Entertainment in North America
-
A
Triple Crown
A storefront bar with adjoining black-box rooms – one with glittering chandeliers, another with a disco-ball dance floor – Triple Crown hosts DJs spinning everything from ‘60s-soul and ‘80s-pop to down-tempo funk and hip-hop. Expect an upbeat crowd of happy locals that love to dance and schmooze. Tuesdays are gay. Call ahead or check website to confirm opening times.
reviewed
-
B
Royal Alexandra Theatre
Commonly known as the 'Royal Alex,' this is one of the most impressive theaters in the city. Expect renditions of plays like Tennessee Williams' Orpheus Descending and splashy Broadway musicals.
reviewed
-
C
Matador
Matador is a hard-to-believe club just west of Ossington Ave and Little Italy, where there’s been late-night dance-floor chaos for more than 40 years. Shuffle in under the rusty ballroom sign for live bands playing honky-tonk and classic rock. It’s alcohol-free, but if you’re up this late, chances are you won’t need any more.
reviewed
-
D
Big Bop
There's always a bellicose crowd of goths, bad-ass metal fiends and hardcore hard-heads pacing around outside this venue. Upstairs Holy Joe's is a groovy little room made for acoustic shows, while serious indie bands plug in at the 2nd-floor Reverb. The ground-floor Kathedral stage also has low-cover acts, and a dance floor.
reviewed
-
E
Lee's Palace
Legendary Lee's Palace has set the stage over the years for Dinosaur Jr, Smashing Pumpkins and Queens of the Stone Age. Kurt Cobain started an infamous bottle-throwing incident when Nirvana played here in 1990. You can't miss it – look for the primary-colored mural that seems to scream out front.
reviewed
-
F
Wetbar
In a vaguely industrial stretch of Midtown (near one of Atlanta's popular strip clubs) is Wetbar, a spot with a concrete bar and concrete floor that seem to match the neighborhood's urban grit. The tank-topped bartenders will take good care of you, and the sound system will rattle your teeth.
reviewed
-
G
Healey’s
The 300-capacity Healey’s has an idiosyncratic lineup of rock, blues, soul and roots. Swing by when owner Jeff Healey, a Canadian music icon, audiophile and radio DJ, gets up on the stage with his house band. Tuesday open-jam nights and Saturday muso matinees are free.
reviewed
-
H
Café de Carlo
Coffee connoisseurs head for this unassuming sidewalk café, with an aromatic roaster and a vintage espresso machine. Across the street is a relic of 1950s Roma, La Bella Italia. It’s an old-fashioned ice cream parlor that sees few customers these days.
reviewed
-
I
Stubb’s Bar-B-Q
Stubb’s has live music almost every night, with a great mix of premier local and touring acts from across the musical spectrum. Many warm-weather shows are held out back along Waller Creek. There are two stages, a smaller stage indoors and a larger backyard venue.
reviewed
-
J
Le Loft
A spiffed-up crowd of 18-to-25s turns up for mainstream rock and alternative on two dance floors, rough-edged murals and a great rooftop terrace. The wide metal staircase and ventilation ducts give the place a warehouse feel; the usual gear is jeans and T-shirts.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Joe’s Oyster Bar
This popular spot perched over the beach is OK for a sunset drink in the early evening, but it goes ballistic after 11pm when it’s packed with college kids dancing on tables, chairs and each other. On a tiny lane that connects Avenida Playa Gaviotas to the beach.
reviewed
-
L
Lion on the Beach
An expansive pub that spills out onto The Beaches sidewalk (lyin' on the beach – geddit?). A respectably long beer list and hearty pub grub (tex-mex, bangers and mash, fried rainbow trout) keeps everyone occupied. Kids run around between people's legs.
reviewed
-
M
Mcgillin's Olde Ale House
Philadelphia's oldest continually operated tavern (since 1860) - it remained open as a speakeasy in the prohibition years. Great buffalo wings (Tuesday is special wing night) and karaoke on Wednesdays and Fridays. St Patty's Day is absolutely crazy here.
reviewed
-
N
Marquee
Not long ago on Manhattan’s clear A-list of velvet-rope lounges, Marquee is now a bit past its prime: such is life in clubland. Some luster may be lost, but not the luxury, as the 600-soul limit is quickly filled. If you make it in, head up to the glass-box mezzanine lounge to peek down over 1st-floor revelers.
reviewed
-
O
Bull Feeney’s
Despite the mediocre food, Bull Feeney’s remains a local favorite for its central location, warm ambience (it spills over two floors, with a crackling fire in one room) and a garrulous crowd. Live bands play Thursday through Saturday.
reviewed
-
P
Bb King's Blues Club
Watch live jazz and blues in this downtown cathedral of sound, complete with stained-glass windows and folk-art portraits of the 'saints': Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, Elvis. The kitchen serves soul food like ribs, fried chicken and catfish.
reviewed
-
Q
Ouray Brewery
With chairlift bar stools, this pub earns stripes in brews, if not in bar food. Why must so many landlocked menus insist on shrimp?
reviewed
-
R
Seven Grand
It's as if hipsters invaded Mummy and Daddy's hunt club, amid the tartan-patterned carpeting and deer heads on the walls. Whiskey is the drink of choice: choose from over 100 from Scotland, Ireland and even Japan.
reviewed
-
J Clyde
Over 40 beers on draft, hundreds in bottles and an additional one to three cask-conditioned ales with traditional British Beer Engines – the only Alabama bar to boast such devotion to suds. It sits on charming Cobb Lane in Five Points and there's plenty of good late-night pub grub to wash down the beer.
reviewed
-
S
Fever
The pretty people come out to strut their stuff on an illuminated tempered-glass dance floor at this flashy two-story nightclub. International DJs mix it up with house, disco beats and the occasional funkytown sounds.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Hula Hut
Outdoor bar with a sprawling deck over Lake Austin.
reviewed
-
Kimball's East
In Emeryville, northwest of Oakland, this huge jazz supper club books big-name musicians and the occasional comedy act. The club's in the Emerybay Public Market; from I-80 take the Powell St exit.
reviewed
-
T
Royal Canadian Legion
SoMa’s Royal Canadian Legion is where the seniors and local coolsters share the dinged tables, shuffleboard and cheap beers. Don’t miss Wednesday’s karaoke night.
reviewed
-
U
Parkway Speakeasy Theater
Two blocks east of Lakeshore Ave is this great, laid-back movie-going experience. It shows quality second-run films in a comfy setting and serves beer, wine, sandwiches and pizza.
reviewed
-
V
Cav Wine Bar
Cav serves 40 wines by the glass (most under $10), available in flights or 2.5oz pours, in a concrete-and-metal industrial space. Tasty small plates keep your palate zinging.
reviewed