32. Drum Room (Power & Light District, 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.
33. AmeriSports Brew Pub (Ameristar Casino, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
34. Chili's Grill & Bar (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
35. 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.
36. 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.
37. Dirk's Sports Bar & Grill (Barry, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
38. 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
39. 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.
40. 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.
41. 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.
42. 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
43. Pat's Pub (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]1315 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-8752
http://patspubnkc.com/Nice little working class dive bar. Recently added live music and karaoke. Now has a patio out back. Open M-F and alternate Saturday days. (Other Saturdays are available for private parties.) Kitchen open until 10pm.
44. Bar 12 (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]
45. River City Tavern (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]1229 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
Tiny working class dive bar, the southernmost in North Kansas City's Swift Avenue dive bar row.
46. The Bar (Chouteau, Kansas City, MO) [see details]3904 N Chouteau Trfy
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 453-5911
Working class bar by day, younger Italian hangout at night.
47. 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.
48. Depot Saloon (Avondale, MO) [see details]2706 N Bell St
Avondale, MO 64117
(816) 452-2100
The only bar in the hidden town of Avondale, MO.
49. River Aces Lounge (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]1800 Swift Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 474-4210
Cheap pitchers, billiards, karaoke. One of the busiest bars in North Kansas City.
50. Vivace (River Market, Kansas City, MO) [see details]529 Walnut St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 527-0999
http://www.kcvivace.comFamous for its ice bar. Bar open until 3am.
Update: As of being reincarnated as Thirsty's, the ice bar gimmick is gone.
51. Dos Hombres (River Market, 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.
52. 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.
53. Grand Saloon (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details]927 E 85th St
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 333-1750
Decent menu, sometimes offeres a free BBQ on the weekend, karaoke.
54. 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)
55. 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.
56. Murphy's Pub and Grill (South Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details](Formerly
Jake's Smokehouse Bar & Grill)
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 parook of some Guinness.
57. 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.
58. 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!
59. 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.
60. 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.
61. 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.
62. 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
Was a classic dive bar, cheap beer, small tables, fun.
Has been renovated and transformed into an upscale bars and restaurant. New patio in front, garage door front entry, new decor, and a considerably expanded selection.
63. 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!
64. Tanner's Bar & Grill (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
65. Governor Stumpy's Grillhouse (Waldo, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
66. 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 wans to be a bar with a restaurant or a retaurant with a bar. Currently it's leaning more towards the latter.
67. Brooksider Bar & Grill (Brookside, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
68. 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
69. Tomfooleries (Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
70. 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.
71. 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 builsings in KC (if not THE oldest). Opens at 8:30am and popular among all demographics. Big place with pizza shop in the back.
72. 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 swalled by Jazz, the restaurantabove 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.
73. D B 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 biliards
74. 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!
75. 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.
76. The New Point (West Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
77. 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.
78. Dark Horse Tavern (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
79. Harpo's Restaurant Bar (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.
80. 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.
81. 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.
82. Side Kicks Saloon (Midtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
83. 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. ;)
84. Lava Room (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details]3810 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 561-5282
Nice, laid-back, relaxing lounge.
85. 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.
86. Caddy Shack (Columbus Park, 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.
87. Red Front Bar & Grill (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]310 Admiral Blvd
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 472-0569
http://www.myspace.com/redfrontkcFrom 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.
88. 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
89. The Stables (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]813 Walnut St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 842-2016
Recently renovated, the bar features a country-western d�cor and a jukebox playing '50s rock. Food is served at lunchtime.
This is the only bar in downtown Kansas City that is closed on Saturdays.
UPDATE: Looks like as of mid-2009 they are now open Saturdays!
90. 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
91. Zoo Bar (Arena District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1220 Mcgee St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 842-6060
http://www.myspace.com/kczoobarZoo 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.
92. Grinders (East Crossroads, 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.
93. The Brick (East Crossroads, 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.
94. Cigar Box (East Crossroads, 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.
95. J P Wine Bar (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
96. Screenland Theatre bar (West Side, 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.
97. P R's Place (West Side, 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.
98. John's Big Deck (Library District, 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.
99. Ponak's Mexican Kitchen (West Side, 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.
100. 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.
