Bar entertainment in California
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A
Koko Cocktails
This retro-cool cocktail lounge spins reggae, soul and sometimes hip-hop - a snappy place to start a pub crawl.
reviewed
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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
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C
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
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D
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
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E
Mermaid
Hermosa's pedestrian promenade, Pier Ave, is one big, loud pumping party on weeknights and all day on weekends. It's a rowdy, early-20s crowd releasing their hormones at such watering holes as Patrick Malloy's and Fat Face Fenner's Fishack , which has a handy 2nd-floor balcony for babe- and dude-watching. If you're past college age, check out the legendary Mermaid , a charmingly divey '50s flashback that serves some surprisingly good food to boot.
reviewed
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F
Bar Agricole
Drink your way to a history degree with well-researched cocktails: Bellamy Scotch Sour with egg whites passes the test, but Tequila Fix with lime, pineapple gum and hellfire bitters earns honors. And talk about an overachiever – for its modern wabi-sabi design with natural materials and sleek deck, Agricole won a James Beard Award for restaurant design. Bar bites here are a proper pig-out, including pork pâté with aspic fried farm egg with crispy pork belly.
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Eleven
This glam spot occupies a historic building, serves New American cuisine and offers different theme nights from Musical Mondays to high-energy dance parties; check the website for club nights.
reviewed
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G
Smuggler's Cove
Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum…or wait, make that a Dead Reckoning tawny port cocktail with Angostura bitters, Nicaraguan rum and vanilla liqueur, unless someone wants to share the flaming Scorpion Bowl? Pirates are bedeviled by choice at this shambling Barbary Coast shipwreck of a tiki bar, hidden speakeasy-style behind a tinted door. With tasting flights from a selection of 200 specialty rums and 70 historic cocktail recipes gleaned from rum-running around the world, you won't be dry-docked for long.
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Surf City Billiards & Café
For shooting stick, dartboards, big-screen TVs and darn good pub grub.
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Waterfront Bar & Grill
Beer and burgers are the orders of choice at this cheerful neighborhood bar, opened in 1933 shortly after Prohibition was outlawed.
reviewed
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Beauty Bar
Beautilicious martinis and manicures.
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Silver Fox
Despite its name, all ages frequent this mainstay of gay Long Beach, especially on karaoke nights.
reviewed
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I
Hôtel Biron
An oenologist's dream walk-in closet that serves as a wine bar, with standout Californian, Provençal and Tuscan vintages, and a ceiling made of corks. The vibe is French underground, with exposed-brick walls, surreally romantic art, a leather couch and just a few tables for two. Barkeeps let you keep tasting until you find what you like; pair with decadent cheese plates.
reviewed
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J
Alta Mira Hotel
A cocktail on the heated terrace of this hotel, the entire bay stretched out in front of you, is almost obligatory.
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K
South First Billiards
It's a great place to shoot some stick, and a welcoming club to boot. Sunday's free rock shows always draw a fun crowd.
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Epiphany
Ideal for a glass of bubbly if you're wearing heels and a dress (or if you want to impress someone who is); it's also a chic little restaurant.
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Plaza Grill
Professors and the literati head upstairs in Jacoby's Storehouse (an 1857 Arcata landmark building) to the handsomest bar in town. Great pork chops too.
reviewed
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N
James Joyce
Santa Barbara's fun zone revolves around Lower State St where crowds usually pack the Guinness-soaked and peanut-shell-covered planks of the James Joyce pub.
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O
Formosa Café
Bogart and Gable used to knock 'em back at this bat cave of a watering hole that's so authentically noir that scenes from LA Confidential were filmed here.
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P
Chez Jay
If you like bars with booze history, pop into Chez Jay or the Galley , both low-key, classic watering holes with campy nautical themes.
reviewed
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Galley
If you like bars with booze history, pop into Chez Jay or the Galley , both low-key, classic watering holes with campy nautical themes.
reviewed
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R
Here
Situated next door to Abbey, you will find the buff boys and sleek designs of stylish Here, easy to miss in the shadows of the ongoing Abbey annexation.
reviewed
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Roosterfish
The ̉Fish has been serving the men of Venice for over three decades, but still feels current and chill, with a pool table and back patio. Friday nights are busiest.
reviewed
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S
City Beer Store & Tasting Room
Sample exceptional local and Belgian microbrewed beer from the 300-brew menu (6oz to 22oz, depending how thirsty you are) at SF's top beer store. Create your own tastings of stouts or red ales, or pick a point on the globe at random and drink your way home via unknown artisan brews. Line your stomach with cheese and salami plates, and assemble your own six-pack to go. Check the website for bottle release parties and tapping events.
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Sofa Lounge
In a cool loft space above the Eulipia Restaurant, Sofa is a relaxed club that puts on live music and DJs. The space has anchored the 1st St scene and attracts a savvy, mixed crowd.
reviewed