areas of the bar, yet at the same time is open to and visible from every location.
A good sized outdoor area is also available, though I didn't check that out.
One other thing I enjoyed -- the restrooms are painted in chalkboard paint. There is chalk available on the sink so you can leave your (temporary) mark for posterity.
Whiskey River (Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]1444 Independence St.
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
(573) 335-2233
Whiskey River has apparently just opened recently, the liquor license is new and there isn't a permanent sign in place yet. It's a huge facility, with the entrance being a converted garage door. From the layout I'd guess this was formerly a car dealership or body shop, perhaps?
There's two rooms. The larger main room where the L-shaped bar is located is decorated in black and has a big screen TV, pool tables, Golden Tee, and several video poker type machines. Then, facing the street, is a much brighter side room (brighter due to the large windows) with several tables and another pool table. The dozen or so customers were all over in the main room.
Karaoke seems to be the big thing here, there's a weekly karaoke contest on Friday nights.
Brothers Lounge (Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]2023 Independence St
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
(573) 332-0700
This is a pretty relaxing lounge located in an aging strip mall complex. I sat at the bar with a mix of working class people of all ages watching part of the 20-inning Cards-Mets game.
The lounge is pretty big and can easily seat dozens of people. There's pool tables and a jukebox. I didn't notice a stage, but I was getting tired and didn't look around a whole lot.
The bartender was very nice and knew everyone's name (except mine). For a Saturday night it was unusually quiet, he mentioned that the previous Saturday it had been packed wall to wall.
I don't know what it would be like in there when it's THAT busy, but I had a nice relaxing time hanging out there with the 18 or so people present.
Woodswether Cafe (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1414 W. 9th St.
Kansas City, MO 64101
(816) 472-6333
Long time breakfast/lunch dinner that recently opened its bar and started staying open late. Excellent, inexpensive food. Nightly dinner specials, karaoke on alternate Thursdays, and watch parties for major sports events.
BB's Lawnside BBQ (Legacy East, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1205 E. 85th St.
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 822-7427
http://bbslawnsidebbq.com/ (This entry fixes an injustice... I've actually visited BB's several times over the years but for some reason have always forgotten to add it to the list.)
The BBQ at BB's is good, though I am not a fan of their sauce. It's too sweet for my tastes. However, BBQ or no BBQ, it's a good place to kick back with some beers and listed to live blues. In fact, this is one of only three places in the KC area where I actually don't mind there being a band. (The others are Winslow's and Knuckleheads.) BB's is definitely a KC institution.
Elbow Bend (Grandview, MO) [see details ]12402 Blue Ridge Ext, Suite D
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 765-7070
I didn't know such a thing existed in the Kansas City area, but Elbow Bend is a Pittsburgh Steelers themed bar.
The owners is a huge Steelers fan, as is her husband. The bar is decked out in Steelers memorabilia, and the husband has even been known to show off his Steelers underwear. The bar can get a little crazy during NFL season. Unfortunately they don't have a Sunday license so have to settle for the Monday night games.
Apart from football watch parties, the bar also features pool tables, a shuffleboard, Silver Strike, and an old CD jukebox. It also has a friendly bartender and some of the friendliest regulars you could hope to meet.
Doghouse Bar & Grill (Grandview, MO) [see details ]6109 Main St.
Grandview, MO 64030
(816) 765-3039
This aging but well-kept bar is one of two intoxicating bookends to this strip mall on the south side of Main right off 71 Hwy.
The small L-shaped bar in the back is clean and comfortable and run by very personable bartenders. The bar features two pool tables, a shuffleboard, and older versions of Silver Strike and Golden Tee. (There's no darts anymore, however.) There's an internet juke box at the front end of the bar. Keeping with the name, dog "sculptures" decorate the bar. (Including an increasingly-rare Spuds McKenzie.)
This is one of those everyone-knows-everyone places, and the people here were very nice.
Highlander Bar & Grill (Grandview, MO) [see details ]6305 Main St.
Grandview, MO 64030
Get Directions (816) 767-0504
This aging (and showing it) bar is the other of two intoxicating bookends to this strip mall on the south side of Main right off 71 Hwy.
The hook-shaped bar in the back was full when we arrived, all old men. However the departure of two allowed us a place to sit. The guys here were all pretty friendly.
The bar featured a pool table and dart boards. I'm pretty sure there was a juke box though I am not certain.
Beer is nice and cheap here, and served in cold mugs. (But not frozen, thankfully!)
Eddie's Bar & Grill (Robandee, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]8226 E. Bannister Rd
Kansas City, MO 64134
(816) 761-1767
This is a bar I'd never heard of and likely would never have known about, if not for my friend's eagle eye. He had spotted it several months ago and tried to tell me about "this real shithole looking place" he had found, but I could never find it on my own. So, on a Saturday we both had free, we ended up deciding to head there together.
When we first arrived the owner had just unlocked the door, but she was not ready for customers yet. She seemed very suspicious of us and told us to come back in about an hour. (Hence why this is bar #713 instead of #710 as it originally would have been.)
When we returned the second time the man who was with the owner earlier asked me suspiciously about my camera and notebook. I explained about my hobby, and suddenly the mood changed. The owner (Leslie) apologized too us for her earlier mood, and everyone all around was very friendly to us from that point on.
"Make no mistake, this place is a shithole, and proud of it," said the guy who had asked me about my camera. So I guess my friend's description was not out of line. :)
However, as "shitholes" go, this is actually a pretty nice place. It's also quite a bit bigger than you'd think from the outside. It's well-maintained and not a bad neighborhood hangout at all.
Located in the dying Robandee Shopping Center, this place has been here a long time. Leslie told us she had worked here for 15 years before buying it 3 years ago.
I asked her why it's still named Eddie's, given that her name is Leslie. "Oh, honey, when I bought this place I had to deal with a mountain of paperwork half a foot thick and go to Jeff City to get fingerprinted and a background check. No way was I going to add to that by going through the renaming process too!"
There's bartop trivia, darts, and I believe there were a couple of arcade games behind me. They've scaled back the kitchen, though, there's food only 1 day a week now and Saturday isn't that day much to the chagrin of our hungry bellies.
Roadies Rockhouse (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Harley Hotrods )
1320 N. MO-7
Blue Springs, MO 64104
(816) 228-1625
http://www.roadiesrockhouse.com/ We stopped in here because it was the ONLY bar along 7 Hwy in Blue Springs open... all the rest opened too late and missed out on our visit.
There's some confusion on the name because it still says Harley Hotrods everywhere outside, but a painted sign indoors says "Roadies Rockhouse" and a liquor license search confirms the new name.
The bar is located in a retail space that has served many purposes -- including, if my childhood memory is correct, a national-chain drug store. So it's a very large space and has a tremendous amount of seating.
The main room has a pool table, several arcade games, foosball, and the stage. There's two more rooms, one is full of pool tables and the other I didn't explore.
The rotating specials allow for very cheap drinking -- we had 16oz PBR for $1 each. That's a steal!
There was one thing that I did find amusing about the place. To me, this is clearly not a place for kids. Yet high chairs and booster seats are available.
Damage Control (Independence, MO) [see details ](Formerly
The Pig )
815 N. Noland Rd.
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 461-1117
http://www.damagecontrolbar.com/ Waaaay back when I was a youth this was called Neiner's and was THE place for all the metalheads to go hang out. At some point it became Nick's, and then more recently was known as The Pig. It still catered to the heavy metal crowd throughout that time.
Now it's called Damage Control. The crowds are more mellow than in the past, and they are diversifying the acts to cover all facets of rock instead of just metal. (There's even an Acoustic Night.)
The bar is very old and run down. Some might even describe it as crappy. But it has potential. The bartenders were all very nice and friendly.
In addition to the music, there's pool and darts. Monday night is dart league night, the bartender waffled on whether the bar is open to the general public that night or not.
There's also a menu that is surprisingly interesting and diverse for a place like this. One appetizer that caught my eye was the Tube Screamers -- cheese sticks that are wrapped in ham before being breaded and fried. Basically, ham & cheese sandwiches in stick form.
The Landing (Liberty, MO) [see details ]1189 W. Kansas
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 792-5230
http://landingeateryandpub.com/ Popular locally-owned suburban sports bar with good good and great happy hour deals (2 for 1 drinks). UFC, live music, and Golden Tee are big deals here. Free popcorn at the bar!
Timber Creek Bar & Grill (Louisburg, KS) [see details ]14 E. Amity Street
Louisburg, KS 66053
(913) 837-2600
http://www.timbercreeklouisburg.com/ This restaurant/bar appears to serve as Louisburg's main gathering spot. It's a huge space, divided into several rooms. The bar area occupies over half of the public area of the building.
The bar is a central U-shaped island in the middle of a large room filled with booths and tables. One side of the room has a stage for bands and karaoke. Outside the opposite side is an outdoor seating area, a deck well-shaded by umbrellas and the woods behind the building.
There are several TVs throughout the place, an older CD jukebox, and several video games. (Including Golden Tee, Pac Man, a hunting game, and a jet ski game.) A separate room near the entrance houses the pool tables.
With domestic bottles at $3, this was our most expensive bar of the day. Though it wouldn't have been if we'd paid attention to the specials before ordering.
The bar...
Panorama of the seating area around the bar. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
This last photo is for those who have whined about the smoke in nearly every online
review I've
read about this place. Granted, they'll have no choice after July 2010, but they switched early. I noticed no trace of smoke smell inside.
Drexel Bar & Grill (Drexel, MO) [see details ]108 E. Main St.
Drexel, MO 64742
(816) 657-2470
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Drexel-MO/Drexel-Bar-Grill/49779011508 Even all the way from downtown Kansas City I've known about this bar for a long time, due to seeing it comes up a lot on various band schedules. It looks like they get quite a few good bands through this place.
The bar itself is a small L-shaped counter in the far back corner Next to the bar is an elevated stage. There's pool tables in the front, and the main focus of the bar is a big elevated hardwood dance floor in the middle.
I didn't notice it at first, but there's another room adjacent to the stage, behind the business next door, with darts and video games. Behind that is a beer garden with a fire pit.
Happy hour is 4-6.
That's the stage straight back on the right. The dance floor is in the lower left corner.
The dance floor...
Panorama of the back room. Use the slider below the photo to view.
The outdoor area and fire pit. Probably would look nicer had it not been so windy/stormy lately.
Amsterdam Cafe (Amsterdam, MO) [see details ]349 Main St
Amsterdam, MO 6472
(660) 267-3300
Amsterdam Cafe was the only business in town open on this Saturday. (I actually wondered if it's the only business open in this town, period.)
When entering the building, the diner is on the right and the bar is on the left. Naturally, we opted for the bar.
It's a very small room. There's a pool table in the front and about four tables for seating. The bar counter is very small with a handful of very short diner-style bar stools.
The bartender was very nice and attentive, he checked on us several times. He was the only person who interacted with us here.
There's a CD jukebox, an older MegaTouch machine, and Silver Strike. However these were all unplugged. In fact, almost every electronic item except for the window air conditioner -- even every beer sign in the window -- was unplugged.
It wasn't until after we left that we discovered the bar is quite a bit bigger than we thought. There's another room next door with another pool table, darts, and at least one more arcade game. It doesn't look like the back room gets much use.
Panorama of the bar. I'm not really sure what everyone is looking at, since nothing was turned on. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
The back room that we didn't notice until we left...
I love the name of the bait store next door...
Main Street in Amsterdam, MO. (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
Outpost Bar & Grill (LaCygne, KS) [see details ]19394 KS Highway 152
LaCygne, KS 66040
(913) 757-2672
This place is really popular. I know of several people from KC who hang out here quite a bit, mostly bikers but not all.
This is a pretty big place, and was rather busy. There were lots of people here getting lunch while a woman played acoustic guitar and sang in the center of the room. There's also a main stage in the far back.
There's TVs throughout the place, Keno, Silver Strike, and a driving game. The back of the main room has several pool tables. There's a patio off to the side.
Though BBQ is just a tiny portion of their menu, it seems to be the main thing people come here for. We did get some appetizers (cheese sticks and GIANT baskets of fries that were really good but mostly went to waste due to there being too many) and people all around us were stunned that we weren't eating BBQ.
Because the place was so busy, I didn't feel comfortable taking photos. It was hard for me to get an opportunity to do so that wouldn't have led people to believe I was taking their picture.
Backdoor Saloon (Pleasanton, KS) [see details ]11231 Tucker Rd
Pleasanton, KS 66075
(913) 352-6185
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pleasanton-KS/North-Side-BBQ/83592379352 This bar is located around back of Northside BBQ, in a converted garage. While it wasn't too busy when we visited due to our arrival between the lunch and evening crowds, the bartender told us that by nightfall the place would fill up to over a hundred people. Bands, bikini contests, and so forth help draw the crowds.
The bar has lots of table seating, two pool tables, a CD jukebox, and an outdoor area (though it was unclear to me whether drinks can be taken outside).
A separate room features the stage and dance floor, this room is also the junction between the bar and the restaurant that's around front.
At $2 for a 16 ounce pour, this was one of the cheaper places we went to.
I loved the signs marking the restrooms. (The urinals were filled with ice, too.)
The outdoor area
Panorama of the bar. Please pardon the goofy facial expressions of my cohorts and their fragmented bodies. "Don't move," I told them, and this is what I wound up with. :) (Use the slider below the photo to view.)
Country Club (Mound City, KS) [see details ]519 W Main St
Mound City, KS 66056
Technically a private club, though the fairly quiet group welcomed our presence. They were jokingly surprised that we'd pick this of all places to stop in. Our arrival filled out the remaining empty spaces on the boomerang spaced bar.
This is a very large bar, with pool tables in the front and booths and tables throughout. A visit to the restroom revealed another room parallel to the main room with further tables and games.
It took me several minutes to notice this dildo pointing at me from the bar mirror.
I know it sucks to run out of toilet paper, but come on, isn't this overreacting a bit? :)
Fox Run (Fulton, KS) [see details ]115 W. Spruce St.
Fulton, KS 66737
(620) 857-9427
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fulton-KS/FOX-UGLY-BAR-FULTON-KANSAS/180299543208 I was a bit nervous about this place at first, with its ramshackle appearance and with it being very much off the beaten path. But I'm glad we stopped in, because this was our favorite bar of the entire trip and easily among the best bars I've been to.
A poker run had just departed minutes before our arrival so it wasn't very busy, which allowed us to talk with the bartender as well as one of the owners. These people were great, and they were excited that we found this place and even more excited when I mentioned that I had seen their Facebook page.
The bar was first built in 1946 and expanding to its current size (twice the original size) some time later. The current owners have had the place since about 1996.
The bar has 7' ceilings, which gives it a very cozy feeling. (Borderline cramped if you're tall like me.) The regulars are a vast cross section of people, a very eclectic mix of just about every walk of life. Cowboys, doctors, rednecks, lawyers,bikers, you name it. Because they are very strict and quick about dealing with troublemakers, there are almost never any kinds of problems at the bar and everyone has a great time.
The bar pulls in live entertainment, hosts poker tournaments, and even puts on turtle races for the kids. There's two pool tables, a jukebox, and a semi-inaccessible MegaTouch machine.
One of my cohorts had just turned 21 recently so they gave him a free Fox Run hat. The hat looks great, and he loves it! (It's the same hat worn by the mannequin below.
It's a private club, $20 annual membership, but we were signed in as guests.
Rusty's Sports Bar & Grill (Downtown, Fort Scott, KS) [see details ]16 North National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
(620) 223-4777
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=132219702354&ref=ts This place looks really nice, but we were kind of bored. The bartender didn't really interact with us, and the environment seemed too polished.
Table seating is mostly on the upper level, though there were a few booths and such downstairs. In the back, below the dining area, is a jukebox and a couple of pool tables.
The one thing that I remember most is that when we first stepped inside, the only person "working" behind the bar was a toddler. :)
Holmtown Pub (Downtown, Fort Scott, KS) [see details ]206 North National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
(620) 223-1477
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Holmtown-Pub/288167671738 Just 2 bars after our favorite bar of the trip came our least favorite bar of the trip. It looked very promising, but inside there was almost no personality at all. Very little decor except around the bar itself, and though we were the only customers the bartender didn't talk to us at all.
We ordered food, and it was nothing to speak of. It was served overly-hot and couldn't even be touched for several minutes. The giant, flat chicken strips were ok, the fries were basically Ore-Ida and badly in need of more salt. There were several flies in the bar and it was a constant battle to keep them off the food.
There are two pool tables. There is also a CD juke box and a deck out the south side.
The one piece of decor that caught my attention...
Uncle Ben's Bar & Grill (Bronson, KS) [see details ]518 Clay Street
Bronson, KS 66716
(620) 939-4990
This was a bonus bar, in that it had not come up in my preparation research, but I had a hunch that there would be be a bar on this block regardless and we decided to give it a go.
This is a 3.2% bar, meaning it can't serve liquor and can only serve so-called "non-intoxicating" beer. Which is a bit of a misnomer as you can still get intoxicated, it just takes a lot longer. 3.2% bars are more loosely regulated, which is probably why this place didn't turn up when I checked the Kansas Department of Revenue database.
This is a very old bar, so old that it's heated by a wood-burning stove. In addition to the standard CD jukebox, darts, and pool table, this bar had the
only foosball table we saw all day.
It took a while for our eyes to adjust, and it was very difficult to find the men's room until that adjustment happened. It's a very tiny restroom, exactly as wide as the toilet itself and just barly enough room to get inside and close the door. The sink is located outside the bathrooms.
Incidentally I keep seeing the address listed as "518 Charles" on other web directories, but it's actually "518 Clay".
Monkey Butt Saloon (Iola, KS) [see details ]215 W. Garfield St.
Iola, KS 66749
(620) 365-7689
We were pretty excited about coming to this bar, primarily for the name but also because of its reputation as a rowdy place that stirs up a lot of fights and a lot of problems for the neighborhood.
Unfortunately we arrived a little too early in the evening for it to be very busy yet, so we missed out on the potential for excitement.
It's a pretty run down place, and feels more like a roadside diner than a bar. It was bright on the inside. There's a few pool tables. Our bartender was pretty nice.
Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill (Downtown, Iola, KS) [see details ]112 S. Washington Ave.
Iola, KS 66749
(620) 365-8311
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sidelines-Sports-Bar-Grill-Iola/338171254790#!/pages/Sidelines-Sports-Bar-Grill-Iola/338171254790?v=wall This was another bonus bar. We had planned to go to a place called Beer Blvd but it was closed for remodeling. So we did a drive around the square and found this unexpected 3.2% bar at the opposite corner.
It felt more like a restaurant than a bar, probably because of all the families with kids all around us. As it got later they disappeared and it started feeling more like a bar.
No pool table, and I didn't notice darts or any other bar games. But they do have karaoke on a regular basis.
Trade Winds Bar & Grill (Downtown, Garnett, KS) [see details ]110 West 5th Avenue
Garnett, KS 66032
(785) 448-5856
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2207926406 This looks like a good bar, unfortunately the conversations at a table behind us got so obnoxious that we couldn't enjoy it and had to hurry ourselves so we could leave.
It's a nice looking bar with interesting decor. In the front is a big rear-projection TV that doesn't look like it's used. In the far back is a back room with pool tables. There's also a CD jukebox, an old Silver Strike machine, and a cool angular tabletop MegaTouch machine.
Even though it was getting late on this Saturday, the bar crowd skewed towards the silver set.
The Five Spot (Garnett, KS) [see details ]604 N. Maple
Garnett, KS 66032
(785) 448-3483
http://www.facebook.com/TheFiveSpot You could almost call this a motel bar, and you'd probably be right. But it's isolated enough from the motel that it doesn't feel like it.
The Five Spot calls its;ef a "Mexican bar & grill", which seemed odd to be because unless something just recently changed it's attached to an Italian restaurant called Bellini's and that's where its food comes from.
The feel is like an informal sports bar. There's pool tables, darts, and plasma TVs situated throughout the place.
Our beer came in frozen mugs, which is something I can't stand. Ice chunks in the beer + a lake of ice melt all over the table.
1 Moore Bar and Grill (Richmond, KS) [see details ]111 E Central St
Richmond, KS 66080
(785) 835-6556
This bar was really crowded, in part because what looked like a girls softball team was here celebrating. All of the tables and most of the booths were taken, but we did find a few seats at the bar.
There's a pool table and a big screen TV that was being used to show what song was current.
Our bartender was a very friendly and cool guy. The bar was otherwise just ok, but he made it a good bar.
My only real complaint is that it was way too brightly lit in there. In some parts of the bar it was a blindingly brilliant bluish-white light. Most of my photos in this bar did not turn out because the extreme brightness of the lights overpowered the image.
Brand'n Iron Bar & Grill (Princeton, KS) [see details ]1457 U.S. 59
Princeton, KS 66078
(785) 937-2225
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Princeton-KS/Brandn-Iron-Bar-Grill/263534044692 I don't mean this in an offensive way, but this is a total redneck bar. It was crowded, noisy, and rowdy. But rowdy in a friendly sort of way. We did see one customer kicked out and one near-fight, but nothing ended up coming of that.
The staff here were very friendly and attentive. I was surprised how quickly they took care of us given the crowd.
The interior space seems quite a bit smaller than it looks from the outside. There was only one pool table -- there really wouldn't be room for more.