101. 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.
102. 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.
103. 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/124837987532563We 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.
104. 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.
105. 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 our 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.
106. 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.
107. 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 Darelene'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
108. 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.
109. 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.
110. 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.
111. Elms Club (Creston, IA) [see details]
112. 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.
113. 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.
114. 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.
115. 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.
116. 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=64698756Everything 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.
117. 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'."
118. 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.
119. 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.
120. 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. :)
121. Rookie's (Clear Lake, IA) [see details]
122. Other Place (Clear Lake, IA) [see details]200 US Highway 18 W
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-8118
http://www.theotherplace.comThis 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.
123. 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.
124. 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.
125. 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. :(
126. 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.
127. Players Sports Bar & Dance (Clear Lake, IA) [see details]1210 S Shore Dr
Clear Lake, IA 50428
(641) 357-0901
128. Willow Run Lounge (Mason City, IA) [see details]2821 4th St SW
Mason City, IA 50401
(641) 423-9709
129. 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.)
130. 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. :)
131. 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. :)
132. 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.
133. 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.
134. 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
135. 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.
136. 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.
137. 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.
138. 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.
139. 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.
140. 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.
141. 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.
142. C C Club (Uptown, Minneapolis, MN) [see details]2600 Lyndale Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
(612) 874-7226
http://www.myspace.com/theccclubI'm surprised we even stopped considering how hard it was to get here. We had to keeep circling around because we couldn't make the turn at first and then couldn't find a place to park.
143. 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.
144. 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.
145. 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".
146. 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.
147. Mackenzie (Warehouse District, 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.
148. The Saloon (Warehouse District, 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".
149. O'Donovan's Irish Pub (Warehouse District, 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.
150. Champps Sports Bar & Cafe (Warehouse District, 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.
151. Loon Cafe (Warehouse District, 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.
152. Brothers (Warehouse District, 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.
153. Pizza Luce' Downtown (Warehouse District, 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.
154. Sawatdee Bar & Cafe (Warehouse District, 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.
155. New City (Warehouse District, Minneapolis, MN) [see details]
156. Brass Rail (Warehouse District, 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.
157. 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!
158. 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.
159. 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.
160. 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_9S5XDIoyENMOZxNYBA 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.
161. 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!
162. 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.
163. 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.
164. 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.
165. 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=26159041978This 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. :)
166. Stasiu's (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details]2500 University Ave NE
Minneapolis, MN 55418
(612) 788-2529
http://www.myspace.com/stasiusplaceHome 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.
167. 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/280402075591They 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.
168. 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.
169. 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.
170. 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.
171. 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.
172. 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.
173. Broadway Pizza (Nord East, Minneapolis, MN) [see details]
174. 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.
175. 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.
176. Bar At Times Square (The Strip, Las Vegas, NV) [see details]
177. Sand Trap Bar & Grill (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details]13037 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64145
(816) 942-0990
178. 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.
179. 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. Turnover is pretty high here.
180. Bogey's Bar & Grill (Leawood, KS) [see details]12924 State Line Rd
Leawood, KS 66209
(913) 491-4664
181. Billy B's Restaurant & Bar (South KC, Kansas City, MO) [see details]9922 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 943-1188
182. Creekside Pub & Grille (Kansas City, MO) [see details]9916 Holmes Rd
Kansas City, MO 64131
(816) 941-4014
183. Ugly Joe's (Dallas, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
184. 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.
185. Cuzzins Pub & Grill (Raytown, MO) [see details]9315 E State Route 350
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 353-4242
186. Hangout (Raytown, MO) [see details]10002 E 63rd Ter
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-8566
187. Spanky's Lounge (Raytown, MO) [see details]5230 Blue Ridge Blvd
Raytown, MO 64133
(816) 737-1620
188. 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:
189. What's Happen'n Lounge (Marlborough, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
190. 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.
191. 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.
192. 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.
193. 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.
194. 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.
