Beef In The Walls: June 2010

I kinda miss Bloomington at the moment. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'm unemployed, have a disgusting amount of free time on my hands and lack a decent local bar scene. I now realize that I took Bloomington for granted as far as drinking excursions went. In Bloomington, you could meet at someone's house, pregame, hop on a free bus and spend the rest of the evening bar hopping in relatively cheap, smoke free bars. The bar scene nearest here isn't bad by any means, but someone always has to drive, muggings in the area are frequent, the prices aren't as good and I don't know anybody. In Bloomington, no matter where I went, it was guaranteed that I would see someone I knew. Just because I feel like it, I'm going to write about each bar I visited during my lengthy tenure at IU. Obviously, some bars I'll have a lot to say about, other bars...not so much.

Kirkwood

This is where any good night of drinking will probably start. Located on the west side of campus, it's within walking distance of a fair amount of apartments and neighborhoods. Parking is reasonable, especially on weekends. There's lots bars in this area and most of them stand out and are worth visiting on multiple occasions.

Kilroy's on Kirkwood

Also known as KOK. This is one of the most popular bars in town. They also have a decent patio outside that's great to hang out on during a lazy summer afternoon. Kilroy's also has some of the cheapest bar food you'll find around. It's not very good, and it's soaked in grease, but trust me, nothing tastes better than a 50 cent stuffed breadstick when you're inebriated. I would recommended Kilroy's, but I think there's more interesting bars around the area.

Drinks/Specials- The most popular night to visit Kilroy's is Tuesdays believe it or not. You have to pay a 5 dollar cover, but once you're in, all drinks are just two bucks. They also pride themselves on their Long Islands by having dozens of different flavors. I personally find them a little weak, but they're also pretty cheap so I usually order a double.

Clientele-Kilroy's is very popular with the Greek crowd. Don't be surprised to see dozens of sorority girls in here all wearing matching shirts. On Tuesdays, it's incredibly crowded, but the crowd is more varied as well.

The Upstairs

An unassuming little place that's located above a Jimmy John's. To me, it seems like this should be a dive bar that only gets a handful of visitors a night, but it's very popular. It manages to be a blast every time I visit. Definitely one of my favorites.

Drinks/Specials- The Adios Mother Fucker, also known as an AMF is a 7 dollar(or 4, if you get the small version) delicious blue concotion that will get your buzz going. I used to chug these all the time, but my tolerance for super sugary drinks has gone down as I've gotten older. Still, it's one of the best deals in town. Still, the AMF should be all you need and if that's not your cup of booze, beer is usually pretty reasonable.

Clientele- Pretty much everyone and a large collection of "normal" people. It tends to go from quiet to packed right around midnight. Despite how crowded it gets, I've never really had a problem getting through the place and I can usually find a nice place to hang out or sit.

Hoosier Knights

Formerly The Jungle Room. This bar is pretty new, so I don't have a whole lot to say about it. It used to be unique because it had a balcony and a (small) dance floor. They took the dance floor out but the balcony is still there. It seems like it'd be a alright place, but the only business they really seem to get is the spillover from The Upstairs. I don't have a problem with it, but it doesn't seem to have a hook that some of the other bars in the area have.

902s

Formerly Uncle Fester's House of Blooze. This is a tiny bar with a focus on live music. I've been here a couple times and the acts they get tend to be pretty low key. One time they had some crappy cover band and it was actually a lot of fun. I don't remember anything about the drinks but I don't think they have any outstanding specials. I don't go here that often.

Nick's English Hut

Ah, Nick's. Probably the oldest bar in Bloomington. Probably. This is definitely my favorite bar in Bloomington. My only complaint is that on some really busy nights it can be hard to find a table. But hey, if you can find a nice table, don't be surprised if you're here for hours. They also have some pretty good food, but I found it kinda expensive for an older bar like this.

Drinks/Specials- The main draw here is Sink The Biz, which is hands down the most fun you will ever have drinking. Many good and many bad nights have started with a couple games this. Overall, drinks are not quite as cheap as some of the other bars, but the older crowd that this place attracts can probably handle it.