There's just one set of restrooms and they are one-person facilities. That really surprised me considering how busy this place gets, I'd think there'd be a constant line.
I loved the bidet guitar identifying the restrooms.
Sandbar (Ottawa, KS) [see details ]1608 S. Main St.
Ottawa, KS 66067
(785) 242-8888
http://www.thesandbar.com/locations/ottawa/ This a pretty cool tropical-themed bar. It's a lot small inside than it looks, about half of its public space is actually out on the front patio.
There's a fish tank, darts, video games, and the first digital jukebox we saw all day.
The bar's most famous feature is its nightly
Indoor Hurricane show. We had planned to get here to see it, but due to various delays that added up throughout the day we arrived more than two hours too late.
We stayed here until close and decided to call it a night.
The Lost Bar (Gladstone, MO) [see details ](Formerly
End Zone )
7632 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 569-4860
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gladstone-MO/LOSTBAR-GLADSTONE/118290934882372 Talk about a lost bar... I thought I'd covered every bar on North Oak four years ago! Every time I saw the name "Lost Bar" come up in my research I assumed it had to be a new name for a bar I'd already been too.
Ironically, my BARDAR has gone off numerous times while driving past the very strip mall in which this bar is located. It's a strip mall that screams that it has a bar in it, yet there isn't one to be found...
...unless you look in the back.
But why would you? From Oak it looks like a standard one-story strip mall with nothing behind it. But it turns out there's a sharp drop in the hill and there is indeed a lower level around back.
Lost Bar is a small, dark, smokey dive -- exactly what you'd expect such a well-hidden place to be. There's pool tables, games, and a small stage. There seems to be a well-knit group of regulars.
JR's Bar & Grill (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Shaker, Buster's Bar & Grill )
9321 N Oak Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64155
(816) 468-4450
Though from the inside it appears to be a typical bar for a typical suburban bar & grill chain, on the inside the bar is isolated enough from the restaurant to maintain a separate identity. In fact, it borders on meeting my criteria for being a dive bar. Despite the bland exterior, it's a nice little hangout.
Hurribak Club (Downtown, Chariton, IA) [see details ]217 North Main Street
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-5049
I settled in here at the MegaTouch machine as I needed to kill about an hour of time.
The interior was dark, with racing curtains covering the windows. There were two pool tables, a juke box, and video slots.
The bartender was an older man who mostly kept to himself except when talking to the occasional regular who would pass through. He was a nice guy, though.
The beer was slightly higher than I expected to pay, $2.25 for a 12oz domestic draw.
The Office (Downtown, Chariton, IA) [see details ]109 N Main St
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-4231
This place was brightly lit from natural lighting and very proudly showed off its Iowa Hawkeyes heritage. There was a pool table, a shuffleboard, and video slots. The bartop resembled a kitchen counter, and posters of Budweiser hotties surrounded the fridge.
At $2 for a 10oz domestic draw, this was also slightly more expensive than I normally expect in a place like this.
Sportsman's Bar (Downtown, Chariton, IA) [see details ]918 Court Avenue
Chariton, IA 50049
(641) 774-8451
This was a pretty big venue, though the actual bar was fairly small. Nothing on tap. There were pool tables, a juke box, and tiny bathrooms in the back of the main room. Booths lined the west wall. There was also a side room but I didn't venture over to it.
Our bartender looked a bit intimidating and was missing some teeth but he was a nice guy.
Columbia Store & Tire (Columbia, IA) [see details ]1035 Virginia St.
Columbia, IA 50057
(641) 943-2216
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-IA/Columbia-Store-Tire/105061532857245 This is one of the most unusual "bars" I have ever been to. From what I can gather, it was originally a tire store and possibly a small general store. But at the end of April 2010, they opened a Bar & Grill. Though there's not really exactly a bar.
But I'll get to that, because first I need to get into the aspect of this place that creeped me out.
As a result of all the barhopping trips I have taken, I occasionally have dreams about barhopping. A few months ago I had a dream that I was in a small town...
The main road in was a gravel road. At the main intersection in town, at the northeast corner, was a gray service station. I went inside and a mechanic was putting tires on a car. I was wanting a beer and I noticed a doorway leading to the east side of the building. I stepped through the door and found myself in a long, white room with cafeteria/diner style tables. At the north end of the room were restrooms, at the south went there were windows facing the road. There was a beer cooler in the southeast corner of the room. I grabbed a beer and a woman at a cash register behind me rang me up. As I sat at a table drinking my beer, I noticed people outside the windows pushing strollers. And that was basically the extent of the dream.
So back to Columbia Store & Tire. The main road leading into the town is gravel. Columbia Store & Tire sits at the NE corner of the main intersection. The garage is on the west side of the building, to the east is the longer main building (which is bluish-gray in color). I stepped inside and found myself in a long white room with cafeteria/diner style tables. The bathrooms were at the north end of the room, the south wall had windows.
We asked the woman at the counter if this was the bar & grill. "Well, there's no bar," she said, "just grab yourself some beer from the cooler over there." She pointed, we turned, and there was a beer cooler in the southeast corner of the room.
Wow.
We grabbed our beers and paid. My friend, out of habit, tipped her a buck. "That may be the first time in the history of tipping," he pondered as we sat down, "that someone got a tip for merely pointing. She never actually touched the beer." Which is true... the bottles had twist-off caps so we opened them ourselves.
The "bartender" asked if we were in town for the parade, which was apparently about to start. Looking out the window, I noticed a woman pushing a stroller down the street heading towards the parade route.
I am... freaked... out. :)
As we left town, my friend (who works in a children's hospital) got angry upon seeing children on an ATV heading down the road to the parade.
VFW Post 3519 (Knoxville, IA) [see details ]413 S Lincoln St
Knoxville, IA 50138
(641) 842-3519
From the
Google Maps Street View of this place, we were unable to determine in advance if this would be a bar that was open to the public or not. Even when we arrived in the parking lot, where a vendor was selling produce, we weren't certain. It wasn't until we saw the "Must be 21 to enter" sign on the door that we knew for sure.
This is a nice place. Our bartender's name was Trish and she was very friendly. She gave us lots of good info about the other bars in town.
This bar featured a pool table, a MegaTouch machine, and
several video slots and video poker machines.
I had a good enough time here that I needed a souvenier, so I bought myself an official VFW Post 3519 beer koozie.
Dan's Village Pump (Knoxville, IA) [see details ]210 N Lincoln St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
(641) 842-4444
The glare of the sun in this
Google Maps Street View image left us with virtually no advance knowledge about this bar. We had narrowed it down to likely being one of these buildings, but with virtually no other online presence we really had little to go on.
Nonetheless we pulled into the parking lot of what turned out to be a tiny motel, and after a moment spotted the bar's entrance in the white building on the corner.
This was a small room, with a pool table and video slots surrounding a small L-shaped bar. We took the last two available stools in the back corner.
The bartender, a nice woman with a good sense of humor, asked where we were from and wondered how we found her way to the bar. She pointed out that I was sitting next to the pump, and for some reason I responded by inserting my finger into the pump's spigot. I immediately yanked it back out.
"I should know better than to stick my finger into random holes in an unfamiliar bar," I said.
"Yeah, you probably shouldn't stick any part of you in any hole in this place," she said with a laugh.
Speaking of holes, the sink in the men's room was stainless steel rounded by a kitchen-like countertop. But, most noteworthy, it was chest-high. We'd soon learn that for some reason that's a staple in this town.
Dingus Lounge (Knoxville, IA) [see details ]713 N. Lincoln St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
(641) 842-2010
http://www.dinguslounge.com/ This was a place we had to go to just for the name alone. However it was a challenge to find. First problem: Google Maps had the location off by more than a block. Second problem: address numbers on buildings were view and far between. Final problem... the bar's sign, which I later found in Street View, was missing. We finally managed to find the place after we flagged down a local in a golf cart and asked for help.
Inside the walls are painted cinder blocks, covered in years of graffiti similar to
Zoo Bar back home.
There were a few customers at first but as we settled in to place some Golden Tee (which we had to abandon and go for Silver Strike as Golden Tee was broken), it emptied out. Nonetheless the staff were busily preparing, as races would be underway at the speedway across the street in a few hours and this place would be packed.
In addition to the Silver Strike / Broken Golden Tee, there was a pool table, video slots, and an ATM.
The bartender was unable to find any marker, but we dug some out of the car and made our own marks on the walls of the bar.
The poor toilet. It must be lonely playing second fiddle to the irresistable draw of a stainless steel wedge-shaped trough.
By the way, I'd swear the chest-high sink here was even higher.
American Legion Post 168 (Downtown, Knoxville, IA) [see details ]314 E. Robinson St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
(641) 842-2308
Based on how this American Legion looks on the outside, we didn't originally expect there to be a bar at all. But Trish back at the
VFW assured us it was
all bar.
Sure enugh, inside we found a weird, angular bar (almost sigma-shaped but not quite) with a gap in the center. There were no pool tables, but there was a poker table. As usual around here, video slots were also present.
There were four TVs in the bar, and two two that were on were tuned to "Heartbreak Ridge".
I liked these sketches of historic buildings in Knoxville.
Sandals Lounge (Downtown, Knoxville, IA) [see details ]208 E. Robinson St.
Knoxville, IA 50138
(641) 828-2016
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Knoxville-IA/Sandals-Lounge-Knoxville-Iowa/341784157941 This turned out to be a basement bar. It was a HUGE place. Several pool tables, darts, foosball, and video slots. There was an area for bands.
The men's room was painted a blinding shade of chartreuse, and the sink inside was the highest I have ever encounter at any bar anywhere. It was nearly at my nipples. And I'm tall.
The highlight of the visit came as my friend was outside making a phone call. A drunk biker became very agitated while telling the story of a recent visit to the dentist. His story turned into a an obscenity-laced tirade against his dentist, then doctors and lawyers, and finally all people with white-collar jobs. "It's a good thing for blue collar people keeping things running," he said. "Glad we're all blue collar here."
Then he spotted me.
"YOU!!!" he shouted, pointing at me. "You're not white-collar, are you?!?"
"Ummm..." I replied, "Uh... I want to live, so, ummm, no comment?"
"What do you do?" he asked me.
"I'm a computer programmer," he said.
He mulled that over for a moment.
"Well, I'm sure you're writing programs for The Man, so you're okay."
I was curious as to the purpose of this door, seeing that it can't be opened without completely removing the toilet.
Back In The Day Lounge (Downtown, Pleasantville, IA) [see details ]107 N. Jefferson
Pleasantville, IA 50225
(515) 848-3642
We nearly forgot to go to Pleasantville. We had driven right on by, having not even seen a sign for it, until a sign at the last road we could turn at to get there reminded us.
"So, must be time for a shot! Huh, fellas?" shouted the bartender as we walked in.
The booths and decor in this bar, as well as the exterior shape, make me think it was once a hot dog place or an ice cream parlor.
There was a pool table, a jukebox, MegaTouch, and video slots. The men's room sink, while still high, was significantly lower than its counterparts back in Knoxville.
There were several people inside the bar, however far more were outside on the "carport"-covered patio.
Main Street Station (Downtown, Milo, IA) [see details ]120 Main St.
Milo, IA 50166
(641) 942-6401
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Milo-IA/Main-Street-Station/125895550779634 Milo was always going to be a last-minute decision. We were on a schedule, and Milo was about thirty minutes out of our way. But we ended up making good time and decided to go for it. I'm glad we did!
The Main Street Station has multiple rooms, all in one big line. There were pool tables throughout. The bar itself is fairly small and about in the middle of the building, to the left of it is a kitchen.
After we got our beers we met the owners, Serena and Jeff. Our bartender's name was Cindy. Jeff was busy working the pizza oven, while Serena and Cindy were making umbrellas in preparation for a luau.
The main feature of the menu is wood-fired pizza, using a pizza oven imported from Italy. Pizza was indeed part of our plan for the evening. They very nearly talked us into it, but we had already committed to another place later in the evening for our pizza fix.
So, instead, the bartender bought us Jell-o "shots". And I use the term "shots" likely, because these suckers were H-U-G-E! Almost a meal in and of themselves. :) They had to be chewed up and eaten in several bites.
There had been a wedding reception underway across the street, and a couple of people from there came over to the Main Street Station about the time we were working on our Jell-o. We got to talking with them and when they heard of our barhopping adventures they bought us another round. Thanks!!! :)
With both the detour, the Jell-o, and the extra round, this detour ended up taking us from an hour ahead of schedule to an hour behind schedule. But it was well worth it, this is where we had the most fun all day! Funny how the places that are the most out-of-the-way end up being the best.
The train whistle...
How far we went out of our way...
The Zoo (Downtown, Indianola, IA) [see details ]102 W. Ashland Ave
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-8731
http://www.myspace.com/worldsgreatestbar I've been wanting to come here for over a year due to it having the same name as
my hangout back home . It ended up being just as much fun as I'd been hoping.
We stepped in the front door and immediately found ourselves on a landing with a choice of going downstairs or upstairs. We chose downstairs first and found a room with pool tables, but no one else was down there. We went upstairs next and found the main bar, complete with a popcorn cart and the usual video games.
Our bartender was Jesse, and he was a very nice guy. The bartender at
Main Street Station back in Milo had told us to request something called "FMS shots". We handed the note she wrote to Jesse and he whipped them up for us, on the house.
We never did find out what exactly the FMS shot is, but it's fruity and it's the house specialty.
Pete's Pizza (Downtown, Indianola, IA) [see details ]118 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-7797
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indianola-IA/Petes-Pizza/134022689957685 We had placed our order when we first arrived in town, and now it was time to head back and eat. We grabbed a table by the bar, got a couple of beers, and settled in.
Because of the pizza, there were a lot of families here. The place was actually pretty much packed, unlike the other places we visited while in town.
The pizza is cracker thin crust and thick with cheese, smothering the toppings. The sauce is rich and sweet. It was a great pizza, one of the best we've found on our years of this trips. I definitely recommend it!
The space itself is divided in three sections. In the front is a game room with a pool table, Pop-a-Shot, and video games. In the middle is a narrow bar area, which we sat at the edge of. The far back is the dining area, which is where all the families were.
On our way out we ran into the owner, and we gave her our heartfelt thanks for such a good pizza. :)
Indianola is home to the National Balloon Museum and has an annual balloon festival.
Panorama of the game room. Use the slider below the photo to view.
The Garage (Downtown, Indianola, IA) [see details ]118 E. Ashland Ave
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-9026
http://www.gotothegarage.com/ This was a very small bar, with darts and video slots. The wood-grained interior was considerably nicer than what I'd expected from the outside.
I noticed a patio in the back and we decided to check it out. It turns out the covered patio is almost twice as big as the indoor portion of the bar, and this is where most of the people were. We found ourselves a table and had a seat. There was a stage in the far back, but if anyone would be playing it mustn't have been anytime soon.
Due to a clerical error made back in Williamsburg earlier that afternoon, we thought this was my 750th bar. At the next table a group of women were celebrating a birthday. My friend talked them into getting my picture taken with them in celebration of the milestone.
Though it ended up not being my 750th after all, the next bar would be and they happened to be going to the same place. So they led us around the block to our next bar.
Mojo's (Downtown, Indianola, IA) [see details ]206 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-0081
http://www.myspace.com/goodspecials The birthday group from the previous bar led us to Mojo's. There was a strong smell of paint or varnish so they must have just done some sort of work recently.
This was now the real bar #750, so the birthday group took a picture of us.
After a round of shots the birthday group said goodbye and left for Des Moines. We adjourned to the back room for some games while we finished our beers. We ended up playing Lawn Darts, Bags, and Silver Strike.
Panorama of the back room. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Urinal putty...
The Irishman (Downtown, Indianola, IA) [see details ]100 North Howard St
Indianola, IA 50125
(515) 961-9740
When we had mentioned earlier that we were going to The Irishman, the people we were talking to winced.
Normally we like dirty dives, but something about this place was off. It had the usual pool table and video slots, but it just felt bland and unfriendly. We decided to chug our drinks and hurry out.
Roadside Inn (Martensdale, IA) [see details ]325 N Highway 28
Martensdale, IA 50160
(641) 764-2667
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Martensdale-IA/Roadside-Inn/10289214839 So we're flying down Iowa 92, very far behind schedule for getting to a wedding reception we were do it, when my friend threw his arm across my chest to point out the window.
"WHAT'S THAT?!?" he exclaimed.
Why, it was the glow of neon lights signalling the presence of a Bonus Bar.
What's a Bonus Bar? One that we didn't know existed. Though we had passed one a short time earlier in Indianola, this one was so unexpected we decided we just
had to stop.
Most of the place was a restaurant, which was now closed, but there was a smaller sports bar to the right. We settled down at the bar.
We told our bartender, Kelsi, of our predicament -- that we
had to stop in but were incredibly late for a wedding reception and needed to get in and out fast.
She recommended some Apple Pie shots, as she had them already made up. I actually don't like the taste of apple, but we were on a mission so I did what I needed to do. :)
Sidepockets (Lees Summit, MO) [see details ]224 NW Oldham Parkway
Lees Summit, MO 64081
(816) 524-2400
http://www.sidepockets.com Gigantic strip mall sports bar. Mostly centered on pool but also has darts, several video games, cornhole tournaments, and lots of TVs. The food's pretty decent. This is the Lee's Summit location of this small regional chain.
Panorama of the interior. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Rivals Sports Bar (Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1 Royal Way
Kansas City, MO 64129
(816) 921-8000
http://mlb.mlb.com/kc/ballpark/rivals.jsp Sports bar at Kauffman Stadium overlooking the outfield. I'm listing it as "private" since you have to buy a ticket to a game to get in. This could be my new favorite spot to watch the Royals play.
Cinzetti's (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]7201 W. 91st. Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 642-0101
http://www.cinzzettis.com/ I'm hesitant to list this as a bar since it's actually an awesome family Italian buffet restaurant, but I got there too early for a reservation I had and sat at the bar for a while having some drinks. So, under my own rules, I have to count it. :)
Applebee's (Blue Springs, MO) [see details ]1100 N. Hwy 7
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 228-4338
http://www.applebees.com/ I'm embarassed listing this as I always am when I list a suburban chain, but I sat at the bar having drinks so I have to count it.
The bartender was pretty kick-ass, though.
Whiskey Tango (Grain Valley, MO) [see details ]401 E South Outer Belt Rd
Grain Valley, MO 64029
(816) 847-5650
http://www.whiskeytangokc.com/ HUUUUGE country-western night club, with a capacity of over 3,000 people. Unfortunately I went on a night where there were only 11 people, making the cavernous space seem completely dead.
There's a huge elevated central dance floor with a square footage that rivals or exceeds most homes. To the east is the main bar, a rectangular bar in the middle of a lounge area with bar tables, couches, and lunge chairs. East of that is the billiard area with numerous pool tables.
Along the back wall are dart boards and the claw machines that for some reason are so beloved in Eastern Jackson County bars. There's an additional bar along the back wall. Finally, at the west end, is a restaurant area open only on certain nights of the week.
This is one of only two 3am bars in Eastern Jackson County. The other is half a mile south of here. I've often wondered why Grain Valley is the only city in Jackson County outside of Kansas City that has issued any 3am licenses.
$5 cover on weekends, no cover on weekdays. Drinks are surprisingly cheap.
Goodfellas Bar & Grill (Belton, MO) [see details ]1016 North Scott Ave
Belton, MO 64012
816-318-9699
This is a new Italian Gangster / Gangster movie themed bar in Belton. It's small but has room to move around. There's a curved bar with a kitchen behind it (no idea if they actually serve food though). There's a pool table, a juke box, and a small stage in the front corner for karaoke and other live performances.
PJ's Sports Bar & Grill (Shawnee, KS) [see details ]10923 Shawnee Mission Pkwy
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 962-7309
This strip mall sports bar is really showing its age, but it's not a bad place to stop in and have some cheap drinks. There's a bit of a musty smell but that didn't really bother me.
The bar is long and L-shaped. The venue is fairly large -- much bigger than it looks from the outside. There's a couple of pool tables, MegaTouch, several tables, and an area for live music and dancing. Karaoke was underway during my visit.
I've seen this place packed several times while driving by, but on the particular Friday night I visisted there were only a handful of people in the bar.
Llywelyn's Pub (Old Stanley, Overland Park, KS) [see details ]6995 W 151st St
Overland Park, KS 66223
913-402-0333
http://www.llywelynspub.com/ This is an amazingly beautiful Irish pub in a converted 19th-century church. The interior features all the original flooring and woodwork, and the bar itself is over a century old.
Irish food, live Irish music, and a great beer selection. This is a great bar.
Wallaby's Grill & Pub (Lenexa, KS) [see details ]9562 Lackman Rd
Lenexa, KS 66219
(913) 541-9255
http://www.wallabysonline.com/ I had never noticed this sports bar before, but it had a pretty good sized and rowdy crowd on this Saturday afternoon.
The bar has several TVs including a big-screen, darts, a jukebox, and big-screen versions of Powerputt and Golden Tee Live. I tried the food here and it's surprisingly good.
Beer Thirty (De Soto, KS) [see details ]9150 Lexington Ave
De Soto, KS 66018
(913) 585-1416
http://beer30llc.com/ At first glance, this was a run down, dirty, almost scary place. But the longer I sat there, the more it grew on me. By the time I left I realized this is probably a pretty decent place to hang out.