195. Fitz's Blarney Stone (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details]3801 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64111
(816) 753-4949
196. Willlie's Pub (Arena District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
197. Tomfooleries Restaurant & Bar (Zona Rosa, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
198. Margarita's North (Gladstone, MO) [see details]
199. Fred P Ott's (Central Business District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
200. Bar (Old Town, Lenexa, KS) [see details]
201. 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.
202. 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.
203. Red Balloon (Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]10325 W 75th St
Shawnee Mission, KS 66214
(913) 962-2330
The infamous karaoke bar
204. 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.
205. Roxy (Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]7230 W 75th St
Shawnee Mission, 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. :)
206. 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.
207. Retro Bowl (Liberty, MO) [see details]906 W Liberty Dr
Liberty, MO 64068
(816) 781-1998
Bowling alley bar
208. 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.
209. 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.
210. Pub House (Liberty, MO) [see details]
211. Stardust Club (Central, Kansas City, KS) [see details]1809 Minnesota Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 281-4410
212. Uno Chicago Grill (Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
213. 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/Nice working class / neighborhood bar with good food served late
214. Denim & Diamonds (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]
215. Other Place (Downtown, Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]
216. Maloney's Bar and Grill (Downtown, Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]
217. Peanut On 76 (Downtown, Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]
218. 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.
219. Arizonas Sports Bar & Grill (Overland Park, KS) [see details]9617 W 87th St
Overland Park, KS 66212
(913) 341-2000
220. Jake's Place (Shawnee, KS) [see details]
221. Danally's Bar & Grill (Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]6022 Nieman Rd
Shawnee Mission, KS 66203
(913) 248-1757
This is one of B's favorite places.
222. Court Of aPpealS Pub and Grub (Downtown, Shawnee, KS) [see details]
223. Mc Coy's Public House & Brew (Westport, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
224. 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
225. Anthony's Restaurant & Lounge (North Loop, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
226. 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.
227. Oak Tree Restaurant & Lounge (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]220 E 20th Ave
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 474-9924
228. 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.
229. 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.
Large bottled beer selection.
230. Paul & Jack's Tavern (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]
231. Helen's Just Another Dive (North Kansas City, MO) [see details]2002 Armour Rd
North Kansas City, MO 64116
(816) 471-8715
232. Marci's Lounge (Antioch/Vivion, Kansas City, MO) [see details]2631 NE Vivion Rd
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 452-0103
The photo is of the front, but the real action is around back at the downstairs entrance. An awesome dive lounge.
233. 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 monastary for bikers.
234. Hot Shots (Claycomo, MO) [see details](Formerly
Charlie's Cue Ball Lounge)
8118 NE US Hwy 69
Claycomo, MO 64068
235. 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/The people here were very friendly and welcoming. We were startled by the presence of a woman in the men's room...
236. Bojo's Bar & Grill (Antioch, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
237. 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.
238. 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.
239. Jerry's Bait Shop (Old Town, Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]
240. Blue (Old Town, Lenexa, KS) [see details]13424 Santa Fe Trail Dr
Lenexa, KS 66215
241. Cashew (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
242. Sharp's 63rd St Grill (Brookside, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
243. Jardine's Restaurant (Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
244. Embassy (Midtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
245. Manny's Restaurant (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
246. Bar Natasha (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1911 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 472-5300
247. Askew Inn (Scarritt Pointe, Kansas City, MO) [see details]3600 Independence Ave
Kansas City, MO 64124
(816) 231-0526
248. 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.
249. Helen's Hilltop (Tonganoxie, KS) [see details]19611 Mclouth Rd
Tonganoxie, KS 66086
(913) 369-3772
B had a Bud Light, I had a Miller Lite. 16 oz draws were $2.25 each.
250. 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.
251. 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.
252. 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. :)
253. 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.
254. Rambler's Steakhouse & Saloon (Wamego, KS) [see details]404 Elm St
Wamego, KS 66547
(785) 456-7402
http://www.rcmcgraws.com/ramblers.htmlWe 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.
255. 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.
256. 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.
257. 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 bary, 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.
258. 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.)
259. 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. ;)
260. 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.
261. 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.
262. 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.
263. 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.