Clientele- Lots of people, but you'll notice something that you don't see at a lot of the bars around here- an older crowd. Very popular with alumni and people who come in from out of town. If you wanted to take your parents to a bar, you can't really beat this place.

Alley Bar

A really small bar on the other side of Kirkwood. I've been here exactly once and I got mugged by every person in the bar, and there was nowhere to sit. Definitely a bar for regulars.

Crazy Horse

Another bar on the other side of town. I've only been there a few times, but it seems pretty nice! Beer is relativley cheap and I know they have some decent specials throughout the week. This bar also seems to attract a slightly older crowd. I feel like law students and local yuppies hang out here. Definitely a nice place to chill out.

The Irish Lion

Not surprisingly, an Irish Pub. Has expensive food. I've only been here on Saint Patrick's Day and big shock, I wasn't able to find a seat.

Walnut

So you've warmed up on Kirkwood, now it's time to head out to Walnut and get crazy. Typically, you'll be spending a lot more money in this area. Drinks are expensive and most of the bars have covers. I usually have to be pretty drunk to have a good time in this area, but if I am, and if I'm out with the right people, I will have an awesome time.

The Bluebird

Like Nick's, this is a bar that has been around forever. Hell, my parents both worked there back in the 70's. Supposedly they used to get some pretty good acts back in the day. They still do once in a while, but I would say over half of what plays there now is cover bands. It's definitely an older bar and it has that personality and it attracts it's own crowd. It's a far cry from it's glory days though. There's just too much competition in the area nowadays.

Drinks/Specials- They have cover almost every night, which sucks. To be fair they usually have an act playing, but unless I actually want to see who is playing, the cover scares me(and a lot of other people) away. There are ways to circumvent the cover though(Protip: Find them on Facebook). They have a house drink called The Dirty Bird which is basically an AMF. It's not bad. Drink specials vary wildly depending on the night.

Clientele- People into the bands that are playing pretty much. The cover and atmosphere of the place tend to scare away the Greek crowd. This place also used to be notorious for letting in underage drinkers so they tend to get busted by excise once in a while too.

Brothers

The newest bar on the street is a corporate bar that took up residence next to The Vid. The bar proved to be incredibly popular thanks to the lack of cover and cheap drinks. People love this place. I personally don't care for it that much. I just find it sort of dull. There's nothing particulary interesting or even fun about the bar. I've never had the food so I can't say anything about it.

Drinks/Specials-They have pretty crazy specials on most night. Don't get too excited though, when they say $1 Long Island or $1 Jagerbomb, you're getting about $1 worth of alcohol. Still, double it up and it's not bad.

Clientele- Tons and tons of Greeks. It could definitely give Kilroy's a run for it's money. You'll also find a fair amount of people who are looking for cheap drinks. Hipsters tend to loathe this place so I wouldn't expect to see many of them around.

The Vid

Ah yes, The Vid. If you like this place, you'll swear it's the" only real bar in town, man." Seriously, people who love this bar have a hyooooge pole stuck up their butt about it, just read the reviews on Yelp. Anyway, if you don't like it, you'll be annoyed by the fact it's cash only and by all the weirdoes with beards(which I call beardos) hanging about as well. Yes, you could probably call The Vid the closest thing Bloomington has to a real hipster bar. Whether this has any effect on the overall quality of the bar is up to you. It's definitely something different, so it's worth visiting.

Drinks/Specials-Drinks are reasonably priced. PBR is unshockingly very cheap here. Like I said earlier, it's cash only, so leave your debit card at the door. The lack of cover is pretty nice too.

Clientele- Hipsters and hipster wannabees flood this place. I'm not a big fan of that particular social phenomenon, but at least they aren't assholes. Recently, the bar remodeled and added a downstairs bar with a stage. This piqued the curiosity of some of the regular downtown lushes which led to a more diversified crowd.