Beer Thirty is a private club, so smoking is permitted. After quizzing us and deciding we were ok, the bartender gave us memberships. She was pretty friendly and had a sassy sense of humor.
The bar area isn't very attractive, pretty barebones in a cinder-block room. The bar forms a long U-shape so offers lots of seating and lends itself to creating conversations. There's a covered patio outside the east end.
To the west of the bar is a separate room (separated by a half-wall) with pool tables and additional seating. This room looks nicer than the bar area. The restrooms are back here too and were pretty clean.
The bar serves food a few days a week but apparently usually has a few things that can be quickly heated up on the other days.
Beer Thirty is biker friendly and participates in area poker runs. It also has karaoke nights as well as bands. I'm told it's a popular hangout for off duty police as well.
Silver Wheel Tavern (De Soto, KS) [see details ]8385 Penner Ave
De Soto, KS 66018
(913) 585-1001
Like Beert Thirty, this was also a private club. Unlike Beer Thirty they did not give us memberships, but did give us temporary guest access good for 1-2 drinks.
I didn't see any kind of patio, but since it's a private club smoking is allowed. There was a pool table, an older Golden Tee machine, a pinball machine, and several video slot/poker machines.
They serve breakfast on the weekends but I don't know if there are food offerings at other times during the week.
JT's Grill & Sports Bar (De Soto, KS) [see details ]33255 Lexington Ave
De Soto, KS 66018
(913) 585-1116
http://www.jtsgrill.com/ Restaurant on one side, sports bar on the other side. Past the restaurant is a back room with pool tables and video games.
This appears to be a pretty new place, it's very clean and doesn't have a lot of character yet. But it's quickly becoming a very popular De Soto hangout.
The bar hosts live music as well as karaoke nights.
Spivey's Bar & Grill (Lenexa, KS) [see details ]12227 W 87th Street Pkwy
Lenexa, KS 66215
(913) 599-5011
http://www.facebook.com/spiveysinlenexa More of a dive bar than I'd have expected in this part of Lenexa.
There's a standard L-shaped bar with a smaller L-shaped standalone bar set back from it. Out front is a small patio.
Entertainment includes widescreen Golden Tee Live and Silver Strike Live, pool tables, a jukebox. This bar also has pull tabs.
JJ's Cool Change (Overland Park, KS) [see details ]9820 W. 87th
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 341-7312
http://www.jjcoolchange.com/ Wow, how did I not know about this place? A genuine, honest-to-God, real-deal dive bar right in the heart of Overland Park!
Small, dirty, and fun. The jukebox was under the control of a very intoxicated dancing couple, but they were playing good music from the '70s and early 80s.
There's pool tables and the bar hosts pool tournaments. There's a few video games near the front.
The clientelle here seems to be more upper 30s-50s... so a good place to get away from the obnoxious young ones :)
Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 2414 (Englewood, Independence, MO) [see details ]2537 Blue Ridge Blvd
Independence, MO 64129
(816) 254-7357
http://www.mooseintl.org/ Private club. In addition to the bar the lounge features pool tables, multiple dart boards, MegaTouch machines, two claw machines, Keno, and a stage.
VFW Post 805 (Downtown, O Fallon, IL) [see details ]223 W. 1st St
O Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 624-2651
We pulled into O'Fallon a little after 11am on Veterans Day, looking for some veterans to honor. Unfortunately, when we first arrived, we found the place mostly empty.
This is one of the nicer VFW bars I've been to. It has lots of seating, shuffleboard, several video games including PowerPutt, an ATM, a nice patio area, and several additional rooms.
After our beer we spent an hour or so wandering around other watering holes in the area. When we returned the VFW was hopping as the town was gearing up for a parade, so we purchased 20 beer tokens to pass around to the men and women in uniform and give them out thanks.
Always love a Spuds McKenzie sighting!
Towne Lounge (Downtown, O Fallon, IL) [see details ]119 W. 1st St.
O Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 632-8886
http://www.facebook.com/pages/OFallon-IL/Towne-Lounge/297579771442?v=info We popped in here after our first visit to the local VFW and were greeted by an enthusiastic young bartender who really hyped the food. Later during our visit he was replaced by an older man we think may have been the owner.
Bottled beer only, though taps should be arriving in Dec 2010 according to the first bartender. We settled on the day's special, $1 Natural Light bottles.
It was really too early for lunch so we skipped the food, but we learned that they have a fish fry every Friday.
The bar is decorated mainly with a golf theme. There;s a pool table, a small patio, and a small back room with video games and snack/smoke vending machines. There's also free wifi.
The Outdoorsman (Downtown, O Fallon, IL) [see details ]127 E. 1st St.
O Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 622-1354
http://www.facebook.com/pages/OFallon-IL/The-Outdoorsman-Bar/293864857333 This was our third stop in O'Fallon as we walked around the downtown area.
A laid-back, neighborhood dive bar on the eastern end of the downtown area. This was a very clean smelling bar, as in we arrived right as they finished cleaning and the smell of cleansers still hung in the air.
There was a pool table, a covered patio, and a back alcove with video poker machines.
Haney's Place (Downtown, O Fallon, IL) [see details ]126 E. State St.
O Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 628-1064
http://www.facebook.com/people/Haneys-Place/100000639201220#!/profile.php?id=100000639201220 We had planned to visit only 3 bars in O'Fallon, but this place just looked too tempting and we had to stop in. This style of 19th-century corner tavern we would later learn is common in this region.
The front room is very well-kept, with ornate and beautiful woodwork. The back room has a pool table, video games, darts, an ATM, and video poker.
We found that the rather old and worn out Golden Tee had several credits in it, so we played (with difficulty due to the aging trackball) until the credits ran out.
Mandy's East State Bar (Downtown, O Fallon, IL) [see details ]108 E. State St.
O Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 624-3760
Since we'd already stayed in O'Fallon longer than we planned, we figured there was no way we could leave without stopping in at Mandy's.
This biker-friendly bar was the roughest of our five stops in O'Fallon, as we played Silver Strike we listened to an older gentleman at the bar angrily complaining about interracial marriage.
As would be expected, Mandy's has a pool table and hosts live music.
Related links:
Fat Moe's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Paducah, KY) [see details ]902 Broadway St.
Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 442-6637
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=42167367044 This place was quite a bit nicer than we were counting on, a beautiful bar in a beautiful building. (We parked in the rear so my outside photo doesn't do it justice.)
The bar is filled with music and sports memorabilia. There's a piano and a nice beer garden. We noticed a staircase but did not investigate to see if there's anything upstairs.
Silver Bullet (Downtown, Paducah, KY) [see details ]112 S 3rd St
Paducah, KY 42001
(270) 442-5045
As soon as we parked we knew this bar was more our speed. The covered patio overlooking the parking lot was filled with rough looking people, and as we stepped towards the door a very beat up car rolled up. A rather disheveled looking couple climbed out and headed into the bar with us.
We sat down at the bar near a man who seemed to recognize this couple. "I know you got no money, I'll get yer drinks," he told them. "But not for her, since she's driving."
As we worked our way through our beers, the man next to us started telling his friends a story that had a classic opening line:
"Remember how I told you about the son I didn't know I had?"
His tale of $12,000 in back child support, an arrest, and having his license suspended kept us entertained the remainder of the visit.
As we were leaving a woman at the end of the bar who I had been talking to about out trip welcomed us to Paducah and suggested some sights to see.
O'Connor's Irish Pub (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]1198 Tylertown Rd
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 542-2121
We picked this as our first stop into Clarksville because we found a number of reviews that led us to believe this is the worst bar in town. However, though it wasn't our favorite and wasn't anything great, it wasn't particularly bad either.
That said, it did take us several minutes to get the attention of the bartender despite the fact that the places wasn't very busy.
This is a big place, divided into two large rooms. The front room has a horseshoe shaped bar, what looked like a stage, and table seating. The back room had pool tables and additional seating.
We were heavily carded here, this would prove to be the case almost everywhere we went in Clarksville. (ID checks became more stringent as we got closer to the military base, and less stringent to almost forgotten as we got further away to bars that cater more to the locals than the military.)
There's live music Fridays and Saturdays with a cover that's enforced quite early compared to when the bands start. Luckily for us, it was Thursday.
There really didn't seem to be much about this place that makes it an Irish Pub, though. Putting a shamrock on the Budweiser sign doesn't do it, and serving Guinness isn't even enough as many types of bars do that. I will say this though, Irish pubs should not be playing hip-hop.
Tipper's Neighborhood Pub (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]1471 Tiny Town Road
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 647-9923
http://www.myspace.com/tippersclubs This little bar is attached to a gas station about halfway between I-24 and the military base.
The bar itself is U-shaped, recessed into the far back. There's a handful of tables in front, a few pool tables top the side, and several games and flatscreen TVs scattered about. There's a covered patio to the side that's almost as big as the bar itself.
The place seems to be known for its food, with wings as their specialty. There are varying flavors and heat levels, as well as smoked wings.
They were setting up for either a DJ or karaoke, but we left before that got started.
Rebounds Sports Bar (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]2241 Fort Campbell Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 572-9960
http://www.reboundssportsbarclarksvilletn.com/ Located directly across the street from the Fort Campbell military base, security was tighter here than at any other bar on this trip. In addition to the ID check at the door, all patrons were searched and patted down before entry.
The patrons were almost all military, at least we assume so from the haircuts. :) The bar itself is small and U-shaped. There's pool tables in the front room, and a lounge in back. The bar was pretty crowded, so we didn't manage to make it to that room.
I call this my Jackpot bar, since it was #777.
Tipper's Night Club (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]2150 Fort Campbell Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 920-8011
http://www.myspace.com/tippersclubs We weren't planning on coming here as night clubs aren't our thing, but it wasn't very busy and there wasn't a cover so we decided to check it out.
There are several rooms. The bar is in the front, across from it was a larger room where poker night was underway. Towards the back was a game area, with Pop-a-Shot, Pac-Man, Golden Tee, darts, air hockey, and several other games. The far back corner has a lounge area with a secondary bar, sofas and coffee tables.
There's also a big covered patio off the front of the place.
The Thursday night special was $1 domestic bottles. We always love cheap beer!
Mouse Trap (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]2130 Fort Campbell Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 552-4037
As soon as we stepped in the door, we knew we had found it...
THIS IS THE BEST BAR IN CLARKSVILLE!
This is a beer bar only. It's laid back, it's welcoming, and it feels like home. This is the perfect place to hang out and enjoy conversation over beer with your friends.
The bar's showpiece is a large freshwater aquarium whose inhabitants include Oscars, Jack Dempseys, Peacock Bass, a Channel Cat, and a rather goofy looking Goldfish (among others). The owner chatted with us at length about the aquarium. Feeder goldfish are dropped in every Friday, something that surely must be fun to watch while drinking. :)
B swaps fish stories with the bar's owner
Speakeasy (Ringgold, Clarksville, TN) [see details ]1991 Fort Campbell Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 553-8800
While Mouse Trap still keeps our award for Best Bar in Clarksville, Speakeasy takes the award for Most Memorable.
We walked in and found ourselves in the second smokiest bar I have ever experienced. (Only
a VFW I visited in 2006 in Liberty, MO tops it.) I'm talking so smokey that there were actual visibility issues.
We plopped down at the U-shaped bar while the sounds of country music and an episode of "It Only Hurts When You Laugh" on TruTV filled the air. We began drinking our $1 Bud bottles and quickly notice that everyone in the bar was fixated on the TV.
We turned around in our stools to join the regulars in watching the show -- a clip show of people screwing up in painful but funny ways. Everyone in the bar was heckling or laughing at the videos.
During a commercial break I got up to use the restroom. It was while I was in the men's room that events in this bar took a turn for the wacky.
I was washing my hands when it happened. Above the sound of the running water, female voice carried across the bar and into the restroom. The voice of a woman sitting at a table behind us with three of her friends. A voice that spoke in graphic detail of how she performs oral sex and what she likes about her techniques.
I tried by hands and exited the restroom. I immediately locked eyes with B and we gave each other the same knowing look. The look that we knew we needed to sit down and listen, because something really funny was probably about to happen. And it didn't take long for us to be proven right.
"I
love it when guys c-- in my a--!" the same woman joyfully proclaimed a few moments later. "It's just so warm and creamy on the inside. And then later, when I'm taking a sh--, I feel like I'm a
chocolate eclair !"
It took everything we could muster to maintain our composure and not erupt in laughter.
Mystery woman, we have no idea who you are, but we thank you for making Speakeasy our funniest stop of the trip. :)
Smokey's Bar & Grill (Ringgold, Clarksville, TN) [see details ]1310 Fort Campbell Blvd
Clarksville, TN 37042
(931) 552-3800
We just so happened to walk in on karaoke night, so we watched three girls performing "The Time Warp" back in the recessed stage area before we found some seats at the bar.
It was moderately busy, but most of the people were either in the table seating area to our left or shooting pool in the back. However we were soon joined by an older man, who pulled something out of his pocket and tapped my shoulder.
"You want some homemade beef jerky?" he offered, shaking the baggie of beef.
I was reminded of the
shrimping at Flo's Poke-a-Dot in Kansas City . I'm sure the beef jerky was delicious, but I get nervous about accepting meat snacks that strangers pull out of their pockets so I politely declined.
Blackhorse Pub & Brewery - The Tap Room (Downtown, Clarksville, TN) [see details ]132 Franklin Street
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 552-3726
http://www.theblackhorsepub.net/ The Blackhorse Pub was a bar I was eager to visit, unfortunately it has closed early on this Thursday night. However its upstairs spin-off, The Tap Room, was open and
very busy.
We proceeded up a very long, steep, and narrow staircase to the upper level. There was no seating available at the U-shaped bar, nor at any of the tables. After standing for a while a small table opened up towards the back that we migrated to.
It was very dark inside so I apologize for the poor picture quality.
The Tap Room is a dive bar, an upscale lounge, and a sports bar. It's rare to see a place that pulls off all three well. (It should be noted that at $3 a bottle, these were some of the more expensive beers we had in Clarksville.)
The front half of this floor is a bar, the back half is a very mellow lounge bathed in a soft blue light.
Up another smaller set of stairs to the side is another room that had pool tables and other games. We didn't make it into that room during our visit.
Lar's Olde Towne Tavern (Downtown, Clarksville, TN) [see details ]116 Franklin Street
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 920-9509
http://www.myspace.com/larsoldetownetavern This beer-only bar downtown was an unexpected bonus find. It was very quiet, only 2 other patrons in the bar.
The bar features 2 pool tables, darts, and PGA Tour Golf. We'd end up finding this golf game in several more bars, it appears to be more popular than Golden Tee in this region.
Pool was free tonight so B decided to shoot a game or two with a guy named Mark who had been shooting alone for a while. We grabbed our mason jars of beer and headed back to the tables.
"It's free to play, so I've been playing by myself for a while," said Mark.
"Just like when you're at home, huh?" B replied.
He didn't get it. :)
This is one of those bars where you get to write on the walls, but I didn't notice that until I was uploading the photos later.
Pea Patch (Downtown, Clarksville, TN) [see details ]535 Franklin Street
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 552-0153
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Clarksville-TN/The-Pea-Patch/10150131533585574 It was a cold walk of a few blocks to find our next bar of the night. The Pea Patch is a college bar with a huge covered patio. Due to the cold the patio was empty and the inside was packed. We managed to find 2 seats at the end of the bar just inside the door.
Rap music filled the air. The crowd was mostly college students, but there was a fair share of military mixed in as well.
B ended up playing competitive trivia against a couple of military guys. It started out close, but they didn't catch on that the correct answer to the first 6 questions was '4'. :) B ended up clobbering them 9729 to 5399. :)
Same Ol Jukebox (Clarksville, TN) [see details ]1360 College Street
Clarksville, TN 37040
(931) 647-9799
It took us a little while to find this place, it was further from downtown than we realized. However once we were inside we were pretty excited to find that they serve Icehouse beer, it's one of our favorites largely due to its scarcity back home.
The Jukebox has a small front room, where we started out, and a larger back room that we migrated to later. The L-shaped bar is designed to serve both rooms. The back room has pool tables and a DJ booth.
What we call "Bags" back home but is called "Cornhole" here was set up, and we watched a group of people playing. B joined in for a little while but discovered it's not as easy as it looks.
O'Neal's Bar & Grill (Ashland Hills, Clarksville, TN) [see details ](Formerly
Choppers Roadhouse )
1979 Madison Street
Clarksville, TN 37043
(931) 802-5577
http://www.onealsbarandgrill.com/ It took us quite a while to find another place that was still open at this point, a lot of places were closing up early on this Thursday night.
We decided to finally give the PGA Tour Golf game a try. It's by EA Sports, and has a lot in common with the
Tiger Woods Golf games. It probably seems odd to some people that we were fascinated by this game, but we just don't see it back home.
The Rookery (Downtown, Macon, GA) [see details ]543 Cherry Stree
Macon, GA 31201
(478) 746-8658
http://www.rookerymacon.com/ After a long day of driving. moving furniture and boxes, and finally a large and delicious home-cooked southern meal at B's grandma-in-law's house, we headed to downtown Macon to check out the nightlife.
We started out at The Rookery, as we had heard repeatedly it's one of the most popular spots downtown.
The Rookery is more of a restaurant, but there's a rectangular bar island in the back. We settled in back there and had some Guinness.
Club Synergy (Downtown, Macon, GA) [see details ]425 Cherry Street
Macon, GA 31201
(478) 755-9383
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Macon-GA/CLUB-SYNERGY/83986086913 Because of the name, we expected more of a trendy night club. Instead we found what seemed to be a pretty normal, relaxing beer/cocktail bar. There was a pool table and a juke box. There were several people at the bar, so we got a couple of bottles of beer ($1.75) and sat at a nearby table.
Sitting near us at the bar was a woman who kept falling out of her sweater. B and I kept watching her and quietly joking about it.
Suddenly, from the back, a guy resembling
Lafayette from True Blood came sashaying in and bounced from lap to lap of several of the guys at the bar. As we watched his antics we soon noticed that "he" had breasts.
Looking around the room, we noticed that another woman had an adams apple. Then we noticed that some of the women kinda looked like men.
I noticed B furiously pressing keys on his phone, then he turned it and held the screen in front of my face to show me his search results.
"Macon's premier crossdressing night club", "Hottest gay bar", "Great alternative lifestyle scene" ...
We didn't realize it at the time, but what we saw turned out to be only a small part of the overall place. We had no idea there was a bigger room that is more of a night club format, or that there's an outdoor bar as well.
Back Porch Lounge (Riverview, Macon, GA) [see details ]2400 Riverside Drive
Macon, GA 31204
(478) 745-8801
http://www.myspace.com/thebackporchlounge B wasn't feeling so hot after eating too much at his grandma-in-law's house earlier, so we took a break at our motel for a little while. Eventually he got to feeling a little better so we went back out to explore some more of the town.
We started out at the Back Porch Lounge, which turned out to be attached to the motel that was our second choice on our list of places to stay.
The front room with the bar is very small and intimate. There was no place to sit, so we took our drinks into the adjoining front room.
This room was completely dark, except for a giant screen where a group of people were playing Rock Band. We sat in a booth in the back and watched them play through several songs.
As our eyes adjusted we saw that this was a relaxing lounge room, with a lot of stonework and a large fireplace. A stripper pole in the corner seemed a little out of place in this room.
Behind the bar was another room, brightly lit, that was an elegant-looking billiard room.
Before we left we noticed that a grizzly old man who was lurking in the corner was air-drumming wildly to the Rock Band songs.
Unfortunately, B's illness returned, so we had to call it a night after this bar. We held out hope that he'd feel better tomorrow so we could resume our mission.
One Star Ranch (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]25 Irby Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 233-7644
http://onestarranch.com After B's GPS device did us wrong and took us to another neighborhood several miles away, we finally found our intended Atlanta destination. There was some sort of event that involved lots of people in suits and people directing traffic and paying for parking, but we drove right on in and parked in the lot of
The Pool Hall .
We had planned to visit only one bar in Atlanta (
Five Paces Inn ) and then hit the road, but when we entered Five Paces Inn we found they didn't open for another 90 minutes. They directed us a couple of doors over to a little BBQ shack with a small bar inside.
Small bar is right, I believe it had 5 barstools. A kind older man who I believe worked there gave up his seat so the two of us could sit down. We ordered Lone Star bottles and talked about BBQ and barhopping with a guy in surgical scrubs and his girlfriend.
Stout Irish Sports Pub (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]56 E Andrews Dr NW, #16
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-1151
http://www.stoutirishpub.com/ After circling around a few blocks failing to find an open bar, Google Maps on my phone indicated a possible bar on East Andrews. We found ourselves at what appeared to be a new strip mall, but we walked from one and to the other and found nothing obvious or open.
However, there were banners in the parking lot advertising an Irish sports pub, so we went inside to have a look. All we found in the rotunda was a wine bar that did not appear to be open yet.
"Maybe it's in the back?" I wondered.
B was about ready to give up, but I walked around the outside of the building regardless. Jackpot! A bar that was not only open, but also reasonably busy.
Stout Irish Sports Bar has a huge covered outdoor seating area. The inside is decorated with stonework and murals surrounding the L-shaped bar.
As we chatted with a guy whose accent we were trying to figure out, our bartender thought we were from Oklahoma. This was in part due to our own accents, but more because we pronounce the word "draught" as
draw , whereas in this part of the country it's pronounced
draft . We had been "corrected" several times already on this trip, but we were having trouble adapting to the change.