264. 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 seen in the 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.
265. 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.
266. 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 cheesey.
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 pieeces 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.
267. 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.)
268. 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.
269. 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/thebluegoatA 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 accidently knocked him down. B helped him right himself and apoligized 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.
270. 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.
271. Comedy City (Columbus Park, 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.
272. 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.
273. Antoinette's Lounge (N. Brighton, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
274. Bama's (N. Brighton, Kansas City, MO) [see details]5044 NE Parvin Rd
Kansas City, MO 64117
(816) 455-6000
Pizza place / bar
275. 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.
276. 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.
277. The Office (Gladstone, MO) [see details]
278. Hide Out Bar & Grill (Gladstone, MO) [see details]6948 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 468-0550
http://www.myspace.com/frankgabelAs 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.
279. Mark & Michelle's Bar & Grill (Gladstone, MO) [see details]7102 N Oak Trfy
Gladstone, MO 64118
(816) 436-6600
280. 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.
281. O'Dowd's Irish Pub (Zona Rosa, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
282. 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.
283. 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.
284. 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.
285. Snappy's (Trenton, MO) [see details]201 W 10th St
Trenton, MO 64683
(660) 359-6224
http://www.myspace.com/snappys666When 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.
286. 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.
287. 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.
288. 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.
289. 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.
290. 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.
291. 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.
292. 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. :)
293. 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.
294. 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
295. 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.
296. 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.
297. 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.
298. 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.
299. 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.
300. 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.
301. 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.
302. 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.
303. 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.
304. 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.
305. 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.
306. 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".
307. 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.
308. Tom Tom Tap (Ottumwa, IA) [see details]107 E 2nd St
Ottumwa, IA 52501
(641) 682-8051
http://www.hotelottumwa.com/tomtom.htmHotel 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 forcced 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.
309. 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=265317835B: 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.
310. 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.
311. 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.
312. 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??? :)
313. 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.
314. 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.
315. 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.
316. 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
317. The Locker Room (Kirksville, MO) [see details]106 S Elson St
Kirksville, MO 63501
(660) 665-4448
http://www.myspace.com/kvlockerroomB: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
S: Bud Lite 10oz draw - $1.50
We watched a couple rounds of UFC with several other guys.
318. 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
319. 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
320. 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.
321. 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.
322. 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. :)
323. 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.
324. 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?
325. 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.
326. 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.
327. 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.
328. 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
329. 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.
330. 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.
331. 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.
332. 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.
333. 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.
334. 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.
335. 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.
336. 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. :)
337. 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.
338. 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.
339. 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.
340. 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.
341. 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.
342. Frankie D's (Muncie, Kansas City, KS) [see details]6411 Kansas Ave
Kansas City, KS 66111
(913) 287-9134
Part bar, part Mexican restuarant.
343. 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...
344. 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.
345. 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. ;)
346. Cafe Al Dente (River Market, Kansas City, MO) [see details]412 Delaware St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 472-9444
Pizza/pasta joint with a small bar
347. Los Tules (West Side, 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
348. Paddy O'Quigleys Pub & Grille (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
349. Madrigall (East Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
350. Houlihan's Restaurant (Boardwalk, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
351. 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.
352. 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.
353. 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.
354. 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.
355. 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.
356. 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.
357. 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.
358. 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.
359. 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.
360. Dot Landers (Central, Kansas City, KS) [see details]1705 Central Ave
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 233-1872
361. Hideout Club (Central, 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.
362. Blue Rose (Central, 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.
363. Johnnie's Club (Strawberry Hill, 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.
364. Chicago's (Strawberry Hill, 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.
365. Sammy's Tavern (Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS) [see details]222 N 6th St
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 281-0184
366. Six-Ten Club (Strawberry Hill, Kansas City, KS) [see details]610 Reynolds Ave
Kansas City, KS 66101
(913) 342-6441
367. The View (Strawberry Hill, 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.
368. Jim Bob's Belly-Up Bar (Oceans of Fun, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
369. The Studio Restaurant & Bar (Arena District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
370. 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. :(
371. 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.
372. 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.
373. 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.