Kilroy's Sports

The closest thing Bloomington has to a legit nightclub. It takes a lot to get me to Sports(usually a few games of Sink The Biz and an AMF), but once I'm there, I have a blast. The bar is huge, with two levels, a decent sized dance floor with a DJ always present and a balcony. It's probably the most popular bar on campus, with lines outside the door for a half hour on busy nights. This bar was hit pretty hard by Brothers, so they remodeled a bit and put in a outdoor patio downstairs. It's NICE and seems to have helped their business. The bar starts to get crowded after midnight and stays hopping til closing. It's definitely not made for every night you go out, but get yourself in the right mood and go up there and grind up on some skanks on the dance floor.

Drinks/Specials-I know they have half price drinks on Wednesday, but aside from that you're going to be paying a sizeable amount of money for drinks. I'd recommend going into the bar with a good buzz going, or at least a flask. Also, you will be paying cover most likely.

Clientele-Thanks to the fact it's more like a nightclub, this bar attracts plenty of East Coast people that you don't see at some of the other bars. It can get pretty wild late at night which makes for great people watching. Come here on Halloween for a real treat.

Jake's Nightclub

Poor Jake's. Located about a block down from Sports, this bar never seems to get any love. It's had a bit of mismanagement over the years. The added competition from Brothers hasn't helped things either. Jake's used to be THE place for Thursday nights and it was worth going to on other nights as well. Lately though, they haven't had much business. It's a shame because the place is huge and they have a stage too. From what I understand, they've made lots of efforts to recoup business, but I can't say if that's been successful or not.

Drinks/Specials-The best night to go here is Thursdays. It's called Mug Night and you pay 5 bucks to get in(if you get in late) but beer is only 50 cents, or is it 25? I forget. The beer is pretty nasty, but you get what you pay for. Well drinks are pretty cheap too. Friday afternoons are pretty good too, with half price drinks during Big A's happy afternoon.

Clientele-Like I said, at one time, this place used to get a ton of business, but it's slowed down quite a bit. You may see the typical Sports crowd here but less...extreme?

The Bishop

I haven't been here, but from what I've been told, it's a hipster bar which isn't really my cup of tea.

Other Bars

Of course, not all the bars in Bloomington are on Kirkwood and Walnut. There's a few other bars around town that are worth visiting if you want the full Bloomington experience.

Yogi's

I typically come here more for the food(which is cheap. And great! Try the tenderloin), but they have a pretty sizeable bar here too. They have a lot of TVs here which makes it great for football games. I like it better than BW3s anyway. I can't really say I've actually been on a bar crawl or anything like that though. It's located at 10th and Indiana, which isn't too far from Kirkwood, but it's far enough to keep it off most bar crawls.

Drinks/Specials.-They have specials most nights, but the most interesting thing they have is the Century Club. They give you a checklist with all hundred of their beers on it, and if you drink all the beers in the course of a year, you get a free T-shirt or something like that. Totally making up for the 300 or so dollars you spend in beer.

Clientele-Couldn't really tell you. Usually when I go it's other football fans.

Bear's Place

Located at 3rd and Jordan, it's quite a walk away from the other bars. It's one of Bloomington's older bars. They have comedy shows and occasional concerts including concerts from Dave Baker is a freaking living legend. It's never especially crowded, but I always have a great time when I go there.

Drinks/Specials- Two Words: Hairy Bear. This drink is a witches brew of various types of alcohol with a little fruit juice and a lime thrown in. Nothing in this world is as sad and depraved as a man on a Hairy Bear binge. It may end up being the worst night of your life, but DO NOT leave Bloomington without trying this drink. This drink alone makes a trip to Bloomington worth it, trust me.

Clientele-A "normal" crowd more or less. I've seen people study in here too which is weird.

The Office Lounge

Another old bar. This place is located wayyyy out on E. 3rd Street. The biggest draw for me is the fact they have Karaoke every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I don't do Karaoke myself, but it's a lot of fun to watch. The food is decent too.

Drinks/Specials- Honestly, I'm not really sure, all I know is that it's pretty cheap for the most part.

Clientele- Lots of locals, you'll see them and occasionally a few college kids interested in some karaoke. The locals are pretty friendly for the most part and don't seem to mind young kids coming in and singing terrible karaoke.