One other interesting things to note here is that the men's room uses waterless no-flush urinals. This is the first time I have ever seen them used anywhere other than remotely-located parks and roadside rests.
Panorama of the bar. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Kramer's (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ](Formerly
Six )
3167 Roswell Rd NE
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 869-0522
http://www.facebook.com/people/Kramers-On-Roswell-Road/1250202668 We can made a complete circle around the neighborhood and found nothing else open. Back at the van, we needed to decide whether to to wait another 45 minutes for the other bars to open or hit the road.
"Let me check one thing," I said. "Wait here, I'm going to check something."
I walked a block back up the hill and stood on the corner to survey my surroundings. My hunch paid off, I saw that two places that were dark when we walked by them earlier now had the lights on. I texted B to join me at the stop sign.
A few moments later he met me and we quickly made a decision to cross the busy street visit Kramer's first.
Kramer's had looked promising when we passed it earlier. It looks like a dive, and being attached to a placed called "
Lollipop Adult Treats " certainly added to the appeal.
The bartender and a friend of his were the only other people in the bar. We got a couple of bottles of High Life and headed over to the Golden Tee machine.
As we played, we started to notice that the sticky floor was littered with broken glass and...... rubber bands. ??? We can only imagine what must have gone on there the night before. :)
Panorama of the bar. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Red Door Tavern (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]3180 Roswell Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 846-6525
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Atlanta-GA/The-Red-Door-Tavern/283115610000 A good old fashioned sports dive. The bar consists of 3 rooms, though we spent all our visit in the main room. It appears that it has recently taken over a neighboring auto parts store.
As soon as we ordered our beers, an old Asian man tried to see me his watch for "five dollar". When I declined, he then tried to sell me his shoes for the same price. I declined that offer as well, and he became upset.
The bartender told him to leave me alone, and he went outside to stand on the deck. Later he left altogether, only to return with a golf club. He did not try to sell that to me, however.
The man who tried to sell me the watch and shoes...
The bottom poster is a photo of one of the bartenders. As a prank he painted his roommate's bedroom pink but got caught in the act, as revenge the roommate printed up these signs to display at bars around town.
Five Paces Inn (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]41 Irby Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 365-0777
http://fivepacesinn.com/ Finally... the one bar we had come to Atlanta to see was now open!
We had picked this place weeks in advance of this trip after B googled "worst bar in Atlanta" and this bar came up. However we suspected that it means this was just an honest-to-goodness dive and that pretentious reviewers don't like that sort of thing. That hunch was correct, this is a good bar.
There's 3 rooms to the bar, plus a deck in the back.
We plopped down into wobbly barstools, where B chatted college sports with a guy from Liverpool who had moved here just for a change of scenery.
I popped in to use the men's room and found that the toilet had no tank lid. This was a precursor to me then noticing there was also no soap or paper towels.
Churchill's British Pub (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]3223 Cains Hill Place NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 233-5633
http://www.churchillsofbuckhead.com/ We had already tried and failed twice at finding this bar open, but I was really curious about it so we decided to give it one more try. Third time was the charm!
We ended up ordering Yuengling's Ale... a beer that's extremely common in this part of the country, but virtually unheard of back home.
The layout consists of several distinct areas all wrapping around a central bar. There's so much to see here, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking...
Panorama of the bar. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Another panorama of the bar. Use the slider below the photo to view.
The Pool Hall (Buckhead, Atlanta, GA) [see details ]30 Irby Ave NW
Atlanta, GA 30305
(404) 841-8989
http://www.facebook.com/poolhall We REALLY needed to get on the road, but when we got back to the van we noticed that The Pool Hall was open. We decided that since we'd been parked in their lot for the past 2-1/2 hours, we really ought to give them some business.
While trying to decide what to gt to drink, B spied some miniature beer cans. They looked so ridiculous we just had to order them.
B dove into some peanuts and kept getting up to throw away the shells. This finally got on the bartender's nerves, who told him to stop and just throw the shells on the floor "like everyone else will later tonight."
Bullfrogz (Kennesaw, GA) [see details ]3655 Cherokee St NW
Kennesaw, GA 30144
(678) 331-8470
http://bullfrogz.com/ We had intended to look for a bar in Marietta, but we wound up in Kennesaw by mistake. We asked the GPS to find us the closest bar and this is where she brought us.
This is a big tiki themed place with a U-shaped bar at one end. There's a nonsmoking lounge area and a covered patio.
The bar was full so we grabbed our beers and headed to the back to play some Golden Tee.
When we left, I opened the driver's side door of the SUV and climbed in. B did not get in, however, instead walking on up to the passenger side door of his van and climbing in. Holy crap, I was in the wrong vehicle!
I quietly slipped out and entered the correct vehicle, while B could only shake his head and laugh.
Dawg Pound Sports & Grill (Blackwood, Calhoun, GA) [see details ]65 Outlet Center Dr
Calhoun, GA 30701
(706) 625-3100
http://www.dawgpoundsportsgrill.com/ We wanted to make one last stop in northern Georgia. Calhoun appears to be a dry town, however Dawg Pound sits just barely outside the city limits.
The place was busy but not packed. Despite this, we could not get the attention of the bartender. After about 5 minutes we gave up at the bar and moved to a table.
It took another 5 minutes for a server to notice us. She was really nice, just didn't notice us.
By then we decided to do just one quick shot and get the hell out. We asked for whatever was on special, which turned out to be some sort of black cherry shot.
Several minutes later they finally arrived. They tasted like cough medicine. We left our money on the table and got out of there.
Hair of the Dog Pub (Downtown, Chattanooga, TN) [see details ]334 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 265-4615
http://hairofthedogpub.net/ We'd pulled off in Chattanooga looking for one particular bar whose name intrigued us. We found that it no longer existed, so we decided to just drive around until we found something. Before long we found ourselves downtown and we parked int he first free lot we could find. Hair of the Dob Pub happened to be the closest bar to where we parked.
From the outside it looks new, but on the inside it appears to be well over 100 years old.
It was pretty crowded. I sat down at the bar while B went to use the restroom. I tried to order our drinks, but apparently in Chattanooga they can only sell one drink per person at a time. So I had to wait for B to return before I could complete the order.
It was too crowded downstairs so we took our drinks up to the second level. It was crowded up there as well.
The standout feature of this bar is an opening in the middle of the second floor where an antique dumb waiter is used to carry food and drinks between the floors. There was a small bar ledge around this opening so that's where we camped out.
Taco Mac (Downtown, Chattanooga, TN) [see details ]423 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 267-8226
http://www.tacomac.com/ We were getting hungry, so for my 800th bar we decided to head over to a small regional chain called Taco Mac. The original location was a small taco shack, but the menu has expanded to become more wing oriented as the concept spread throughout this region. B had been to a location in Georgia before, but upon entering he said this had to be the biggest and nicest.
This place was packed, but we found two barstools right by the door.
There were literally hundreds of beers to choose from. I selected Highland Black Mocha Stout, while B chose Boulder Sweaty Betty. He went for a burrito, but fearful of getting too full I settled on just some cheese sticks.
Pickle Barrel (Downtown, Chattanooga, TN) [see details ]1012 Market St
Chattanooga, TN 37402
(423) 266-1103
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chattanooga-TN/Pickle-Barrel/65539426158 As we were heading towards downtown I noticed a very cool looking building, so I wanted to check it our before we left. Fortunately B remembered exactly where I had seen it.
This is a wedge-shaped restaurant-bar at an angular intersection, tapering to just a few feet wide at the south end. We entered to find a
very old interior and a good side crowd in a small space. The bar proper was to the left in a small back room but there was no room for us in there. However the booth at the "tip" of the place was open so that's where we settled in.
The old wooden benches in the window both sloped and were lined with cracked and torn leather. Years of messages were written and carved into all the woodwork.
There was a rickety-looking spiral staircase that we didn't check out. After we left, I looked up and saw that it led to a rooftop deck.
Mickey's Home Town Bar & Grill (West Meade, Manchester, TN) [see details ](Formerly
Snafu )
703 Hillsboro Blvd
Manchester, TN 37355
(931) 954-0707
When we arrived in Manchester we drove from one end of town to the other and decided to come back and make this our first stop.
Karaoke was underway, so B sang "You Never Even Call Me By My Name". I shot video, but that's just for us to see. :)
We were both amused by the Hanoi Jane urine targets placed in the urinal trough.
After this we headed to another bar a few blocks southeast, but they wanted a $5 cover so we passed.
Irma's Place (Black Jack, Manchester, TN) [see details ]2684 New Tullahoma Hwy
Manchester, TN 37355
(931) 728-3100
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Manchester-TN/Irmas-Place/122989784425187 We were having a terrible time finding another bar in this down. We had headed to downtown and found nothing. On a hunch we decided to head south on Hwy 55. But when nothing turned up, I decided to turn around. B stopped me though and encourage me to go just a bit further.
Then, there it was, ahead on the right -- the blinking lights of Irma's Place. A bonus bar... as none of our resources and indicated this would be here.
We arrived just after a failed wet t-shirt contest. Apparently it was a success in that it had drawn a lot of guys, but no girls showed up to participate. :) Karaoke was now underway instead.
Coconut Bay Cafe (Manchester, TN) [see details ]817 Interstate Drive
Manchester, TN 37355
(931) 728-2500
http://www.coconutbaycafe.net/ The bartender at Irma's Place told us there were no other bars in town. We headed back to I-24, but crossed to the other side of the highway first to grab some snacks.
While inside, B asked a bystander if he knew of any other bars. "Sure, there's one just around the corner!"
We followed the directions we were given and found ourselves at a gigantic place.
The Coconut Bay Cafe is a 2-story tropical themed building. The lower level is all restaurant/lounge and was virtually empty, but the hostess guided us to "the party room" upstairs.
Up the stairs we found a huge space with 2 bars, a band, and a good crowd of people. The band was doing covers of southern rock and was pretty impressive. We ended up hanging out here quite a while and probably would have stayed a lot longer if we weren't so tired.
Paradise Park Trailer Resort (Downtown, Nashville, TN) [see details ]411 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37203
(615) 251-1515
http://www.paradiseparkonline.com/ After walking most of the length of the Broadway strip, we decided this looked like the most interesting place to check out.
Given that it was 10:30 on a Sunday morning, we were initially alone in here. B got a Bud Light, I wanted to try something local so the bartender selected a Yazoo Pale Ale for me.
A few other people came in during our visit, but they were there to eat. The restaurant is mainly in a side room but the food counter is accessible from the bar as well.
Mullet Wall of Fame...
Big River Grille & Brewing Works (Downtown, Nashville, TN) [see details ]111 Broadway
Nashville, TN 37201
(615) 251-4677
http://bigrivergrille.com/index.php?pg=location&sub=loc&location_id=22 We had gone walking around some of the side streets looking for a dive, but we didn't find anything that was open yet. Our walk back towards the car took us by this brewpub, so we decided to stop in.
B got the Southern Flyer Lager, I got the Iron Horse Stout.
The bartender told us that this is a local place, but that it had fairly recently been bought by Gordon Biersch so is now technically part of that chain.
Piranha's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Nashville, TN) [see details ]113 2nd Avenue North
Nashville, TN 37201
(615) 248-4375
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nashville-TN/Piranhas-Bar-and-Grill/138591219017 We had noticed a 2 for 1 drink special advertised here when we first arrived in Nashville, so we wanted to stop in here before getting back on the road.
Sure, we only went to 3 bars in Nashville, but this was our favorite by far. Both of us would see ourselves hanging out here regularly if we lived in Nashville. It's a great, honest dive with good food that doesn't seem touristy.
It started out not too busy here, but there was a rush before the start of a football game that filled the place to capacity.
Food-wise, this place's gimmick is to put fries on its sandwiches. The signature sandwich is the Piranha Sandwich, in which fries, slaw, and cheese are piled on your choice of meat. The fries are sliced right in front of you, they aren't frozen.
But their gimmick sandwich is a monster, a
10-lb cheesesteak. Though they offer $100 to anyone who finishes one, it's actually intended to be a group sandwich. Both
Man vs. Food and
Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives have been in touch with Piranha's, but neither will put the sandwich on their show since the challenge is more of a joke and isn't intended to be possible.
As luck would have it, a large group seated behind us happened to order the 10-pounder while we were there. We stuck around to watch the creation of it, the videos and several of the pictures below document the preparation. On completion it was actually weighed, and when it didn't quite come to 10 pounds they added more food to get the weight up.
The ingredients of the 10-pound cheesesteak, being presented to the group that ordered it...
Hogs Head Bar (Downtown, Hopkinsville, KY) [see details ]801 South Main Street
Hopkinsville, KY 42240
(270) 885-9800
http://www.myspace.com/thehogsheadpub Attached to a place called The Beer Barrel, this is a very clean-spacious bar in an old building downtown.
This is apparently a new place, either that or it is recently renovated, as
Google Street View shows the bar under construction.
We misunderstood the signage in the parking lot next door so parked a block further away than we needed to. Turns out only some of the spaces were reserved, not all of them.
Deerhead Tavern (Jacobsville, Evansville, IN) [see details ]222 East Columbia Street
Evansville, IN 47711
(812) 425-2515
http://www.myspace.com/deerheadjazz A pizza pub, jazz tavern, and sidewalk cafe all rolled up into one.
This is a new one for me -- the beer was served in malt glasses...
This was a good pizza. A cracker thin crust, and big tasty chunks of meat. The only thing keeping it from being perfect is that the sauce could have been a little richer.
8 minutes later...
Fat Boys Tavern (Fort Branch, IN) [see details ](Formerly
Mayer Tavern )
115 North Mccreary Street
Fort Branch, IN 47648
(812) 753-9914
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fort-Branch-IN/FAT-BOYS-TAVERN-FT-BRANCH/169726392367 This biker-friendly dive had critter heads mounted all over the place. The bar was pretty busy so we sat at a table by the door.
The front room was done in red, the back room with the pool tables was done in green. There was also a side room behind us with a stage.
Alice & Woody's Cocktail Bar (Vincennes, IN) [see details ]1031 Washington Avenue
Vincennes, IN 47591
(812) 882-9728
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Vincennes-IN/Alice-Woodys/182258082660 The GPS took us in via a side street so we ended up coming in the back door. The front entrance looks a little "classier" than the photo shown here.
This place was quite crowded, we had to sit against the far back. We were served gigantic Old Style pours. Far too much beer, so we had to enact the "12 oz" rule. I ended up accidentally finishing 16 oz though, so I was full for a while after this.
That was one thing that has been odd about this trip so far, the pours have generally been far too big. We expect that in cities and college towns, but not in these small towns.
Da Bar & Grill (Oaktown, IN) [see details ]203 E Main St
Oaktown, IN 47561
(812) 745-2222
This is a very hard bar to find. Some mapping software claims it doesn't exist, and the roads in this town have some strange twists. They are also very poorly lit at night. We had to set our BARDAR to maximum power to find it.
The building is divided in two, with a half-wall separating the bar area from the stage area. There's also a patio out to the side of the bar.
This is one of those rare bars that has Coors Original on tap, so that's what we got.
At one point B got up top use the restroom. When he finished he attempted to turn out the light in the men's room, but accidentally shut off the lights for a good portion of the bar instead. :)
Runt's Lounge (Sullivan, IN) [see details ]30 West Washington Street
Sullivan, IN 47882
(812) 268-9071
Located on one of the corners of the downtown square. This was a brightly-lit venue, with a center island serving as the bar and cafeteria tables elsewhere. There's package liquor for sale, a flip-style CD jukebox, lottery tickets, darts, and a stage. There's a pretty cool mural behind the stage, see the pictures below.
Mickey's Bar & Grill (Farmersburg, IN) [see details ]103 East Main Street
Farmersburg, IN 47850
(812) 696-2060
http://www.myspace.com/mickeysbarandgrill This was a bonus bar, found entirely on a hunch. We had to step around some construction tape to get inside. (We limboed under it instead when we left.)
The bar's amenities include a pool table and air hockey. The back room was dark but it looked like that might be where bands set up.
B and I discussed ninja movies and Rutger Hauer films.
Our bartender was pretty friendly, and she seemed to enjoy hearing about our travels.
T's Lounge (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]1612 South 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN 47802
(812) 232-2886
http://www.myspace.com/455844499 We pulled into Terre Haute considerably later than we had intended. Leave it to us to make a 5 hour drive take 13 hours! Consequently we drove past any strip mall bars on the way into town and headed north of I-70s, where we expected the older bars with more character to be located.
I've been to Terre Haute many times but only on the main strip south of I-70, so I had no familiarity at all with the older part of the city. We pointed the van in a direction where I felt the downtown area might be. T's Lounge was the first bar we found along that path.
T's is a cajun bar and grill. It was moderately busy, more so than my pictures make it look. We were served beer in big-ass plastic cups.
We asked the bartender for info about where we should look to find a lot of bars close together, and what time they closed. She told us to check out Wabash Avenue and that most of the bars would close at 1am.
I've seen the address listed as both 1612 and 1617. I went with 1612 since that's what the web site says.
The Copper Bar (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]810 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 238-0033
http://www.thecopperbar.com/ We found Wasbash Avenue and took a left, to find disappointment. The only open bar we found turned off its lights right as we pulled up. We circled around the university campus and came back through the other direction. Eventually we found two open bars right next to each other. We started with the one on the left -- The Copper Bar.
The bartender here was very friendly. Domestic pints were $1.50. There's an upstairs level but we didn't go up there.
Out front is a patio with some interesting statuary (see below) that I'd love to know the significance of.
Terminal Sports & Spirits (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]820 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 232-8480
Right next to Copper Bar is Terminal Sports & Spirits. This is a big sports bar in what appears to be a converted 19th-century bank building. The venue wraps its way around a central bar. There appeared to be a patio in the back.
This is a good bar, so it seemed odd that it was empty while Copper Bar, just 60 feet away, was packed.
Ambrosini's (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]1367 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47802
(812) 235-1445
http://ambroscatering.com/ This Italian restaurant & catering operation looks so elegant from the outside that I was stunned to step in and find pure dive bar.
Karaoke was under way... really bad karaoke. I don't mean that the KJ was bad, I mean that the singers were bad. :) But that's what makes it good! I love bad karaoke, this is exactly what dive bar karaoke is supposed to be about. People cutting loose and having fun without a care, as opposed to the uptight corporate contests that some other places offer. (Side note, it was also cool how the KJ sat in a little both high above everyone.)
When we arrived here we noticed there was an Irish Pub across the street. But when we left we somehow forgot all about it, so we missed that opportunity. :(
Speakeasy Conversation Bar (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]1801 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 232-7805
http://www.facebook.com/SpeakeasyConversationBar We liked this place a lot. A nice quiet bar with a cool bartender, a place with no games and no loud music so you truly can carry on conversations.
At the end of the long, curvy bar is a computer that's free for anyone to use and loaded up with an iTunes music library -- the main source of music for this bar. (Though evidently someone wiped it out a few days after our visit.) Behind us was a slightly elevated platform with additional table seating.
The TV behind the bar was airing an early episode of "Breaking Bad", which spurred a lot of conversation.
There's a popular bar in Terre Haute called Mogger's. (We'd go looking for it later but would fail to find it before it closed.) The bartender told us that one of the cast members of "Breaking Bad" (presumably
Dean Norris , since he's the only one I can find from this area) stops into Mogger's once or twice a year and generally makes an ass of himself. :)
Bohannon's East (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]1728 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 234-2638
This is kind of weird, the address implies this is west of Speakeasy but it's actually east of Speakeasy. It's a quirky result of the angle of Wabash and the way the side streets intersect.
This place looked quite new and we found out it had just been remodeled 3 weeks earlier, with new walls and a new ceiling put in. The bartender told us that his roommate is slowly buying the bar.
We had a really good visit here and enjoyed chatting with the bartender and the other customers about our trip.
Ballyhoo Pizza King: Campus Location (Terre Haute, IN) [see details ]900 Chestnut Street
Terre Haute, IN 47807
(812) 232-3939
http://ballyhoo.ws/ We found this bar as a result of our unsuccessful attempt to circle back and find Mogger's. We didn't know it, but this would end up being the final bar of the night.
Ballyhoo's is primarily a pizza place, but this late at night it didn't appear the pizza area was open. We took our beer back to the Golden Tee machine and played in batches of 3 free holes at a time -- registered players get 3 free holes whenever swiping their credit cards in a new location for the first time.
After we were done here we headed in a direction that I thought was east (but was actually north) in search of some bar -- any bar. We spied a couple, but they were either closed or closing. We finally turned around and B, with an amazing sense of direction, guided us back to our motel on a route that I insisted could not work since my personal orientation was off by 90°.
I later learned that had we either driven one block further before turning around, or headed north on a street just a few blocks over from the one we picked, we had a really good chance of finding at least 1 or 2 more places before last call.
Oh well.
Rosebud Saloon (Downtown, Paris, IL) [see details ]112 East Court Street
Paris, IL 61944
(217) 463-3505
After a breakfast of
delicious Hardee's biscuits , we popped in to Rosebud Saloon at 9:35am for our first Illinois beer of the day. We selected their finest Natural Light bottles for our morning beverage.
The aspect I most remember about the bar, for whatever reason, is the autographed photo of Judge Judy hanging behind the bar.