374. 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.
375. 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.
376. 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.
377. 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.
378. 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.
379. 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!
380. 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.
381. 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.
382. 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.
383. 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
384. 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:
385. 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!
386. 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.
387. 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.
388. 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.
389. 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.
390. Paradise Pointe Clubhouse Bar (Paradise Pointe, Smithville, MO) [see details]
391. 13th Street Bar & Grill (Arena District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]417 E 13th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 221-3313
Decent lunchtime bar & grill but no eevening 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.
392. McFadden's (Power & Light District, 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.
393. 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.
394. Brio Tuscan Grill (Country Club Plaza, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
395. 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.
396. 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.
397. 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.
398. 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.
399. Twin Stroke Bar & Grill (Blue Springs, MO) [see details]501 NW Vesper St
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(816) 224-6188
http://www.myspace.com/twinstrokeDespite how it looks in the photo, this place was pretty busy and we lucked into the last 3 open seats in the house.
400. 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...
401. 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.
402. Night Shades (Blue Springs, MO) [see details]1325 West 40 Highway
Blue Springs, MO 64105
(816)229-4548
http://www.myspace.com/night_shadesbsThis 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". :)
403. 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:
404. 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.
405. 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.
406. 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.
407. 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/dochollidaysbarandgrillJust 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.
408. 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.
409. 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.
410. 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.
411. 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.
412. 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
sure is great for Friday night business!
413. 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.
414. 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.
416. Martini Loft at The Aladdin (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1215 Wyandotte St
Kansas City, MO 64105
(816) 421-8888
http://tinyurl.com/4csq5eThe 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.
417. Tootsies (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1818 Main St
Kansas City, MO 64108
(816) 471-7704
http://www.myspace.com/tootsiesbarVisited 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.
418. Michael Smith's Restaurant (Crossroads, 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.
419. 1924 Main (Crossroads, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
420. Hereford House (Crossroads, 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.)
421. Balanca's (Crossroads, 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.
422. Blackjack Bar (Ameristar Casino, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
423. Boomer's Sports Bar (Purcell, OK) [see details]126 W Main St
Purcell, OK 73080
(405) 527-3404
424. Industry Bar (Dallas, TX) [see details]
425. Jake's Joint (Plano, TX) [see details]701 W Parker Rd
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 398-9900
Played a lot of trivia here
426. Austin Avenue Grill & Bar (Plano, TX) [see details]935 W Parker Rd # 410
Plano, TX 75023
(972) 422-8003
http://www.myspace.com/austinavenueHuge places divided into multiple rooms -- each room with its own format.
A private club to get around the local smoking ban. Membership was easy.
427. 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.
428. Flying Saucer (Addison, TX) [see details]
429. 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.
430. West End Pub (West End, Dallas, TX) [see details]
431. Cadillac Bar (West End, Dallas, TX) [see details]
432. 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.
433. Garozzo's Ristorante (Columbus Park, 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.
434. Old Chicago (Shawnee Mission, KS) [see details]
435. 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.
436. 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. :)
437. 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.
438. 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.
439. Wild Stallion Saloon (Independence, MO) [see details]1016 N Doris Ave
Independence, MO 64050
(816) 836-0123
440. 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!
441. 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:
442. 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.
443. 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.
444. 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:
445. 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...
446. 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.
447. 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:
448. 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.
449. 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.
450. 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.
451. 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.
452. 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:
453. 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!
454. 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.
455. 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.
456. 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.
457. 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.
458. 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.
459. 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=337049Mexican restaurant / burger joint / bar / dance
This place changes its name and format every few years but has always had the same owner.
460. Living Room Bar (Power & Light District, 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.
461. Crosstown Station (Arena District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
462. Flying Saucer (Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
463. Lucky Strike (Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
464. PBR Big Sky (Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
465. 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.
466. 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.
467. Twist (Crossroads, 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.
468. 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.
469. 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.
470. 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.
471. 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.
472. 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.
473. 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.
474. Wally's Neighborhood Bar-Grill (Gardner, KS) [see details]808 E Main St
Gardner, KS 66030
(913) 856-3885
Strip mall chain
475. 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.
