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Those Places You Go

Arts & WordsPlaces You EatMusic You HearPeople You Know • Places You Go
Where You Buy ThingsThe Place We Live

Congratulations!

Let’s all raise a toast.

The votes’ve been counted!

Which places got most?

You had booze on your mind.

You had ants in your pants.

You wanted to drink,

and you wanted to dance.

You know all of Buffalo, the places you roam,

to drink and carouse, because this is your home.

Cecilias

Let’s go hit the town, take a pretend turn about,

and see what we find on an average night out.

We’ll start out with happy hour at Goodbar or Soho.

Their free food is great, and they’re selling cheap SoCo.

Or maybe we need

a wizard drink mixer.

A barkeep with wisdom,

a real bad day fixer.

There’s Jimmy and BJ,

from Cathode and Brick Bar.

Or Amie and Jamie,

Roxy’s drink-pouring rock stars.

Now you’ve food in your stomach,

So what’s more to drink?

There’s beer, wine and cocktails.

The time’s now to think.

If you like varied grapes,

and a big choice of brew.

Hardware has both,

so that ought to do.

O, THE PLACES YOU GO!

If you’re a classy sort,

and you had your druthers.

You’d most likely drink

at Left Bank or Mother’s.

But for wags like me and people the same,

we go to the pub where folks know our name.

At Cole’s and the Essex,

they don’t make a stink,

Same goes for the dives,

like Merlin’s or the Pink.

Nietzsche's

If you’re a girl who likes dames,

or a guy who likes fellas,

you’re likely to go to

Roxy’s or Marcella’s.

Now you want to get down,

your belly full of beers.

You want to hear music,

Cause your head’s full of ears.

When you want the real deal,

when it comes to live bands,

only these clubs

can meet your demands:

You like the Town Ballroom,

They run a tight ship.

They bring in big acts

like J5 and the Hip.

As Mohawk rocks indie,

Sportsmen’s does twang.

Nietzsche’s is jumping,

And Diablo can bang.

Jukeboxes do fine when you just want an old tune

to sing softly in the setting of your favorite saloon.

At Potter’s Field and Faherty’s, jukeboxes crackle,

while at Club Karaoke, bad singers just cackle.

Why not give it a shot? What song can’t you tackle?

There are those among you who like to play games,

called darts, pool or bowling, and other such names.

Voelker’s and Recckio’s are two alleys for bowling.

At Faherty’s they keep the game footage rolling,

and there’s darts and there’s billiards, if that’s not consoling.

The writing’s on the wall

At Broadway Joe’s and the Showplace.

But you can’t read the stall,

’cause you’ve got on your shitface.

Now it’s time to go home,

after Steakout or Towne.

To lay in your bed,

as the world spins around.

And think lovely thoughts

about all those places you go,

all those places you went,

on a night in Buffalo.

—peter koch

Top-five vote getters, listed in no particular order. Photos by Rose Mattery
Best Bathroom
Graffiti
Old Pink
Broadway Joe’s
Nietzsche’s
Mohawk Place
Showplace

Best Beer Selection
Pearl Street
Cole’s
Allen Street Hardware
Colter Bay
Mr. Goodbar

Best Bowling Alley
Voelker’s
Transit Lanes
Recckio’s
Kenmore Lanes
Airport lanes

Best Cocktails
Chocolate Bar
Cecelia’s
Sample
Nektar
Fugazi

av editor pick

Best Jukebox

Billy O’s Golden Swan

The Golden Swan on Ellicott Street has several eccentricities to recommend it as a watering hole, not least of which is Billy Oshei himself—a true Buffalo character. The real gem of the place is Billy’s jukebox, stocked with a jazz collection the likes of which you won’t hear anywhere else. If you show an interest, he’ll play you track after mindblowing track while you sip the coldest bottle of beer in town.

geoff kelly


Best Dance Club
Level
Roxy’s
Club Marcella
Club Paradise
La Luna

Best Dive Bar
Old Pink
Mulligan’s Brick Bar
Essex Street Pub
Nietzsche’s
Merlin’s

Best Bartender, Female
Jenn Parker @ Club Diablo
Lindsey @ Darcy McGee’s
Rose @ Fugazi
Jamie Cudney @ Roxy’s
Amie Zinzola @ Roxy’s

av editor pick

Best Coctails

Deerhead Inn

On Clinton Street in West Seneca, the charming Deerhead Inn harkens back to simpler times in many ways, not least of which is this: Order a Manhattan here and it comes in an old-fashioned, reasonable-sized stem glass. Not in a bucket, as is the fashion nowadays.

-geoff kelly


Best Bartender, Male
Jimmy @ Cathode Ray
Mike @ Founding Fathers
BJ @ Brick Bar
Dave @ Fat Bob’s
Jayme Coxx @ Adonia’s

Best Gay-friendly Bar
Club Marcella
Cathode Ray
Roxy’s
Fugazi
Q

Best Lesbian-friendly Bar
Roxy’s
Miss Kitty’s
Adonia’s
Club Marcella
Old Pink

Best Happy Hour
Soho
Cozumel
Macaroons
Crocodile Bar
Mr. Goodbar

Best Jukebox
Essex Street Pub
Faherty’s
Mulligan’s Brick Bar
Old Pink
Potter’s Field

Best Karaoke
Roxy’s
Tudor Lounge
Frizzy’s
Club Karaoke
Garden Park Cafe

Best Live Music
Mohawk Place
Town Ballroom
Sportsmen’s Tavern
Club Diablo
Nietzsche’s

Best Neighborhood Pub
Founding Fathers
Cole’s
Mulligan’s Brick Bar
Allen Street Hardware
Essex Street Pub

Best New Bar
Snooty Fox
Bayou
Staples
Duo
Stillwater

Best Place to Shoot Pool
Slick Willie’s
Pearl Street
Classic Cue
Faherty’s
Hippodrome

Best Place to Throw Darts
Macaroons
Mulligan’s Brick Bar
Frizzy’s
Faherty’s
Cole’s

Best Place to Watch a Game
Cole’s
Pearl Street
At home
Tully’s
Faherty’s

Best Upscale Bar
Stillwater
Mother’s
Chocolate Bar
Snooty Fox
Left Bank

Best Wine List
Bacchus
Mother’s
Shango
Allen Street Hardware
Buffalo Chophouse

av editor pick

Best Bars to find Politicians

Want to watch election returns come in with the folks whose futures depend on the results? K. Gallagher’s on Allen Street attracts elected officials and bureaucrats alike, while McCarthy’s on Hamburg Street—legendary under its namesake, Gene McCarthy—remains a hotbed of gossip under its new owner, Gerhardt Yaskow. Some say that Swannie House, at the foot of Michigan, has become the new McCarthy’s, a place where businesspeople and politicians strike deals. Founding Fathers and Ulrich’s are popular haunts for the powerful as well. The Adam Mickiewicz Library & Dramatic Circle on Fillmore is another likely spot. And if you’re looking for the city’s notoriously difficult-to-reach head of real estate, you can most likely find him lunching at DiTondo’s on Seneca Street.

geoff kelly