The bartender and another customer were vigorously discussing the local Domino's Pizza, specifically stories of how terrible their delivery service and customer service is.
The bartender told us about how, under a new Illinois law, she had to get rid of all her video slots / video poker machines. Oddly, this would turn out to be just about the only one of the 26 bars we'd end up visiting in Illinois today that did not have video slot/poker machines in operation.
Daddy-O's (Downtown, Paris, IL) [see details ]139 East Court Street
Paris, IL 61944
(217) 465-3202
http://www.daddyosbar.com/ We walked into this bar at 10:00am to find about half a dozen customers already seated. We ordered Bud Lights, and three people converged to hunt for them. The owner then mentioned the the distributor hadn't brought them any yet. The bartender apologized profusely as he had to give us regular Budweiser, but we were perfectly fine with that. :)
Behind us, the owner had the old CD jukebox completely opened up and he was making repairs to it. We were impressed that he had the know-how to do that.
The L-shaped bar is huge, unusually long for this type of bar. The owner later informed us it is 54 feet long.
We got to talking with the owner, and we were surprised to learn that he had been in poor health until recently and as a result the bar had actually been closed for the past 5 months. In fact, we walked in just minutes after he opened the doors for their first day back open! Indeed, we soon heard another customer excitedly call a friend to say "You'll never believe where I am right now!" :)
The owner took us around on a short tour of the bar, showing us all the things he was having to put back together and showing us the artwork and paintings his son had made as decor for the bar. We told him all about our travels, and I began openly taking pictures.
In a flash (literally, except falsely so as you'll see in a moment), the bartender dashed over. "Are you okay?" he asked the owner. "I saw the flash go off and saw these guys taking pictures of you." The owner calmed him down and told him everything was okay. The funny part, though, I didn't even have the flash turned on.
After the walk-through we went back to our seats and we noticed a siren light mounted on the bar in front of B. The owner noticed us notice it and flipped a switch, causing us both to leap from our seats due to the extremely loud buzzer sound it made.
We always love finding bars where we actually get to meet and talk with the owner. It was a really nice stroke of luck that we happened to walking in here first thing on re-opening day.
Stumble In (Hindsboro, IL) [see details ]1863 E State Route 133
Hindsboro, IL 61930
(217) 346-2912
We plopped down near the corner of the L-shaped bar that wrapped along 2 sides of the building. Our beers were served to us on astroturf coasters.
We couldn't sit in the exact corner because of a big peanut vending machine in the corner. According to a sign on the machine, an M&M is hidden somewhere within the peanuts and if you get it in your handful you get a free drink.
The two of us plus the bartender sat for a while watching a History Channel documentary about Fort Knox.
Teresa's Too (Hindsboro, IL) [see details ]1806 E State Route 133
Hindsboro, IL 61930
(217) 346-2239
This place was freshly cleaned and full of hunters. We sat down alone at the boomerang-shaped bar, the hunters were all at tables waiting for the burgers they ordered.
In addition to video poker and a pool table, this bar has something that's still rate in dive bars but is starting to turn up in more and more dive bars: free wifi.
The original Teresa's burned down in 1993, the building we were in replaced it soon after. Teresa still owns the bar today.
After we left, B asked me if I had notice that both of the bars in this town had originally opened in 1989. "No, I didn't notice," I said, "but that's a pretty weird coincidence."
Or so I thought, until we reached the next bar...
It'll Do (Arcola, IL) [see details ]106 North Oak Street
Arcola, IL 61910
(217) 268-5078
http://www.itlldo.net/ There we're two bars (that we know of) in Arcola, about a block apart, but we had time for only one. The other, Dog House, did not look open at first. But we had parked closer to It'll Do, so we decided, well, that it'll do.
We chose wisely, as we had a great time visiting this bar.
(Technically this was a bonus bar, as neither the GPS nor Google Maps had it listed. Dog House had been our original destination.)
Our bartender was the 21-year-old daughter of the bar's owner. She's a very busy gal, in addition to working at the bar she is in college and also in her 4th year with the Air National Guard. She was delightful to talk to.
There's a grill right at the bar, and pool tables in a room off to the side. We were unsure if there was outdoor seating, it looks like it from the outside but I didn't notice a way to access it.
The bar sells all sorts of branded merchandise (see the photos below), even including "It'll Do"-branded thongs! (See photo below.) I bought a koozie -- which they refer to as "huggies" in this region.
We noticed a prominently displayed "banned" list, a redacted photo of which appears below. I asked what you had to do to get such a public shaming. The stories were varied and about what one would expect. However the story of Blake, whose full name I wish I could reveal because it's a
classic name, takes the cake. I can't remember the exact detail of the initial offense that got him in trouble with the bartender, but his act of retaliation against the bar led to sanctions against the bar from the Illinois ABC. Consequently, Blake is banned for life. In fact, he is SO banned, that it's written into contract that if the bar is ever sold, any future owner must honor the ban. Sucks to be
that guy!
Incidentally, as we were seated at the bar I noticed a sign on the wall that mentioned the year 1989. I looked at it more carefully, and began to laugh.
"Uh, you know how you mentioned the last 2 bars we were in first opened in 1989?" I asked B.
"Yeah," he said.
I pointed at the sign. "Yeah, that's the sign stating that you have to have been born by today's date in 1989 in order to be served."
So much for the wacky coincidence... :)
Proud Mary's (Tuscola, IL) [see details ]1003 E Southline Rd
Tuscola, IL 61953
(217) 253-3172
http://proud-marys.com/ This is a pretty big bar. There's a large front room that's the "face" of the establishment. There's an even larger back room with pool tables and a stage area. Back in the corner is a smaller room, somewhat isolated, where all the video slots/poker machines are located.
The actual bar is centralized and configured in such a way that the bartender can serve all three rooms simultaneously.
The movie "Knocked Up" was playing, so we stayed a little longer watching the flick with the other customers.
As we were leaving, I got busted taking pictures of the place by the owner. I rarely get caught when I'm being discrete, but this made twice so far just today. Damn. She seemed nervous about it but since I was leaving I just said "Hi", smiled, and ducked out. :)
Kel's Place (Downtown, Atwood, IL) [see details ]115 S. Main
Atwood, IL 61913
This small-town bar is almost completely absent from the internet. I could find no information other than that it exists. I couldn't even get an address, I had to pull that from its liquor license info at the Illinois ABC web site. I could not find a phone number or any other info.
Kel's is a big open room with an L-shaped bar in the far back. There's a stage in the front, pool tables, Silver Strike, foosball, video poker, and an Extreme Hunting game. There's also a stage in the front of the bar.
We played a game of Silver Strike that was going very well for both of us, until B "broke" the game in the 10th frame. :(
We enjoyed our "woodsy" Busch cans...
Hammond Pub (Hammond, IL) [see details ]102 E 1st St
Hammond, IL 61929
(217) 262-3049
We liked this little tavern quite a bit. We sat at the small L-shaped bar watching Headline News and discussing the various kidnapping stories that kept coming up with the bartender.
There's a someone larger room in the back with pool tables. I didn't notice an obvious area for bands.
The distinctive feature of this bar is the ceiling tiles for sale. For a price, you can "buy" a tile and have any message you want painted onto it. (In retrospect, we should have done this!) As you can see in the third photo below, you need to be careful about what you choose to have printed on as the tiles are more permanent than some other things. :)
Sliderz (Long Creek, IL) [see details ]5995 E US 36
Long Creek, IL 62521
(217) 864-9227
http://www.myspace.com/sliderzbar This is a new-looking sports bar in a strip mall on the outskirts of Decatur. It has pool tables, a stage, and a variety of video games. B played 3 free games of Golden Tee before we continued on in
to town.
Curly's Sports Bar & Grill (Decatur, IL) [see details ]2683 N. Water Street
Decatur, IL 62526
(217) 875-9800
http://www.curlysdecaturil.com/ We were starving when we pulled into Decatur, and some quick Google research on our phones made it appear that Curly's would be the best balance between pizza place and dive bar.
It turned out we were in luck, because pizza was on special today -- $5 for a large and $3.50 for a small. Our indecisiveness between pepperoni and sausage led to us accidentally getting one of each.
While we waited we partook of free sausages simmering in a crock pot. Apart from the bar there is also a DJ booth and a back room with a fireplace and video slots.
We were a bit let down at first when we found out the pizza isn't made fresh here but actually comes from a local distributor (Butch's). But this disappointment disappeared when the pizza arrived and we saw how good the meat toppings looked and tasted how delicious the pizza was. The shake-on spices supplied made it even better. It went along great with our $1 mugs of beer.
Nellie's Lounge (Decatur, IL) [see details ]2717 North Main Street
Decatur, IL 62526
(217) 877-5742
http://www.myspace.com/nellieslounge This was a bonus bar, that we spotted across a highway behind Curly's as we were getting ready to leave. It looked divey enough, so we walked over to give it a visit.
HALLELUJAH!!!
FINALLY, a coveted 10-oz pour. We
love the 10-oz pour. Not only are you able to enjoy all the beer before it warms up or begins to go flat, but this is the ideal size for marathon barhopping. It is almost impossible to get full on these.
Normally 10-oz pours are common in dive bars, but they had been strangely rare so far on this trip. But from this point onward on this trip, they would prove to be the norm.
Nellie's had a pool table and video poker machines, and also served the same Butch's pizza as Curly's. The web site also mentions a beer garden but we didn't notice it.
For the majority of our visit, the bartender was standing nearby us ranting to one of her friends about candles.
Shepp's Bar & Grill (Downtown, New Berlin, IL) [see details ]111 East Illinois Street
New Berlin, IL 62670
(217) 488-6363
I got kind of an off vibe from Shepp's, I don't know if B got it too or not. I felt like everyone was eyeing us with suspicion.
It might have just been the fact that this place was brightly lit, and the horseshoe shaped bar resulted in everyone facing each other.
Shepp's is a pretty big venue, with pool tables, shuffleboard, darts, and pinball, and a popcorn cart. There's another room to the side with restaurant seating.
The Still (New Berlin, IL) [see details ]14758 Old Route 54
New Berlin, IL 62670
(217) 488-3325
http://www.myspace.com/thestillnewberlin B noticed this bar as we headed into town, I somehow missed it completely despite it being at the main intersection.
Beer here was very cheap. For example, Fat Tire on tap was only $1.50.
The Still is divided into at least 4 main rooms, including a small bar area, a piano lounge, and a game room with pool tables. The piano is a baby grand, painted with Budweiser branding.
Black Lantern Tavern (Barry, IL) [see details ]745 Mortimer Street
Barry, IL 62312
(217) 335-3526
We stepped inside to find the bar packed with hunters. There were two long bars along opposite walls, but only one was staffed tonight. We took two seats next to the door.
We got to talking with some of the hunters, and learned that almost none of them were locals. Most of them were from New England and New York, and had traveled to Barry to take advantage of deer season.
We were particularly interested in the stories told by an older hunter at the opposite end of the bar. After launching into a tirade in which he described deer as vermin (comparable to rats and cockroaches) and called for them all to be shot and wiped off the face of the Earth, he ranted about several related topics "dear" to his heart:
Bashed modern hunters who climb up in trees with all their equipment instead of being on the ground actually hunting the deer like Daniel Boone did
Talked about how he used to shoot pigeons inside the city limits, and that the best way to hunt deer is to drive by and shoot them from your open window
Talked about how, when he was a kid, he and his friends would take shotguns to school and keep them in their lockers
Talked about how when he was a kid he'd shoot rabbits and sell them to old people (and people at ball games) for fifty cents each, and if he couldn't find enough rabbits he'd shoot cats and clean & dress them so no one would know the difference
A couple of sound clips are available for your listening pleasure. :)
Tiny's New Place (Barry, IL) [see details ]728 Bainbridge Street
Barry, IL 62312
(217) 335-2023
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Tinys-New-Place/242721295206 This was a nice little bar around the corner from The Black Lantern. The bartender was pretty friendly and we talked with her about hunting and our road trip.
The main bar area had a pool table and a small stage area. To the left of the L-shaped bar was a little alcove with video poker/slots.
North End Tavern (Quincy, IL) [see details ]1130 North 24th Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 222-8103
Finally, some 11 hours after it began, we completed our 4-hour drive across Illinois and arrived at our ultimate destination: Quincy.
Quincy is a dive bar lover's paradise, with
at least 55 that I had identified before we embarked on this road trip. In fact there are so many bars that as we approached town, I told B, "Tell
The Bitch (our affectionate name for his GPS device) to find a bar near 24th & Cedar (an intersection I pulled out of my ass) and then we'll work our way west from there." As luck would have it, there was a bar at that very intersection.
Beer is very cheap at the North End Tavern (as it would prove to be all throughout Quincy), with domestic pints at $1.75 and Blue Moon at $2.25. We opted for our trademark 10oz beers, however.
We sat under a large back umbrella at the horseshoe-shaped bar. We were alone at the bar, save for a couple sitting catty-corner from us. The bartender was in the other room shooting pool with an unseen person, though he was quick and attentive despite being out of sight during his game.
The couple sitting at the bar kept watching us, and this made me too nervous to take pictures. But eventually they relocated to the back room, and I quickly snapped my shots before they returned. I was proud of myself for being so stealthy.
Eleven bars later, I would learn otherwise...
Cedar Club (Quincy, IL) [see details ]2001 Cedar Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-1603
http://www.myspace.com/cedarclub After we left the North End Tavern we instructed the GPS to take us to the nearest bar in a westerly direction. It took approximately one minute to get there. Ahhh... Quincy!
The Cedar Club was fairly busy, one of the busier bars we visited this Monday evening. The bartender gave us info about bar closing times (1am, except for a couple of bars open until 2am).
We noticed a
virtual shuffleboard game , something we had never seen before until today, so we took our beers to the back to give it a try. It took some getting used to, but once you get the hang of it it's very similar to the real game.
Uncle Bob's Bar (Quincy, IL) [see details ]1301 North 12th Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 224-5601
http://www.myspace.com/unclebobs Our visit to the next bar may have made the bartender nervous, as B entered the side door while I almost simultaneously entered from the front after getting a picture of the place.
Unfortunately it was pretty quiet in here and the bartender stayed in conversation with his friend after serving us up with some Busch cans, so I don't have much else to say about this place. :(
Silver Moon Tavern (Quincy, IL) [see details ]1020 N 10TH St.
Quincy, IL 62301
(217)-228-0854
We left Uncle Bob's bar with no real destination in mind, and within moments found a residential street with two bars diagonally across the street from each other.
This town is awesome!
We decided to start out with the one on the left, which was a tiny little converted house called the Silver Moon Tavern.
Officially the capacity was 21, but there's only seating for about 16.
B chatted about football with the lone other patron, while I admired the broken shuffleboard game.
Gotta love
this mugshot from a theft that occurred here a while back!
The Club (Quincy, IL) [see details ](Formerly
Saddle Club, High Hat )
1023 North 10th Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 222-7169
After finishing at the Silver Moon we walked across the street to an unidentified bar.
"The Club, formerly The Saddle Club," the bartender informed us after I asked where we were. "And it was called The High Hat quite a long time before that."
The bartender here was pretty friendly and helpful. He told us a little of what he knew about the town's history. It had been settled by German immigrants, and he suspected this was a good part of the reason for so many taverns.
We asked him what place we should check out next, and he recommended a place called Jimbo's. Though I had to re-ask him what it was called a few minutes later, we were quickly able to find it after we left.
Jimbo's Place (Quincy, IL) [see details ]601 Chestnut Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 224-3361
Jimbo's Place, recommended by the bartender at The Club, contains a tiny zig-zag shaped bar inside a circular building. It's a very unusual layout for a bar.
When we pulled up the bartender (who was alone) had just stepped outside for a smoke. He came back in to pour us our drinks, we offered to behave ourselves so he could go back out and smoke but he wasn't comfortable with that idea.
We told him about our travels, and when we mentioned we were from Kansas City he list up, remembering visits to a huge hospital in Kansas City when he was young. The description he gave did not ring a bell with either of us, but we later identified it as the
McCleary-Thornton-Minor Hospital in
Excelsior Springs, MO . So, if you're reading this, Mr. Bartender, that's the hospital you were thinking of!
He also gave us additional info on the history of the town. The original German immigrants had set the town up with a church and a pub on nearly every corner. During Prohibition there were as many as 120 bars or more in town. By the 1960s that number had thinned to somewhere in the 70s. He estimated that the number was in the 50s today, which fit with the estimates I had made while planning this trip.
Our conversation about the town's history came to an abrupt halt when a very distraught woman ran into the bar and pulled the bartender away from us. After several minutes passed, during which time we channel surfed on the TV to pass the time, the two returned from the back. The woman was in tears and just when we thought she was calming down, she started yelling at us and accusing B of being a cop. The bartender tried to assure her he was no such thing, but she wouldn't believe it. So we took that as our cue to leave. :)
(I don't know what it is about B that gives off the cop vibe, but this isn't even close to being the first time I've seen someone in a bar accuse him of being a cop. Or from Vice Squad. Or an FBI agent. Or an INS officer. Or a private detective. Or a sheriff's deputy. It's crazy!)
B channel surfs during the crisis...
B&R Tavern (Quincy, IL) [see details ](Formerly
Bob & Ray's Tavern )
339 Cedar Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 222-7356
Just when we thought things couldn't get any weirder than how our visit at Jimbo's Place had ended, we went straight from that into how our visit at B&R Tavern began!
We had decided to stop this portion of the trip and head downtown to barhop on foot. But as we made a turn I noticed a bar in my rearview mirror and decided we ought to go ahead and stop. As I circled around the block to get to it, we found
yet another bar! (I love this town!) We pulled up to what turned out to be the B&R Tavern.
We parked the van across the street from the bar, but just as we were about to get out, B's phone rang. While he was on the call, I decided to pass time by taking pictures. But a man had just left the bar, and I didn't want him to think I was taking pictures of
him , so I waited, fumbling with my camera in the driver's seat. After a moment B had got out of the passenger side and started pacing beside the van while on the phone.
The man who had stepped out of the bar would not stop looking at me, and I noticed him get on his phone. Thinking he'd never leave, I got out and walked around to the back of the van, pretending to rummage through our cargo just to pass the time until the guy would get out of my way.
FINALLY he got into his vehicle and drove away, slowly, talking on the phone the whole time. Meanwhile B's phone conversation ended and he dashed on into the bar, entering the side door. I was still outside, and hadn't taken any photos yet. I took one quick picture (which sadly turned out crappy as you can see above) and entered through the
front door.
I stepped inside to see B seated at the bar, perfectly still, The female bartender, with her phone pressed to her ear, looked at me nervously, then seemed relieved. "Okay, the second one is in now," she said into the phone. "I think it's okay."
As it turns out, this bar had recently been nearly robbed, and our arrival had set off so many red flags with the man who had just left that he called the bartender to warn her about us!
After she warmed up to us and learned about our travels, she had a good laugh with us about her worries. She then told us about the attempted robbery, and it's a tale of criminal ineptness and stupidity with few rivals!
It seems that one of the B&R's
regulars came into the bar with a ski mask over his head, intent on robbing the place. The bartender, the same woman we were talking to now, immediately recognized him and assumed he was joking. She laughed in his face and told him he looked ridiculous. So he took off the mask, sat down and had a few drinks, paid his tab, and left. A few minutes later the Scrub-a-Dub Laundry across the street was robbed. The bartender was shocked when the police showed up and told her that
she had been the original target of the robbery.
But it doesn't end there. A few days later, out on bail, the robber had the cajones to show up back at B&R Tavern to shoot some pool! He seemed genuinely surprised when they kicked him out and banned him for life.
So, back to the B&R Tavern. This is a rather big bar with unusually clean restrooms. :) It had started out as a smaller building, then later had an addition wrapped around its north and west sides which now served as space for pool tables and restaurant seating. There's also a newer outdoor area.
This place has been the B&R Tavern for about 20 years. Prior to that it was known by the longer form of its name, Bob & Rays, for about 50-60 years.
I wonder what "other unhygienic acts" they had in mind? :)
French Quarters (Quincy, IL) [see details ](Formerly
Halftime Sports Bar )
1139 North 5th Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 222-9177
Okay, here's the deal. We
think this is where we were. We cannot say this was our next stop with 100% certainty. But the preponderance of evidence supports it:
While I cannot for the life of me figure out why we would have been driven north to Cherry Street after leaving Jimbo's Place, this bar is in the right spot to have been seen in the rearview mirror if we then turned left onto 5th Street.
Circling around the block to go back to it would have taken us to B&R Tavern.
It's the only building in all of Quincy whose satellite view shape seems to correspond with the photo I took. And believe me, I checked them all!
So why are we confused?
Because when we arrived, we saw a sign that said "Halftime Sports Bar" and recorded that as the name of this bar. But we can find no listing for a bar by that name in Quincy, nor can we find a liquor license issue to a place with that name.
So, I am working with the assumption that we were in French Quarters, and that at sometime in the past it was known as Halftime Sports Bar.
With all that said, the only note I wrote about this bar is "Beer was served in plastic cups." That's it, that's all I thought to write. :) But, as you can see in the interior photos, it's pretty similar to the other bars we had visited so far in Quincy.
Kutter's Bar & Grill (Quincy, IL) [see details ]236 N. Front Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-5888
http://kuttersbarandgrill.com/ We were looking for a particular bar downtown when I asked B how many many more blocks away it was.