476. Double Nickel Bar & Grill (Olathe, KS) [see details]189 S Rogers Rd # 1614
Olathe, KS 66062
(913) 782-4140
http://www.myspace.com/doubnick55I 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.
477. 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.
478. 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.
479. 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."
480. 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.
481. 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??
482. 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=404019096This 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."
"As for Area 51, if an alien didn't really crash there, then why won't the government let us all walk in and look around?"
"I'm just saying, this can't be the only planet out there. I mean, I'm not a religious man, but God is smarter than that."
483. 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.
484. 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.
485. 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.
486. 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!!
487. 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.
488. 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.
489. Camaro's Lounge (Bethany, MO) [see details]22208 E Us Highway 136
Bethany, MO 64424
(660) 425-6665
ur 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.
490. 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.
491. 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.
492. 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.
493. 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.
494. 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.
495. 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.
496. 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."
497. 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
498. 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.
499. 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. :)
500. 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.
501. 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.
502. 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.
503. Delaware Cafe (River Market, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
504. Indie on Main (Downtown, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1228 Main
Kansas City, MO 64105
http://midlandkc.com/indieonmain.phpFrom 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.
505. 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.
506. Blue Moose Bar & Grill (Prairie Village Shops, Prairie Village, KS) [see details]
507. RC's Restaurant & Lounge (Martin City, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
508. 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.
509. Jalisco (Indian Springs, Kansas City, KS) [see details]5000 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66102
(913) 287-6733
510. The Pendergast Club (Garment District, 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.
511. 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.
512. 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.
513. 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. :)
514. 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.
515. 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.
516. 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.
517. 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.
518. 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.
519. Full Moon Bar & Grill (Vandalia, IL) [see details]
520. 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.
521. 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.
522. 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.
523. 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."
524. 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.
525. 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.
526. Big Mike's (Heath, OH) [see details]733 Hebron Rd
Heath, OH 43056
http://www.myspace.com/bigmikespubFormerly 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.
527. Somewhere Else (Newark, OH) [see details]
528. Tristan's (Newark, OH) [see details]
529. 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.
530. 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.
532. Bo Ling's (River Market, Kansas City, MO) [see details]20 E 5th St
Kansas City, MO 64106
(816) 423-8036
http://www.bolings.comUpscale 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. :)
533. Le Fou Frog (River Market, 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. :)
534. The Phoenix (Garment District, 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.
535. Crowne Plaza Hotel Bar (Convention District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]
536. 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.
537. 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.
538. 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.
539. 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.
540. 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.
541. 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:
542. 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.
543. 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.
544. High Noon Saloon & Brewery (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details]206 Choctaw St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 682-4876
thehighnoon.comThis 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.
545. 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.
546. Sweetwoods Bar & Grille (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details]325 Delaware St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 680-1670
sweetwoodsonline.comThis 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.
547. Fatheads Irish Pub (Downtown, Leavenworth, KS) [see details]327 Delaware St
Leavenworth, KS 66048
(913) 651-1006
myspace.com/fatheadsirishpubThis 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.
548. 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.
549. 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.
550. 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.
551. 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.
552. 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.
553. Brass Rail (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details]4940 NE 81st St
Kansas City, MO 64119
(816) 468-6100
brassrailkc.comThis 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. :)
554. The Marquee (Power & Light District, Kansas City, MO) [see details]1400 Main
Kansas City, MO 64105
816-474-4545
http://themarqueekc.comThe 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.
555. 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.
556. Brock's Bar & Grill (Northland, Kansas City, MO) [see details]6541 N Cosby Ave
Kansas City, MO 64151
(816) 741-0410
http://www.brocksbar.comNice 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.
557. 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.
558. 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.
559. 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.
560. 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!
561. 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.
562. 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.
563. 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.
564. 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.
565. 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!
566. 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.
567. 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.
568. 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.
569. 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.""
570. 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.
571. Bulldog's Bar & Grill (Murdock, NE) [see details]301 Nebraska St
Murdock, NE 68407
(402) 867-9191
http://www.myspace.com/bulldogsmurdockWe 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.