"17 miles," he said, after checking the GPS.
It was then that I realized that the bar I was thinking of was actually located in Hannibal, not Quincy.
"Oh, hell, have it just find us the closest bar, then."
After a short but tricky reroute down almost to the Mississippi River waterfront, we pulled up in front of Kutter's Bar & Grill.
This was a large, clean, and very nice restaurant-bar. Our bartender, Tina, showed us some of their bar merchandise and told us a little bit of the history. For instance, the riverfront strip we were on had been a red light district several years ago. "Little Chicago," is what the locals called it.
Player's 5th Street Pub (Quincy, IL) [see details ]225 North 5th Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-1185
http://www.myspace.com/449317775 After Kutter's we knew we were "Kutting" it close to bar closing time. We looped around the downtown area looking for a bar, but everything we found either had the lights off or was locking the door.
We finally found Player's, but as we parked the car, two men stepped out and the lights went off.
"Are we too late?" we asked.
"Not if you hurry," one of them replied, "the bartender is still in there."
We went on inside and ordered a couple of bottles, promising the be quick. All of the lights were off, so we drank quickly in nearly total darkness.
The men from outside came back in, and B began to wonder if we were making them all uncomfortable. After a couple of minutes he straight up asked them if we were making them nervous, and reassured them that we were harmless.
We finished out beer and thanked them, and they locked the door behind us as we left.
Here is the least helpful interior picture of a bar ever... this is a pretty accurate representation of the light level in which we were drinking. :)
Twilight Zone (Quincy, IL) [see details ]906 Hampshire Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-6681
Back at the Cedar Club, where we learned of the 1am bar closing time in Quincy, we also learned that there were 2-3 bars in town with 2am licenses. Of those, only Twilight Zone would be open that late on Monday.
We were expecting a dance club, but stepping inside we found that it was nothing of the sort. It was a good dive bar just like all the others we had seen in town.
This was the busiest place we had been to in Quincy, which made sense since it was now the only place open. We grabbed a couple of Busch Light bottles and started out seated at the bar, but later moved to stand at the end of the bar.
A familiar-looking dude approached us. "Wow, you guys are still going at it?" he asked. "You really
are going to all the bars in town."
B explained to him how we were on a road trip and on our way back to Kansas City, and how we go barhopping everywhere we go and log all of the stops on a web site.
"So THAT'S why you were taking notes!", he suddenly exclaimed as a look of realization and relief came over his face.
At that moment, I realized why this guy looked so familiar.
"You're the bartender from North End Tavern, right?" I asked.
"That's right," he said. We were wondering what was up with the notebooks and the pictures you were taking."
"But, you were in the other room shooting pool," I protested, "how did you even see me doing that?"
"I was a scout in the Army," he replied, "
Nothing gets past me in my bar."
So much for thinking I was being stealthy earlier. Oh well. Having a beer with the bartender from our first bar in Quincy made a good bookend for the evening now that we were at our last bar in Quincy.
Charley Brown's (Advance, MO) [see details ]33257 MO-25
Advance, MO 63730
(573) 722-6200
This is a BBQ restaurant/bar in a small town in southeastern Missouri.
There was no room at the bar (someone grabbed the last 2 barstools just as I entered) so I grabbed one of the few remaining open tables. It was the night before Thanksgiving, so it felt more like I was at a high school reunion than at a bar with all the
Ohmygawds and
It'syoouuus and hugs surrounding me.
The far side of the bar has several pool tables and a stage. Something was being set up, I think it was karaoke, but I left before it started.
Jax Bar & Grill (Delta, MO) [see details ]201 East State Street
Delta, MO 63744
(573) 794-8230
Another small town bar that I visited the night before Thanksgiving. This was a very small bar, and it was packed. How I managed to find a seat at the very short bar is a mystery to me. About half of the room in this tiny venue was taken up by the pool table.
There was a grill and a fryer at the bar, and the bartender was whipping up various baskets for her hungry customers. I was just about to order some shrimp when my phone buzzed me that it was time to head back to take everyone to the motel.
Coyote Ugly Memphis (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]326 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 888-8459
http://www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/memphis/ Though it was Saturday night, we got here way too early and the bar was virtually empty. There were a couple of other people seated at the extremely long bar and a couple of guys playing pool.
The very friendly bartender (who was heavily pushing shots) did get up on the bar and dance for one song, but that was as close as we got to the famous "Coyote Ugly experience".
B.B. King's Blues Club (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]143 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 524-5464
http://www.bbkingclubs.com/index.php?page=memhome Our next stop on Beale Street was packed. There was a cover charge, but it was only $3 and I really wanted to see this place.
We started out on the lower level where we bought drinks and a souvenir glass. There was no place to stand where we were not in the way, however, so we soon moved upstairs where we at least found a wall to stand against.
The band (whose guitarist kicked ass, by the way) played a variety of popular blues favorites.
I really enjoyed this venue and would love to come back. We stayed for a good amount of time.
Black Diamond (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]153 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 521-0800
A nice quiet smoky dive, a great place to take a break from the excitement of Beale Street and recharge before moving on to the next club. Though this place does sometimes host live acts of its own.
As we drank our beer, a guy was being arrested right outside the front window. "This looks like a crack pipe to me," one of the officers said after removing a glass tube from the suspect's jacket.
It was interesting me how many of the businesses are connected. This bar is directly connected to an adjacent gift shop.
Mr. Handy's Blues Hall Juke Joint (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]174 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38104
(901) 528-0150
Something about this bar caught my eye earlier in the evening, and I just
had to see more. We entered just in time, getting two seats at the end of the bar right before the band began to play. Within minutes, the bar was packed.
The band was awesome, and our bartender was terrific. We ended up settling in here for the remainder of the evening, the experience was so good. I filled up on a local brew, repeatedly, while Dr. Feelgood Potts played the crap out of his harmonica.
One odd thing about this place is that it has no restrooms. But that's okay, since everything is connected you just slip through a side door to use the restroom at the place next door.
We loved this place. I will come back here each and every time I ever visit Memphis in the future.
Rendezvous Charles Vergos (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]52 South 2nd Street
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 523-2746
http://www.hogsfly.com/ This is a famous basement BBQ place located in a basement in an alley a few blocks north of Beale Street. It sounds like it might be scary to go to at night, but it's not.
We got there shortly before closing but were able to get served.
The food is spectacularly delicious. My only complaint? There's not enough of it. It seemed more like appetizers than a meal.
I hesitated to list this as a bar, since we sat at a table in the dining area and ordered a meal. But there was a bar physically present, and we ordered additional beer separate from the meal, so I've decided to count it. We did spent a few moments in the bar area with our additional beer before closing time forced us to finish it out in the street.
Lucky 7 Tavern (Downtown, Mountain Grove, MO) [see details ]211 West 1st Street
Mountain Grove, MO 65711
(417) 926-5130
I found this place operating entirely on BARDAR, but for a while I thought my BARDAR was broken as I could not find a bar at all where I
knew one should be. As it turned out, I had actually driven right by it 3 or 4 times before coming at it from an angle that caused me to actually notice it.
There was a pool table and a jukebox in the front, and several younger guys were shooting pool. We sat at the L-shaped bar and had beer with a couple of other bar-sitting patrons.
It looks a lot like there used to be a side room, but that it has been closed off with only a strange dark alcove hinting to its former presence.
856. Kelso's (Downtown, North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]300 Armour Road
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 221-8899
http://www.kelsoskansascity.com/ Italian family restaurant with great pizza. The front end of the restaurant has a small sports bar.
Garment District (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1350 Main
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 221-4387
http://www.garmentdistrictboutique.com/i Locally owned clothing boutique. In the center is a bar serving wine, martinis, and a small selection of bottled beer.
Westside Local (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1663 Summit
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 997-9089
http://www.thewestsidelocal.com/ A restaurant serving locally grown food, but also very popular for its beer garden. A small back room features an intimate bar, beyond that is a shaded and enclosed beer garden in the alley.
Since my first visit was 3 days after a blizzard, I didn't get to see the beer garden omn that visit.
Blue Bird Bistro (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1700 Summit
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 221-7559
http://www.bluebirdbistro.com/ Fine dining restaurant serving a locally-grown menu. Towards the back of the restaurant is an upscale bar/lounge.
Germania Club (North Kansas City, MO) [see details ]1611 Swift
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 421-4287
http://www.germaniakc.org/ A private club for German-American citizens to celebrate their heritage. Occasionally open to the public for poker nights or special dinners, but always open to the public during the annual Snake Saturday parade on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. German beer available on tap.
Bullfrog's Bar & Grill (Lee's Summit, MO) [see details ](Formerly
McKeever's )
320 SW Blue Pkwy
Lee's Summit, MO 64063
(816) 347-9393
http://www.getcroaked.com/ Well-done strip mall bar, re-opened after a significant upgrade and remodel of the old McKeever's.
Golden Tee Live, darts, and a stage for live music. Ample seating with very high tables and stools -- tall people will love it! Basic but tasty menu of the usual bar & grill fare. Several beers available on tap.
Because it's a large open area with polished concrete floors, it can get a little loud. I had trouble hearing the bartender with just a few people in the place.
Handlebar Saloon (Sugar Grove, OH) [see details ]201 South Main Street
Sugar Grove, OH 43155
(740) 746-9609
Basic little dive bar and grill in a small town. There's a basic menu of burgers and various other items that can be cooked in a griddle or in an autofryer. There's a pool table and a nice long porch out front.
Be sure to use the door closest to the steps, I used the second door since it was propped open and found myself in the employee area.
Jean Bonnet Tavern (Bedford, PA) [see details ]6048 Lincoln Highway
Bedford, PA 15522
(814) 623-2250
http://jeanbonnettavern.com This historic tavern was established around 1762, making it among the very oldest bars I have been to. Check out the web site link to learn about the fascinating history of this place.
I had the Sly Fox O'Reilly's Stout and a fish sandwich, both of which were delicious. The fish sandwich was quite a bit bigger than I expected. I also had bacon-wrapped scallops as an appetizer.
This was a nice tavern, with a restaurant on the other side and a bed and breakfast upstairs. The staff was friendly and talkative at first, but then they got a Memorial Day weekend rush of bikers than I'm not sure they were ready for. Took us a little while to get our check when we were done, but that's ok! :)
The Riptide (On the Pier, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-7574
This is a seasonal outdoor bar under the big rotunda on the fishing pier. There's a small benched seating area attached to the bar, as well as a nearby covered picnic area. There was a band playing when I was here.
Benny's Tybee Tavern (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1517 Butler Ave
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-0121
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bennys-Tybee-Tavern/172892696087572 A pretty nice dive that seems to be more for the locals than the tourists. There were several interesting intoxicated characters in the place.
The TVs were on the Food Network and the bartender told us about a fish sandwich he wants to invent in order to get
Man vs. Food to visit. Don't worry, Mr. Bartender, the name of the sandwich and the ingredients will remain secret!
Doc's Bar (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]10 16Th St
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-5506
http://www.docsbartybee.com/ Another small dive that, while on the main tourist strip, seems geared towards the locals.
There's video poker, a snooker table, and Guinness on tap. Among the patron was a large black cat who we learned comes and goes as he pleases.
Despite what it says on the outside, they did not have any food here.
Bernie's (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]13 Tybrisa Street
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-5100
http://berniesoysterhouse.com We stepped into this bar on 16th (Tybrisa St.) looking for a quick bite to eat, and I'm glad we did! There's a great menu of seafood here. We ordered a couple of appetizers, and the provolone stuffed shrimp became an instant favorite of mine.
We had some good and entertaining conversation with the bartender and a couple of the regulars.
There appeared to be a deck or patio out back but I didn't go out the back door to confirm.
It was here that we learned that the bars here can server you drinks "to-go" and that you can drink them openly out on the street. So we got another round to take with us while we went to do some sidewalk shopping.
Wind Rose Cafe (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]19 Tybrisa Street
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-6593
From the outside, all appearances are that this is a quaint and charming cafe, possibly not even having a real bar but just serving beer at the tables with your meals. So I was shocked to step inside and find a genuine good old dirty dive bar.
The place was pretty busy when we stepped inside, but we found a couple of empty stools at the far end of the bar.
Suddenly, a moment after we got our beers, the entire place cleared out. I mean, every single person in the place got up and filed out all at once, including the bartender! For a few minutes we were completely alone in there, dumbfounded. Finally, the bartender returned. We theorized later that everyone had gone out to check out somebody's new ride.
Now, this place is also a cafe and does serve food, but we didn't look at the menu.
Rock House (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1518 Butler Avenue
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-7176
http://rockhousetybee.com An open, airy music menu right on the corner of the busiest intersection in Tybee. There's karaoke, live acts, and free pool during happy hours. It appeared they were also taking to-go or delivery orders for food but we didn't look at the menu.
Our bartender was a friendly gal who whipped up some tasty drinks for us when we couldn't decide what we wanted.
Nickie's 1971 Bar & Grill (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1513 Butler Ave.
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-4444
http://nickies1971.com/nickies-index.htm There are two entrances to this establishment. The door on the left leads to the bright-decored pizza (and more) joint in the front. The door on the right leads to the dark-decored tavern in the back. (They are also connected by an interior passage.)
There were two very intoxicated men in their late 40s/early 50s who were arguing about some work that one of them took and the other didn't get. It got to the point that they were literally bumping chests together. But it defused before it became truly entertaining.
It appeared there might be a beer garden in the back, past the pool table, but I didn't go back there to confirm.
Panorama of the tavern area. Use the slider below the photo to view.
The Sand Bar (Downtown, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1512 Butler Avenue
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-8304
http://thesandbartybee.com This is a new bar across the street from Nickie's. The front contains a small L-shaped bar, the back room has table seating and a stage for live music.
Drinks here were slightly more expensive than at the other bars but still reasonably priced.
Panorama of the front room. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Fannie's on the Beach (South Beach, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1613 Strand Avenue
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-6109
http://fanniesonthebeach.com Up until this point, the bars I had visited on Tybee seemed more for the locals. Fannie's, however, seemed more touristy.
It's really more of a restaurant/diner than a bar, and is very food-oriented. However there's about a half dozen stools at a very small bar. The barstools are actually prety cool, they are what appear to me motorcycle seats mounted on pistons that gently sink into position when you sit on them.
The decor here is pretty entertaining and was cracking me up.
Spanky's Beachside (South Beach, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]Tybee Time Sports Bar (South Beach, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1603 Strand
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-7150
http://www.tybeetimebar.com What a fun place! This is a sports bar where locals and tourists mix. It specializes in frozen drinks, with multiple flavors of daiquiris to choose from.
We chatted with a couple of tourists visiting from inland Georgia and got lost in conversation with them. Our bartender also turned out to have been one of the customers we met at another bar earlier in the day.
Sting Ray's (Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1403 Butler Avenue
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-0209
http://stingraysontybee.com Of all the bars we visited on Tybee Island, this was the only one that was packed to the gills. And we soon found out why. Though it's a dive in every sense of the word, it has some of the best fresh seafood I've ever eaten! (In fact, the only place I've had better fried seafood was at a joint on the docks in Plymouth, MA.)
Indoors is a full bar and an enclosed dining area. Outdoors are two seating areas -- one fully open-air and one covered. Live music was being played on the front deck.
A stop here is a must if you visit Tybee Island.
Dolphin Reef Sports Bar (South Beach, Tybee Island, GA) [see details ]1401 Strand Avenue
Tybee Island, GA 31328
(912) 786-8400
http://dolphinreef.com Basic hotel bar with a great view of the beach. The food (served for the restaurant upstairs from the bar) is good though pricey. The bar is only open until 11pm.
The Pirates' House (Hitch Village, Savannah, GA) [see details ]20 East Broad Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-5757
http://thepirateshouse.com Built in 1753 on the grounds of an experimental garden plotted by the first Georgia colonists, The Pirates' House takes over as the oldest place where I've had a drink.
Originally an inn for seafarers, pirates and sailors from around the world have been here and the place is referenced in
Treasure Island . See the web site for the full history.
The bar area is somewhat modernized, but the restaurant areas retain more of the original appearance. Seafood is, naturally, the focus of the menu.
JJ Bonerz (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]11 West Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 944-4343
http://jjbonerz.com A nice little sports bar right on Bay Street. The two Js in the name refer to the first named of the couple who own the place (unfortunately their names escape me at the moment). Downstairs from the main bar is a tiki style bar.
Molly Macpherson's Scottish Pub & Grill (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]311 West Congress Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 239-9600
http://macphersonspub.com A Scottish style pub just off the main drag of Savannah's City Market, complete with kilt-wearing bartenders. Well-maintained with an upscale appearance, but casual enough for tourists to feel comfortable coming in off the street to cool down.
Wild Wing Cafe (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]27 Barnard Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 790-9464
http://wildwingcafe.com Yeah, it's a chain, I know. :) But I was hot, I was thirsty, and I had exactly 10 minutes to kill so I popped in for a quick pint of Guinness.
This location is in Savannah's City Market.
Retro on Congress (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ](Formerly
Mercury Lounge )
125 W Congress St
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 544-0371
I had a lot of trouble finding contact info for this bar, it turns out it's because it's fairly new. This was formerly the Mercury Lounge. Located on the southeast corner of Ellis Square, Retro on Congress is a bar/venue with an apparent 50s-60s lounge theme.
Chuck's Bar (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]305 West River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 232-1005
This was the first bar we spotted after descending the steps to the riverfront. It's a quirky, funky dive with tons of character.
Our bartender was fun and friendly, and whipped us up some bonus shots to go with our beer.
There's a pool table in the back, a lounge area with plush chairs in the front, and the restrooms are just as run down and dirty as you'd hope for in a place like this.
Lookup up info about this bar later I found it classified under "gay bars". Personally, I didn't see it. However I see no problem with calling it "gay-friendly", since it seems like the kind of place where anyone is welcome and can feel free to be themselves.
Live Wire Music Hall (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]307 West River St.
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-1192
http://livewiremusichall.com/ I stopped in here because I needed to use their ATM, but in my mindset of what is proper that obligated me to have a drink here as well.
The front room, with the main bar, has a stage at the far back and a projection TV screen next to the bar. Parallel to that in the next room is a secondary bar in a more intimate lounge-type setting.
Peg Leg Pete's (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]303 West River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 234-8255
http://peglegpetes.com I had to stop in here just for the name. We were the only customers in the place, the bartender told us it gets busy later in the night when the band comes in. He whipped us up some tasy tangerine shots.
Kevin Barry's (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]117 West River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-9626
http://kevinbarrys.com Very cool Irish bar on the Savannah riverfront.
We grabbed seats at the large rectangular bar and had a couple of beers alonmg with several other patrons. Around the corner in the restaurant side of the establishment, live acoustic Irish music was being played.
Spanky's Pizza Galley & Saloon (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]317 East River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-2633
http://savannahmenu.com/spankysriverstreet This place was very busy and, being a pizza restaurant, had a lot of kids in it. The rectangular bar is somewhat separated from the dining areas, but not well enough to create distinct environments. However to the north of the bar is a cozy little drinking lounge with a flatscreen TV.
Cotton Exchange Tavern (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]201 East River Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 232-7088
http://savannahmenu.com/cottonexchange This was tied with Chuck's as our favorite bar on the riverfront, due in part to the intimate surroundings (the bar is WELL-separated from the restaurant by the ancient stone walls) but due more to the awesome bartender we had. They had a new flavor of vodka that had just come in so she spent a good portion of our visit experimenting with it and came up with some shot and drink ideas that tasted like winners to us. :)
Churchill's British Pub (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]13 West Bay Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 232-8501
http://www.thebritishpub.com/ This was located right next to JJ Bonerz, but since it didn't open until 5pm I wasn't able to visit it earlier.
This bar has at least 3 levels. The main level is the pub, with a good menu and a nice mix of both familiar and interesting imported beer on tap.
Downstairs in the same corridor as the restrooms there's an additional room that's more sports-bar styles, with pool tables and so forth. I didn't go in there so I don't know if there's a secondary bar down there but I assume there likely is.
There were also stairs leading up from the main bar. I didn't investigate the upstairs, so I am unsure if these led to an upper-level lounge or to a rooftop deck. (Aerial photos do seem to show a rooftop patio off the second level and what appears to be an outdoor bar.)
Vinnie Van Go-Go's (North Historic District, Savannah, GA) [see details ]317 West Bryan Street
Savannah, GA 31401
(912) 233-6394
http://vinnievangogo.com Divey pizza place on the City Market, with outdoor seating and limited indoor seating along the bar.
We got a pizza to-go to take back to our hotel, and had a couple of beers at the far end of the bar while we waited.
Skeeter's (Shawnee, KS) [see details ](Formerly
Several different places )
6505 Nieman Road
Shawnee, KS 66203
(913) 912-1191
http://www.skeeterskc.com/ This should have been bar #220, visited in Feb 2007. It was a football-themed bar at the time, I can't remember the name. But I missed the turn, and we decided to just go ahead and skip it and save it for our next barhopping session in this area.
Unfortunately, the next time we came through here, we found that it had gone out of business.
About a year after that, I noticed it was back in operation again. Now it was a biker bar. Again, I can't remember the name. I was unable to check it out at that moment but made plans to visit soon.
Finally, in October 2010, we got that chance. Three of us made plans to meet there. We arrived, to find the place dark and empty. Someone at a neighboring business said we had just missed it by a couple of weeks.
Recently I noticed it back open again, so I went out of my way to make sure I stopped in. :) Skeeter's is music-oriented, with frequent live acts. There's also a good menu of fried food and burgers, patio seating out front, and pool tables. Like its predecessor it remains biker-friendly.
Southgate Grill & Lounge (Hyde Park, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
6106 King Hill Avenue )
6106 King Hill Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64504
(816) 238-2150
Southgate is divided into two main areas. The larger restaurant area takes up the northern 3/4 or so of the building. Partioned into a separate area along the south side of the building is a narrow bar. We arrived here at 10:00am on the dot and had a seat at the bar.
Evidently they aren't used to having bar customers this early on a Friday, because no one working on the bar side knew how to work the taps. The beer was coming out as all foam, and they didn't know what to do. After a few tries they decided to sell us bottled beer at draft beer prices. But then it turned out no one knew what they charged for either type. :) Eventually we all agreed on $2 each as the price. Hilarious!
The centerpiece of the bar is a working slot machine that dispenses tokens. We have no idea if there is a purpose for the tokens or if it's just for fun. The machine is rigged so that you can stop each dial individually.
Bill's Pub (Hyde Park, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]6210 King Hill Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64504
(816) 238-9950
This was a nice sports dive bar just down the street from Southgate. It has a couple of pool tables, a deck in the parking lot, and a U-shaped bar decorated with signed dollar bills. (I always love dive bars that are wallpapered with money.)
The bartender was outside on the phone and didn't see us at first, but he noticed us after a few moments, apoligized, and got us taken care of.
Pop's Place (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]238 Illinois Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64504
(816) 238-3344
Pop's Place is quite a bit bigger, and nicer, than I was expecting! It has at least 3 pool tables, Silver Strike, darts, a large seating area, and a big semi-covered patio.
The small, angular bar is in the back corner. They serve a food here and were getting themselves ready for the upcoming lunch crowd.
Too late (we were already into our drinks) we noticed that they serve a beer we'd never heard of before, called
Git-R-Done , which comes from a microbrewery in Nebraska. (We'd end up ordering this at another bar later, which I will not mention the name of. B thought it was too sweet and malty, while I didn't detect the sweetness so much but thought the aftertaste was reminiscient of a sweaty foot. The bartender
at that later bar , not this bar, asked us what we thought. After politely saying "It was okay," she replied "Yeah, we don't brag about it.")
It should be noted that the men's bathroom here at Pop's Place smelled horrendous, yet paradoxically was one of the cleanest bathrooms we have ever encountered. :)
By the way, it didn't occur to us to ask who Dakota is, or why he/she deserves congratulations.
Hap's Place (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2414 South 4th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 232-5375
Hap's is primarily a well-known catfish restaurant (located right by the river), but it has a small bar in the front. For as much of a dive as it looks on the outside, we were shocked to go inside and find an immaculate, almost upscale establishment. Yet it still was just divey enough to be hosting karaoke later in the evening.
The older couple running the place (I assume they were the owners) were playfully bickering back and forth. Our juvenile minds had a hard time not laughing at the shouting of "Why can't I get any head?" during the filling of a pitcher of beer.
Biggins Sports Bar (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Mackenzie's )
408 Hickory Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 232-4450
http://www.facebook.com/#!/bigginssportsbar This is the new location for Biggins, having opened here just a few weeks ago after previously being located on the Belt.
We'll say that this place, uh, "pays homage" to the "Hooters" restaurant chain. :)From the logo to the uniforms to the menu, there are some striking similarities. It's a little mroe toned down and divey than Hooters, though.
You have to love the way the burgers are named! (See the menu picture below.)
There's free wifi, and (at least during the time of our visit) $1 cans.
Cordonnier's Place (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2221 South 4th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
816) 279-0826
This is a fish restaurant, specializing in catfish & carp. Just inside the main entrance is a bar area. A sign on the door says they card anyone under the age of 40, B
is 40 and still got carded. :)
I was unclear if this little outbuilding in the parking lot sold bait or fresh fish...
The men's room has this little notch carved out of the door. Without it, it would be impossible to open the door without it slamming into the sink!
It actually seems almost like a family kind of place, so the condom machine in the men's room was a little unexpected. :)
Hickory Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2302 South 11th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 233-6960
Hickory Tavern is an old bar. No one present during our visit could confirm the age, but they did speak of at least 3 generations of past owners who each ran the bar for around 30 years or so. My own research has uncovered anectodal evidence for it possibly being at least 130 to 140 years old.
At one point in the past the bar was U-shaped and sat in the middle of the room. Now it is a linear bar along the north wall.
Everything here is old-school. Pool is still only 50 cents to play -- the bar's owner refuses to work with the local arcade supply company and their contracts, he wants to do things his own way. In fact, it's so old-school here that the jukebox was only recently upgraded to a
CD Jukebox, it had been a
vinyl record jukebox until just a few years ago.
Adams Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Phipps Tavern )
1612 Commercial Street
St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 232-5513
This is one of those places that looks a lot bigger -- and nicer -- on the inside than it does on the outside. There are two large dining rooms separated by a central bar room decorated with Christmas-light palm trees.
We played a game of Silver Strike here while an incredibly skinny waitress took care of nearby customers.
When we first started taking photos, we got a lot of dirty looks from some of the customers. But eventually an employee gave us permission, making it easier to snap a few pictures.
Jackson's Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Yost & Fisher Tavern )
1701 Garfield Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 364-9083
Jackson's Tavern looks a block from Adams B&G on the map, but in reality they are across the same parking lot from each other. And while Adams is surprisingly nice on the inside, Jackson's Tavern is true dive through-and-through.
It's smokey, and seems a little rough and intimidating at first, but we ended up finding the people to be pretty friendly.
There's a pool table and a Silver Strike machine, as well as a vending machine that dispenses lottery tickets. B bought a few and won $5, then bought 5 more tickets and won $25.
The restrooms are too tiny for sinks, so a communal sink sits behind a partition outside the bathroom doors.
Amusingly, when we walked in, the bartender thought B asked for a couple of "straws" when he in fact asked for a couple of "draughts". So there was some momentary confusion when she handed us two drinking straws. :)
A men's room that looks like this is a sure sign that you're in a dive bar...
First & Last Chance Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]817 Garfield Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 901-9971
My 900th bar! To help me celebrate B bought the round out-of-turn, and lucked out with $1 cans for the third time at least today. :)
You can't quite tell from these photos, but the west outside wall of the bar is actually leaning in a little!
Tracey, our bartender, congratulated me on #900. "Now go make someone number 901!" she said when we left.
A rare photo of me with my beer...
Muny Inn (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]3229 Mitchell Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64507
(816) 279-9484
http://www.facebook.com/people/Muny-Inn/1419206425 We kept seeing this place listed as "Big Al's Muny Inn", but the bartender had never heard of the "Big Al's" part and said it's just "Muny Inn".
$1 draws!
We played several 3-hole games of Golden Tee while a few patrons sat at the bar watching real golf on TV. The bartender asked us to turn the volume down on the game. We complied, but every time we started a new game the volume would default back up to maximum. We think she was starting to get annoyed with us. :)
I should add that this place is a popular college hangout. Of course, since we were here during the summer, we didn't see any college kids.
Back side, showing an apparent upstairs apartment.
Pappy's Grill & Pub (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2501 Messanie Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 390-9550
http://pappysgrill.com/ We almost didn't stop here because it looked too much like a restaurant, but once inside we decided to go ahead and have a seat. I'm glad we did, we ended up having a great time here!
Our beer choices were cans of Milwaukee's Best Light or Keystone Light, so we took one of each.
The person we started talking to first turned out to be Michelle, one-half of the couple who owns Pappy's. She's originally from Minneapolis and we swapped stories about places we had visited on our trip there in 2006. Her husband Steven, who is the "Pappy" of Pappy's, used to be a New York City cab driver. He wasn't there during our visit.
The other person we talked to was the bartender, Mark. Between the two of them we got lot of great info about places we should visit while in town, as well as places to avoid. Of course, with us, telling us to avoid a place only
guarantees we'll go to it. :)
Michelle and Mark...
Pappy, as seen in his 1974 taxi license...
Susie's Place (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Frank's Tavern )
1927 Olive Street
St. Joseph, MO 64507
(816) 279-7299
There was a little bit of tension in the air when we first stepped inside, and I'm not really sure why. I don't know if they were nervous about us or what it was, the first few moments were tense.
But then a little dog named Rosie walked up to greet us, and after we petted her the ice was broken and we were welcomed into the fold. :)
We soon learned that Rosie had a special talent, she liked to sit on the shoulders of a guy named Mike while he shot pool. Mike happened to be sitting nearby, so B challenged him to a round.
And they weren't kidding, that little dog happily climbed up on his shoulders and sat there through the whole game!
It's quirky little finds like this that make me love going to these off-the-beaten-path dive bars.
You never know just what to expect!
A's J. R's McGaughy Lounge (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1702 Messanie St
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-5033
We knew before arriving here that were not exactly going to fit in here. We'd been warned that the bar is a bit cliquish and that we were not, well, the correct demographic.
This did in fact turn out to be true, as our entrance was met with complete silence and several looks of "What are you doing in here?" Indeed, the bartender seemed quite surprised when we actually ordered drinks and stayed.
We found a customer who opened up to us, though, and once we started talking to him the tension died down and others started talking to us as well. After a few minutes it was all back to normal.
We learned that the bar is owned by Babe McGaughy, and that "McGaughy" is pronounced "mig hoy". We're still not clear on the "A J R" portion of the name, but we were told that "A & J R's" would be a more accurate way of putting it.
During the initial moments, when nerves were still a little high, one of us spilled a bit of their drink. I forget which one of us it was.
Magoon's Saloon (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]632 South 8th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 232-3611
http://www.benmagoons.com/ Magoon's Saloon is a place we chose to visit simply because we liked the name, and it turned out to be a good find!
Though it's essentially one big room, it's divided in that the south half is a deli and the north half is a bar.
There's a pool table and a handful of flatscreen TVs, but the most prominent feature is the vast collection of beer bottles. Literally thousands of bottles, on multiple shelves, all the way around the room along every wall. (See the panorama below.)
While I was using the men's room I noticed I had a nice view of the charming little house next door. Hopefully the residents don't also have a nice view of the charming little urinal I was using. :)
Panorama of Magoon's. Use the slider below the photo to view.
VFW #1668 (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]821 North 4th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-3076
This is one of the busiest VFW bars I have been to on a day that wasn't a holiday! Almost completely packed.
There's Silver Strike, but I don't recall if I saw a pool table or not due to the crowd. I'm going to assume it does, as every VFW I have ever been to has at least one.
We talked to a really nice gentleman at the far end of the bar, but as we asked questions about the area he informed us he was new in town and referred us to an acquaintance of his at a nearby table. That person was able to answer our questions but one member of his party was noticeably annoyed by our intrusion.
I went to the bar and spoke to Evelyn, the bartender, and purchased a round of drinks for that table (as well as the man we spoke to first) in order to try to smooth things over. Hopefully it worked, I felt badly. :(
As we left, B said to me "Look at all those
spools .". I laughed, thinking this was either some ethnic slur I had never heard before, or was some new term making fun of older people. I didn't noticed that there was literally a whole bunch of spools right across the street:
View Larger Map American Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1001 N 3rd St
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-9103
American Tavern is a beautifl, timeless, classic example of a dive bar all-around. It is rustic, dirty, and charming. This was one of my favorite finds of the day.
Though they have draft beer, we decided to go with bottles for this one. Our bartender, Jessie, was very friendly.
The main room features a long L-shaped bar against a wall of brick and detailed woodwork.
There's also a big back room that takes up the ground floor of the neighboring building, that room has pool tables, Silver Strike, darts, and aenough room for live entertainment. We spent most of our visit back here playing Silver Strike.
The men's room floor slopes down to the right, and the toilet is installed in such a way that the bowl is partly under the sink.
Jumpin Jack's (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Old Lamplighter Inn )
301 Middleton Street
St. Joseph, MO 64505
(816) 387-8888
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jumpin-Jacks-Bar/1678796601 Every barhopping trip includes one bar that is so far beyond our expectations that it ends up standing out as our absolute favorite find of the day. Ladies and gentlemen, for this particular trip, Jumpin Jacks was that bar!
We almost missed out, too. After leaving American Tavern, had I simply continued straight north, we'd have found it easily. But I mis-remembered the layout of this neighborhood (there are streets running at odd angles) and I made an unnecessary left turn just short of our destination. When the road came to an end I knew I'd made a mistake and we began searching the neighborhood, to no avail. After several minutes we were getting close to giving up when the GPS finally honed in on it and got us to our destination.
We knew we were in for a treat when we found this to be a neighborhood dive, surrounded by houses on all sides. We knew we were going to love this place when a neighbor came out to distract his pit bull as we walked by. And when we stepped in to head the bartender explaining to a couple of other customers how terrified she is of clowns, we somehow knew we were going to have more fun here than we'd had all day.
It turned out that bartender's name was Becky, and she's 1/2 of the couple who owns the bar. The other half is her husband, Waylan, who showed up later at the end of our visit. "Having a name like Waylan is like having the biggest cock," she said. Or maybe it was B who said that, I don't remember and my notes aren't very clear. :)
There is quite a collection of bras on the bar, a recent development. "A while back one of the customers just up and took her bra off, and said she wanted to hang it up. So we did. Then other ladies started doing it," Becky explained. "Now boxer shorts have even started to join the collection."
She also told us the tragic story of a night around Christmas, when the bar was empty, and about 20 young guys from another town stormed the place and beat the crap out of her husband. There were never any arrests made, and it is believed to have been a case of mistaken identity, them mistaking her husband for someone else from a different bar who they all apparently felt had wronged them in some way.
Apart from the somberness of that part of the conversation, we really enjoyed our time here sitting and talking with the owners. In addition to the great personalities, this is a fun-looking bar all around and I'de love to visit again when it's busier.
In fact, here's how good a time we had -- when we first arrived we noticed the Silver Strike machine and put a few dollars in it to play. But we never got around to actually doing so! :)
Panorama of Jumpin Jacks's. Use the slider below the photo to view.
Bottoms Up Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2007 Saint Joseph Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64505
(816) 232-3440
I've seen this place off and on for the past 15 years or so but never stopped in until now. Apparently it had been more of a restaurant in the past, and was remodeled last year to be completely a bar.
The bar is a U-shaped island with a small gap, there's a couple of long tables beyond that. There's a couple of pool tables, Silver Strike, and an odd empty area in the left portion of the room that perhaps serves as an area for live entertainment. (I've found references to live music and stand-up comedy, but these were from older sources so I don't know if that sort of entertainment is still booked here.)
The special this evening was $2 MGD 64 bottles, so we reluctantly ordered the beer-flavored water. :)
First Ward House (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2101 Saint Joseph Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64505
(816) 279-9930
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=138544357248 The First Ward House opened in 1878 and is one of the contenders for Oldest Bar West of the Mississippi. (However I've been to
another bar that seems to have this one beat by 2 years .)
I was really surprised to find it open, as several online sources list it as closed and there are no recent reviews or posts on any web site I could find about it.
It's really more an upscale-casual restaurant today, but there is a bar along the back wall. I'd like to take a moment now to apoligize to the host, as we walked towards the bar I didn't notice you standing there trying to ask us about our seating preference.
I was kind of beered out so I decided to try a Twisted Tea instead. Big mistake, that stuff is nasty!
We were getting hungry so ordered a basket of fried pepper jack cheese bites. These came out in record time, but turned out to be cheddar cheese. I had a few anyway but let B finish them off.
Since we had paid our bar tab earlier, I forgot all about the addition of the appetizer and nearly walked out without paying for it. Whoops!
The First Ward House also has a very nice, well-shaded deck around the back. But it was way too hot to be out there! :)
Brown Bear Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2028 Saint Joseph Ave
St. Joseph, MO 64505
(816) 279-4422
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=309596936104 This is another really old bar, having opened in either 1898 or 1899 depending on your source. And it's another place that I have been curious about for 15-20 years.
This is the second of two St. Joe bars (that I know of) with the Hamm's Bear painted on the outside. (Sadly, no Hamm's Beer is sold inside.) From the outside it looks quite big, but the interior is more intimate.
The main room features a straight bar that runs to the back of the corner building. To the side is a smaller game room with pool tables and Golden Tee.
We decided to play Golden Tee while a class reunion was getting set up around us. To pass the time while it was my turn, B pretended to be a long-forgotten classmate.
Peterman's Shamrock (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Shamrock Inn )
1805 St Joseph Ave
St. Joseph, MO 64505
816-364-9590
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=309596936104#!/pages/Petermans-Shamrock/254916081190084 As far as I can tell this bar has been called the Shamrock for a very long time, though the owner's name in front of it has changed a couple of times. Currently it's Peterman's Shamrock.
The L-shaped bar occupies the front half of the narrow space, framed by a Silver Strike machine and a dart board. The back half has darts, pool tables, and a dance floor. The restrooms are up a small set of stairs in the far back.
It was very smokey in here and a true dive. Music was playing and B danced to it a little, an employee promised him it would be rocking in here in about another hour.
Pop A Top Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Family Tavern )
5107 Savannah Road
St. Joseph, MO 64505
(816) 364-9744
A dive bar does not get more divey than this. A dive in its purest form, not even the most hard-core hipsters would go here trying to be ironic!
Pop A Top is located in a remote semi-wooded area in extreme northern St. Joseph, far-removed from any other bars or restaurants. It is part of a tiny cluster of brick buildings surrounded by gravel lots of old or rusting industrial equipment, buses, trucks, and other vehicles. Aging mobile homes making up most of the remainder of the surroundings.
It was originally a bank, but was converted to a bar in the 1950s and operated as Family Tavern for about 30 years. Family Tavern closed after the owner died, but later Pop A Top re-opened the space.
There's no taps, so we got a couple of cans of beer. Either there was no air conditioning or it wasn't working. A pair of noisy and powerful fans were employed to attempt to ventilate the place. Despite the fans, with it being 100 degrees outside, it took only a few minutes for our beer to warm up to room temperature. :(
It was quite a bit darker in there than my pictures (taken with a high exposure setting) let on. There appeared to be a back room that looked big enough for pool tables, but the lights were out and we could not really see for sure without risking tripping over fans. :) I'm going to assume that there was indeed at least one pool table.
[Update: I visited again a couple months later and visited the back room, there is indeed a pool table back there.]
As rickety and run-down as the building is, the woodwork of the bar itself is beautiful.
Additional pictures from my second visit in September 2011, better showing the bar's woodwork and also showing the back room:
Hi-Ho Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1817 Frederick Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 233-7363
http://hiho-stjoe.com/ This is a great little bar with a really nice semi-covered patio.
I saw Golden Tee and lots of flatscreens, but I didn't notice any darts or pool tables. That doesn't mean there aren't any, though, since I didn't see the whole place.
B tried to pass us off as freelance journalists in order to get some good stories, but no one was buying it. :)
Here's a better picture from the bar's web site:
Big Shots (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1811 Frederick Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 232-6633
We had no idea what kind of place this was going to be, as we could find absolutely NO information about it online.
Once we got inside, though, we realized that the answer should have been obvious from the name -- it's a pool hall. :)
The bar area is semi-partitioned away from the area with the pool tables. It's not a huge pool hall, just 3 or 4 tables. There's also a stage area in one of the corners towards the front of the building.
We ended up shooting a game here, and I played the worst game of my life. I didn't sink even one ball at all.
Kelly's Pub (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1415 Frederick Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 390-9999
We started out about to go the the Frederick Inn, but when we looked inside we decided it looked too formal and nice for people as lit as we were getting to drop in. :) But we saw Kelly's Pub down the road and walked down there instead.
B had a Venom energy drink, while I had a Guinness.
We played Golden Tee here. By this point we weren't paying any attention to scores at all, I have no idea how either of us did. :)
The exterior photo shown on this entry was taken on a re-visit in September 2011, my original photo was too blurry.
Norty's Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1117 Frederick Avenue
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-9043
http://nortysbar.com/ This is the second location for Norty's. It used to be located on Messanie, but it burned down in 2007.
We played Golden Tee here. I, at least, played quite badly, perhaps my worst game ever. This is evident in my third photo below. :)
In addition to the two main rooms of the bar, there's also a really nice rooftop deck.
Additional photos from another visit in September 2011. By the way, the food here is great! (Oh, and I redeemed myself on Golden Tee.)
Long Branch Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1111 Frederick Ave
St. Joseph, MO 64501
816-279-4645
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Longbranch-Tavern/195410287138142 As expected from the outside appearance, this was a good old-school dive. There were two rooms, with the smaller side room containing pool tables.
We were getting full at this point so settled on shots. Unable to make up our own minds, the bartender served us Hot Damn.
There was a guy passed out at the end of the bar, you can see him in the first photo below. We were asked to be very careful not to wake him. :) That's his scooter next to the pool table in the other photo.
Foster's (Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]726 Felix Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-4400
http://fostersmartinibar.com/ Fosters is a martini & wine bar primarily. We got here pretty late and they were preparing to close.
The bartender only served us because we were walking, which I appreciated. :) We had Jim Beam shots.
Rendezvous Bar & Grill (Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]619 Felix Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-9105
This dive is located a block down the street from Foster's. Another responsible bartender working here. :) B had water while I had a gin & tonic.