572. One Eyed Dog Saloon (Eagle, NE) [see details]540 S 4th St
Eagle, NE 68347
(402) 781-2739
http://oneeyeddogsaloon.comBiker 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.
573. 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.)
574. 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.
575. The Keg (Woods Park, Lincoln, NE) [see details]104 N 20th St
Lincoln, NE 68503
(402) 474-9395
http://kegsteakhouse.comThere 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.
576. 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.
577. The Spigot (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details]1624 O St
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 435-4582
http://thespigotlounge.comThere 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?
578. 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.
579. 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.
580. Bison Witches Bar & Deli (Downtown, Lincoln, NE) [see details]1320 P St # 100
Lincoln, NE 68508
(402) 474-3366
http://bisonwitches.comIt 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.
581. Merle's Food & Drink (Emerald, Lincoln, NE) [see details]8250 W O St
Lincoln, NE 68528
(402) 474-6435
http://merlesfoodanddrink.comI 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.
582. 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.
583. 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.
584. 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”.
585. 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.
586. 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!
587. 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.
588. Hunters Restaurant Lounge (Waco, NE) [see details]311 Midland St
Waco, NE 68460
(402) 728-5613
http://thehuntersrestaurant.comThis 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.
589. 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.
590. 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.
591. 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.
592. 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.
593. 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.
594. 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.
595. 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.
596. 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!
597. 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.
598. 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.
599. 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.
600. 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.
601. 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.
602. 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.
603. 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.
604. Shelby Hotel (Shelby, NE) [see details]240 N Walnut
Shelby, NE 68662
402-527-5457
http://www.myspace.com/shelbyhotelI 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.
605. 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).
606. 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.
607. 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.
608. 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.
609. 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.
610. Gottberg Brew Pub (Downtown, Columbus, NE) [see details]2804 13th St
Columbus, NE 68601
(402) 562-6488
http://dustersrestaurant.comWe 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?
611. 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.
612. 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.)
613. 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.
614. 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.
615. 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.
616. 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.
617. 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.
618. Franky & Oly's (Fremont, NE) [see details]353 W 23rd St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 727-4119
619. 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.
620. 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.
621. J's Steakhouse (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details]406 N Main St # 1
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 727-6100
http://jssteakhouse.comThis 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.
622. Corner Bar (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details]
623. 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.
624. DJ's Bar & Grill (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details]
625. Remedy Lounge (Downtown, Fremont, NE) [see details]500 S Main St
Fremont, NE 68025
(402) 721-9833
http://theremedylounge.comExcept 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.
626. 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"".
627. 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.
628. 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.
629. 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.)
630. Lighthouse Bar & Grill (Northwest Omaha, Omaha, NE) [see details]15676 W Maple Rd
Omaha, NE 68116
(402) 498-3824
http://omahalighthouse.comThis 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.
631. 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.
632. 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.
633. 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.
634. 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.
635. Wayside Tavern (Westside, Omaha, NE) [see details]8503 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68134
(402) 391-7162
WestsideWhy 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.
636. 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.
637. 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.
638. 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.
639. The Waiting Room (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details]6212 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 884-5353
http://waitingroomlounge.comThis 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 accidently blurt out if our internal filters were impaired.
640. Musette Bar (Benson, Omaha, NE) [see details]6020 Maple St
Omaha, NE 68104
(402) 554-5830
http://musettebar.comThere 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.
641. 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"".
642. 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.
643. 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)
644. 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.
645. 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.
646. 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.
647. 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.
Update: On a later visit I did use the restroom. You go down a treacherous staircase with a very low ceiling into the very low ceilinged basement. At the bottom there are three small unmarked doors. Women's has a nude woman on the door, Men's has a Nebraska logo. I don't know what's behind the third door.
Many of my companions on the second trip thought this was a gay bar but I didn't see it. Gay-friendly maybe but it wasn't flaunted.
For the past few years I’ve been keeping a meticulous record of ever bar I have visited. While I have been listing them by name here, several people have mentioned that my list would be more useful if it had more information.