Shaft Nightclub (Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]615 Felix Street
St. Joseph, MO 64501
(816) 364-2625
My exterior photo did not turn out, so I stole this photo from Google Street View. :)
This is technically a gay bar, but other than the dancers in a back this seemed more like an all-are-welcome type of place. Similar to Balanca's or The View back home.
There was a cover charge, but it was only a buck so I went ahead and paid. The drink was a mystery shot, something minty tasting. We chatted with a middle-aged couple standing at one of the tables.
Hammerjack's Rock'n'Roll Sports Bar (Downtown, St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]512 Felix St
St. Joseph, MO 64501
816-617-6668
http://www.facebook.com/people/Hammerjacks-St-Joe/1260534725 I wasn't planning on coming here, but for some reason we would up here instead of the more-our-speed Felix Street Pub. It was now just about "last call" time, so this would be the final bar of the day.
This is a rock-and-roll dance club. The bar runs down one side, while the stage and dance floor are on the other side. There was no cover, though i don't know if that's normally the case or if it was just because we were there so late.
Bullseye Bar (Lee's Summit, MO) [see details ]1169 Northeast Rice Road
Lee's Summit, MO 64086
(816) 525-4641
http://bullseyebar.com/ Your basic strip mall sports bar, with pool tables and several dart boards. Some of the signs say "Bar and Deli", I didn't see a menu but there was a small kitchen and it looked like they were doing a little bit of cooking back there.
I was here for karaoke and had a pretty good time. It was busy but never felt crowded, and all of the staff (including the bouncer) were courteous and friendly.
Uncle D's Sports Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]621 South 36th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64507
(816) 279-9389
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncle-Ds-Sports-bar/56208679500 Just barely off the beaten path, this is a pretty good sports bar that was pretty busy with people watching college football.
This place is much bigger than it looks. The horseshoe shaped bar appears to be in the middle of the back wall, but continuing down a narrow corridor past the bar reveals another seating area in the bar back.
There's a full kitchen, pool tables, darts, Golden Tee, a hunting game, at flatscreen TVs galore. If you're there with a few friends, enjoy the beer towers!
Hammer Heads (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]1310 South Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO 64507
(816) 364-9007
This was a fantastic little bar located right on one of the busiest corners in St. Joseph.
The U-shaped bar takes up most of the cozy main room, with a few round tables along the windows. A secondary room a few steps down has a pool table and a few more round tables.
There's a snack machine in one corner, and Golden Tee in another.
Our bartender was a very friendly woman whose sister owns the bar. She was a big part of what made this the best find of the day. Their family has owned this bar since 1998.
Tuck's Bar (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]210 North Belt Hwy
St. Joseph, MO 64506
(816) 364-9805
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tucks-Bar/100000000037122 This was a bonus, unexpected find.
Tuck's Bar is a biker-friendly bar attached to the front of
Belt Bowl . It has pool tables, several TVs, a foosball table, and a patio out front.
We sat at the short, angular bar and watched the first half hour or so of "Angels and Demons" with the bartender.
Last Call Bar & Grill (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2316 North Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO 64506
816-233-0123
http://www.lastcallbar.com/ Big biker park, taking up about half of an old strip mall. It's really not that visible from the street, so you have to know it's there to find it.
The J-shaped bar sits in the middle of the back wall, and numerous tables and pool tables fill the vast space. The band area is on the east end of the bar.
Other entertainment includes darts, a punching game, Silver Strike, a South Park pinball game, and huge TVs. Kurt played pinball while I played Silver Strike.
Neighborhood Tavern (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2112 South 10th Street
St. Joseph, MO 64503
(816) 232-8060
Unlike most of the other bars in this part of town that open bright and early, Neighborhood Tavern doesn't open until 2:00. As a result I missed it the last time I was in town back in July. But this time I knew when it opened and was able to stop by later in the day.
What I love about these really-old bars in old parts of town is that, no matter what the exterior may look like, inside there is often hidden beauty. And such is the case here.
The bar makes full use of the building's first floor (the second floor is living space). The floor is hardwood, the ceiling is the building's original ornate tile. All of the woodwork inside the bar is breathtaking and well-maintained.
There's pool tables, a jukebox, darts, Silver Strike (which was being played by an amusingly enthusiastic old man), and a very small stage/DJ area behind a rail in one of the front windows. Over my table was a disco ball, which was plugged in and had a spotlight aimed at it, so obviously the area in which I was sitting gets turned into a dance floor from time to time. The bartender was very friendly, too.
This was obviously truly a "Neighborhood" tavern, as there were only a few cars here yet a couple dozen people inside.
Cagney's (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]Wiley's Lounge (St. Joseph, MO) [see details ]2602 N Belt Hwy
St. Joseph, MO 64506
(816) 364-9276
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Wileys-Lounge/116513075094002 Wiley's Pub is a converted Pizza Hut (I've been to quite a few converted Pizza Hut bars) whose front patio is almost as big as the interior space itself. :)
The bar is U-shaped and juts into the area where the salad bar would once have been. The remaining space is filled mainly by the pool table, with room for a few small tables around it.
The bar had about 8 guys in it who were disinterestedly watching a college football game while waiting for the rain delay of the Royals game they were more interested in to end.
W.F. Cody's (Springfield, MO) [see details ]Ebbets Field (Springfield, MO) [see details ]1027 E Walnut St
Springfield, MO 65806
(417) 865-5050
I'm amazed I was able to find this place later to add it to this list! We were visiting a friend who was driving us a crazy, convoluted route. It was night, it was pouring down torrential rain, we had to take a crazy back way in due to streets being closed for some sort of cider festival, and then we had to run in the rain to go in a back stairs entrance.
Once inside and I got a look around I was able to figure out we were inside some sort of converted old house (which is blurred out in Google Street View for some reason). The place was packed with college students, which surprised our friend. "Usually it's much older people in here," he said, "But then again I'm usually in here during the daytime on weekdays, not on a Saturday night," he laughed.
We shared a pitcher of a local brew and chatted for a while with a couple of the employees until closing time.
Here's a better picture, this one of the front, stolen from
Yelp ...
VFW Post 9997 (Sheffield, Kansas City, MO) [see details ]6801 Wilson Avenue
Kansas City, MO 64125
(816) 231-9932
http://vfwwebcom.org/mo/post9997 I've known about this VFW for a couple of years, and chose this year's Veterans Day (11/11/11) to pay it a visit.
This was a really friendly dive bar, and I was welcomed in. There was a Veterans Day buffet taking place. From what I can tell, despite its remote and sketchy location (it's next to a huge tire dump), this VFW is very active in the community.
Apart from the bar (which only has Budweiser on tap but has several other domestics in cans and bottles), there's a pool table, a juke box, lottery tickets, Silver Strike, and a MegaTouch game. In the back there is a banquet/reception hall.
As is customary when I am able to get to a VFW or American Legion on November 11, I bought a round for the bar and shook the hands of several veterans before leaving.
DRB's at Diversy River Bowl (Logan Square, Chicago, IL) [see details ]Crossroads Public House (Lincoln Park, Chicago, IL) [see details ]2630 N Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-248-3900
http://www.crossroadspublichouse.com Stopped in here around 1am after the LebowskiFest and a subsequent driving tour of the city. Our local friend knows the owner, but the other wasn't here tonight. We spent about an hour and a half here enjoying good late night food, a few pitchers of beer, and several shots.
A giant Jenga game near the front door caught our interest. I hearly bumped it walking past while several twentysomethings were playing. (Our table of late 30s/early 40s was by far the oldest group in here.)
Recovery Room (Cape Girardeau, MO) [see details ]1611 Independence Street
Cape Girardeau, MO 63703
(573) 335-9750
I've been wanting to check this place out for a couple of years, but I kept getting scared off. I don't know if it's the location (it shares a small building with a check cashing place in a run-down part of town), the heavily tinted windows, or what it is. But I kept getting a bad feeling and driving on.
Finally, today, after 4 drive-bys working up the nerve, I parked and went inside.
What I found was a nice little dive bar full of very friendly and polite people, and a very pleasant bartender.
The wall behind the slightly-curved bar is plastered with yellowed old dollar bills. Three cafeteria-style tables provide overflow/group seating. Just beyond the pool table was a buffet table with several simmering crock pots. The remainder of the small, smoky space is occupied by a juke box and a couple of video poker machines.
I heard that they sometimes have a band in, though the space is so small I can't possibly imagine where they would set up. :)
The Roundabout (Chaffee, MO) [see details ](Formerly
Curve Inn )
12236 MO-25
Chaffee, MO 63740
This is a brand new bar & grill that opened within the past couple of months at the site of a recently-built roundabout. The bar is located in what appears to be a converted house that was formerly known as the Curve Inn.
The bar is situated smack in the middle, facing the kitchen where burgers, fish sandwiches, stew, fried bologna sandwiches, and other quick items are cooked all day. The food seemed especially popular during my visit.
To the left of the bar is a side room full of fast-food style booths, to the right of the bar is another seating area with bar tables. Behind that area was a game room through which the single restroom is accessible. I meant to check out the game room before leaving but I forgot, so I didn't see what all was back there.
It looked like beer and liquor selection was limited, but probably sufficient for the needs of most.
At this time there isn't a lot of decor and the walls are largely barren, but I imagine that will change over the coming months.
Sandy's Toddle Inn (Downtown, Chaffee, MO) [see details ]105 W. Yoakum Ave
Chaffee, MO 63740
(573) 887-6077
I very rarely see a bar that has a big "Stag" sign out front. Little did I realize this would be the first of two for me today. :)
Toddle Inn is a charming little bar with beautiful woodwork. The bar was all decked out for Christmas, including a big tree and a display of miniature houses behind the bar. In the far back by the restrooms is a pinball machine. As I drank my beer a little dog paced back and forth by my feet, protecting its rawhide chew.
If you look closely, you can see my face reflected in Old Glory.
The men's room has an odd configuration. Just inside the door is a trough urinal... barely. It's almost too small to be a trough. It might be usable by two very thin fellas or by conjoined twins. For a big guy like me it was more like a large urinal. Thanks to an inappropriately placed mirror that I'm sure has created more than one awkward/uncomfortable situation, I was able to take this photo of the entire restroom. (The sink is a communal sink out by the pinball machine.)
As it turns out, I came to the wrong bar AND missed 2 other bars in this town. I was actually looking for a place called "Frisco's" that I discovered later was another block down the street. I thought this was that place and that it just had a new name. In addition, had I gone around the corner, I'd have found another place called "Big E's". But that's OK, I'll be back in this area soon enough.
Kelseys Tavern (Oran, MO) [see details ]8317 MO-77
Oran, MO 63771
(573) 262-3411
There's at least 2 bars in this town, but this was the only one I found find that was open. I actually wasn't sure where this was located and I came into down from the wrong end to find it along my route, but I put my BARDAR to use and found it right where I figured the most likely location would be.
This bar is in a concerted house that has been entirely opened up. It's very run down, but it has a lot of character and is populated by friendly people.
There's at least 3 pool tables, video poker machines, and a large TV that isn't viisible if you're sitting at the bar.
Sportsman's Lounge (Advance, MO) [see details ]32871 MO-25
Advance, MO 63730
(573) 722-3114
I knew this bar existed, but on previous visits to this town I had been unable to find it. This time I finally figured it out, discovering that the town continues a little further south than I previously thought it did.
The U-shaped bar sits right in the center. There's a pool table on either side, video poker, and a grill. I'm told by several people (outside of this visit) that the best burgers in down are found here.
Though you can't see it in the photos, this was the second bar today that had a big "Stag" sign out front. I don't see that often at all, so two in one day was pretty amazing to me.
Rustic Lodge (Zalma, MO) [see details ]HC 2 Box 107, MO-51
Zalma, MO 63787
(573) 722-5131
Afiliated with Modern Day Veterans Chapter 207, Rustic Lodge (aka "The Rustic") is a long-time Zalma institution and a regional draw, pulling in regulars from towns in a couple dozen miles radius. It's known for quirky activities such as mud races and chicken poop bingo, as well as hosting bands that draw crowds numbering near a thousand.
The original bar burned down in 2009 from careless smoking in the women's restroom, the current building was built quickly afterwards.
The interior of the bar is huge, with ample seating for large crowds. There's pool tables, darts, a stage, and a menu of very cheaply-priced food.
The bar's location can occasionally cause some trouble. It sits just north of the city limits, nestled by a creek that often floods and blocks access. It is hidden from view down a curved gravel road at the end of a one-lane bridge. At night there is no light at all and there have been accidents involving people leaving and attempting to make the sharp turn onto the bridge so use caution.
Silky O'Sullivan's (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]183 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
901-522-9596
http://silkyosullivans.com/ Big Irish bar with a large beer selection and a comprehensive menu. The long bar runs most of the length of the main room, with numerous tables between the bar and the stage. Live entertainment is a regular fixture.
There's also a gigantic semi-covered patio outdoors, which features its own live entertainment when weather permits.
Club 152 (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]152 Beale St.
Memphis, TN 38103
901-544-7011
http://club152memphis.com/ We came in here because a band was playing, the band went on break right as we ordered our drinks. Our luck. :)
I failed to notice that this club actually has 3 levels, though business was slow the night I visited so it's likely the other floors were closed off.
The bartender was a really nice guy and very helpful, but he kept disappearing. I can't blame him, though, there were only about 20-30 customers in the whole place. I don't know if it was the rain, the NBA lockout, or the economy in general but there were fewer than half as many people out an about than there were last year's Thanksgiving weekend.
Alfred's On Beale (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]197 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
901-525-3711
http://www.alfredsonbeale.com/ We were going to go all the way to the east end of Beale and work are way back, but it was pouring down rain so hard this was as far as we made it. :)
The weather + the economy were hitting Beale Street hard tonight. There were about 30 customers in here, all concentrated on one side of the bar. On the far opposite side, all by themselves, a band was playing that was actually rather good. We ended up sitting at a table near the stage. I felt kind of sorry for the band, I hope business picked up more later in the evening.
Rum Boogie Cafe (Downtown, Memphis, TN) [see details ]182 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103
901-528-0150
http://rumboogie.com/ Technically I had already been here a year ago, but it was only to use the restroom so I didn't count it. :)
Tonight there was the standard $5 cover, but as we were about to pay we were informed that the band had just gone on break. We decided to head next door to Mr. Handy's instead, where a band
was playing, and paid the cover there.
Once inside though we discovered the place packed -- too crowded to even stand. So we used the connecting door and headed back over to Rum Boogie after all (the cover applies to both places).
Rum Boogie Cafe wasn't near as busy as it was when we were hear last year, but it still had a decent crowd. The band finally took the stage about 20 minutes after our arrival, so we ended up staying here for a couple of rounds of drinks. We would like to have stayed longer, but the overpowering perfume of an older woman who arrived during our second round told us that it was time to move along.
Jesus Christ, boy…drink much, do ya?
Well, Ken, to put it in a bit of perspective, The Drum Room opened less than a year ago and it is #33 on the list. ;)
Umm. Buddies? Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
I was taken there by one of my friends… I was scared to go at first but once inside it it was really just a bar like any other.
Why did you go to buddies and side kicks….. r u gay?
What a lame question.
I went in because they were there and because they serve beer.
I don’t care about the format or typical clientelle of a bar at all. If it’s close to where I happen to be, serves beer at a reasonable price, and doesn’t have a cover change, I’ll drink there.
I think Matthew is homophobic… and probably 12.
By the way, nice line up.
I’ve been doing some updating, adding a few places I had forgotten, getting the order more accurate, and breaking it up by year.
One change I’ve made is to delete Taqueria Mexico from the list. Though I’ve had a beer there many times, I have never sat at the bar nor had a beer alone without a meal. Therefore in the spirit of my rules I cannot count it. Meanwhile I added in Marguerita’s in Gladstone, where I did sit at the bar and have a beer while waiting for my party to arrive.
ur highlarious :)
I cannot believe you ended up in New Cambria, MO of all places!
How did you go to over 400 bars in one year, more than one a day?
I’d like to join you on this quest of yours… And when Shavon gets here, she will join as well. She wants to find some good hole in the wall WINE places….Shes a Wino :)
Scooter come back and check out Pat’s Pub we have a hugh new patio in the back and live music and Karoke A bowling tournament on the video game wed. night
Check it out and ask for kim
You should check out JR’s Place in Olathe at the Great Mall. I didn’t see it on your list…yet
You have got to be kidding about Marfield’s.That is the best place in leavenworth..But after 400 bars I guess you were really drunk.I have worked there for over 5 years and I have never seen the tap broken at all..So I would like to invite you back for a real visit and not one when you come in hammered.I would also encourage to revise your posting.Thank you.
You do realize this list was compiled over many years and not all in one day, right? :) The day I went to Marfield’s it was one of the first places I went to that day, I was completely sober.
I don’t understand why you take offense, I don’t see where I said anything negative. I mentioned that we were confused because we were expecting a Mexican restaurant/bar based on the exterior and didn’t realize it was an Irish bar until we were inside. The only reason we didn’t eat was that we were craving Mexican food. :) And yes, the taps were down when we we arrived. This was an early afternoon. I don’t know what the problem was but they were working again just before we left. I was just amused about the glitch preventing me from getting a Guinness in an Irish bar.
I went ahead and added the word “temporarily” about the taps being down to the writeup, though. I also upped the star rating since it was just a minor glitch and a bartender was very friendly.
You really need to go back to Diagonal, Iowa and check out Boyer’s Bar. It’s right around the corner from G&L and they just remodeled the inside. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
Funny you say that, Drew. I’ll be making another trip to Iowa this summer and in doing my research I learned about the addition of Boyer’s Bar to Diagonal. I’ve been all through the MySpace page and if our route (which as not been determined yet) happens to take us near Diagonal we’ll definitely be stopping in. :)
How is it going having two bars so close together in such a small town? I kinda of get the impression they are different enough they can co-exist?
saw you visited a few bars in Leavenworth… you missed the best one—Ross’s 20th Street Bar and Grill.
Cold beer, great bar food, best looking bar tenders in town.
a really good neighborhood sports bar.
Stop in next time you’re close to Leavenworth.
C
hey! i like this site. are you done updating or are you still reviewing bars?
I have just opened a very cool new place at Exit 54 across from Worlds of Fun called Harley’s & Horses. It’s so cool and different for me because it’s all rock (new and classic and 80’s) and Blues and the food is amazing. Beautiful girls and bikers and hard workin’ truck drivin’ blue collar good old folks.
You would LOVE it!
Come see Scoot!
Thanks
Deb
Yes I’m still updating. Excluding national chains, extremely private clubs, hotel bars, casino bars, and places that are primarily restaurants, there are currently about 700 bars in the greater KC region. I’ve been to 305 of them. (Plus several more that no longer exist.) Of those that remain, I have identified 289 that I’m willing to visit. (I’ve excluded upscale lounges, upscale restaurant bars, private places I have no hope of talking my way into, strip clubs, and places that are primarily dance clubs.) Both of the bars mentioned in the previous two comments are on that list of 289 so I hope to make my way around them soon! :)
But first I have to head southeast to the town of East Lynne, MO, where I have found a bar that appears to be located in a converted church. You don’t see that every day!
A kindred spirit i dont like to go to the same place twice or sit for more than one beer unless somthing has cought my eye… hope one day to run into you and give a cheers up then hop our own ways. lol my stuff is on facebook and I wish I could run a web site from the blackberry (not that good at it) instead I just upload unorganized adventures as I go in pictures. I am half way inspierd to type out my stuff now. If only I could spell.
hey just found your site. very cool. it is something i have longed to do. and with any luck possibly get paid for it. cool stuff and thank you for stopping in 2 of my 4 places in grand island, ne. the wave pizza co and j alfred prufrock’s.
remember you only have one liver, so liver up. cheers
Scoot:
Just to update you - the Wild Stallion Saloon, 925 E. 24 Hwy, Independence, MO 64050 is under new ownership.
Come one, come all and check out the bar. We would love to see you.
Ron Woolery
Owner
816-833-0123
you should do a mid-missouri weekend. stay in columbia and drive around to all the towns around there - jeff city, fulton, centralia, etc.
Nice to see someone with similar tastes as myself. Keep up the good work. The 1000th bar will be quite the accomplishment.
I really like your site and reviews. Is there any way to flag or filter a list of all the karaoke bars?
I had to LOL when I saw that Scooter was in fact “Scoot” I was a little shocked to see Ken’s glaring eye staring at me under comments.
However, wondering if in all your bar travels you have come across a place that would be appropriate to take a minor to sing karaoke. Early of coarse. Any ideas?
If in the neighborhood, a few St. Louis dive bar suggestions…
Tims Chrome Bar
Rosies Place
Colorado Bobs Ship of Fools
Hey Scooter!
I’d like to invite you to come have a drink at The Eagles club (#385) in Independence. 1210 E US Highway 24. Good beer on tap, cheap prices, Wednesday Bike Nights, Friday Karaoke 8 pm - midnight.
I see you visited an Eagles club in Iowa. Like all Eagles, ours is a private club, but… just stroll in like you know what you are doing!
Freddie - I used to flag that, but since it changes so often it just became too hard to keep track of. :(
Brooke - I emailed you privately.
Ron - Thanks for the invite! I’ve actually considered it several times but been too nervous about not getting let in. I’ll definitely stop by next time I’m on East 24!
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