It's still disconcerting (and somewhat depressing) to walk into a bar framed by a Quiznos and a cell phone carrier, but once inside, the neon of the strip mall soon fades.

This was the case with Dock of the Bay, an English pub which lasted about a year near Wavelengths off of California.

Had some good times in there and it was (and still is I believe) the only place in town which served Kronenburg on tap.

Jenny, are you really a staff writer for TBC? If so, maybe you should fix your "yes or KNOW" before your boss sees it.

Dock Of The Bay was a cool place. The owner was a Brit-Pakistani I think. Me and that dude talked about Madness and The Specials all the time....OI!

Thanks OldBlue.

It's been fixed.

A bar story, perhaps?

— Jenny's assistant

A bar story? Hum. Well, my wife and I, and some friends, did go dancing at Studio 54 inside the MGM Grand a couple of weeks ago. The music was great, the women were sexy, (like my wife), and we danced a lot. But the drinks were kind of overpriced. Does that count as a bar story?

I guess what's cool depends on your tastes. I don't like any of the downtown bars anymore. Too many young a-holes betting each other on who will sucker punch the next guy that walks in or gang-jumping someone when they leave. However, if you are a woman, that really isn't a factor, especially if you like to watch a fight! The downtown bars are also WAY too crowded on weekends. I like the Alley Cat on a weeknight.

The Pit Stop, Lone Oak and Pour House are fun places for the most part. The Pit Stop has a band on weekends. They all allow smoking though so if that bugs you(it DOES eventually get to me)you should keep going.

The VIP is a cool place to go. A generally mid life crowd and rarely any trouble.

Chuy's can be a great place to party on Wednesdays(Bike Nite) and Saturdays. They do Karaoke on Saturdays if that's your thing. Great place for eye candy of both genders(so my G/F says where the guys are concerned).

Trouts. What more need I say! It's neat and trouble free with plenty of room. Country band on the Blackboard side and Karaoke on the other.

The Old Corral(Ethyl's). It's off the beaten path, but always worth the effort. Decent food, pretty good bands on the weekends and a great, trouble free crowd of Cowboys, Bikers and anyone else who cares to join. Not a great selection of drinks here though. Pretty much a beer n wine place.

I see RJ's and Rockstar mentioned. They are almost mirrors of each other in my opinion and neither really up my alley, but nice places none the less.

I went to Randolph's for teh first time last nigh after Bike night. It is really nice, but I didn't care much for the band. I hear it's a $10 per person cover on weekends too.

There is MY two cents worth.

Bikersfield is a pretty cool place too although I have only been there a couple of times.

ok lets see :

best dive bar  VIP

best place for posers Cafe Med

best place for bar fights down town

best place to cheat on your wife Mexicali's both bars

best tv for sports :  bjs

best place for a good ole beer : chuys rosedale highway....

best nostagic place  Amestoy's

best martini's I don't drink them but I hear  PF changs

best place to have a smoke   pour house

Best place NOT to cheat on your wife or husband- either Mexicali's

Best place for a pitcher of beer- Chuy's (Not chueys).

Best place to get a real estate loan- Any reputable loan company.

best place to go in Bakersfield for a bar ( Oldblue56) studio 54 in Vegas....I may not be able to spell...but at least I get the content of the question.....

yup your so busy pointing out spelling errors you may want to pay attention to the question

best bar in Bakersfield  Studio 54 at the MGM in Las Vegas....... LOL

ps thanks chueys chuys who really gives a hoot

I love bars.... I however do not like clubs. If they don't have pool tables... don't sell pitchers of beer for less than 8 or 9 bucks...wont let you in with shorts and flip flops.... and the place looks to clean... it's not a bar. First of all if you are going to a bar to hang out for a couple of hours... you don't want to pay four bucks for a beer... nuf said on that one. I go to a bar to party with friends and hang... not to pick up girls and outclass myself... I am me... warts and all... lets party. I actually prefer places like Dave's Dugout (formerly Mountain Mikes Pizza) White Lane and Stein.... and my all time fave place... on karaoke nights... Muggs Tavern... now that's a bar !!!

I do not drive home from these places.... I go there to DRINK !!!

FHAguy, she asked for a bar story. It was a joke, just like so many of your posts.

And it's not YOUR so busy, it's YOU'RE so busy.

You just cannot figure that out, can you?

No wonder you got your behind kicked when you ran for mayor.

Our favorite place to have cocktails is the Red Pepper on a Wednesday night (our date night) for the Mikey Margaritas.  Mike, the bartender, is such a sweetheart.  They also have THE best guacamole...and dinner there is awesome too. 

We tried something different and went to Mexicali's last week, and tried THEIR guacamole and it tasted like FLOUR.  The drinks, were just ok. 

This might be off the point, but the bar I miss the most is Brittannia (off of Ming and New Stine).

Never had a bad night in there, saw only one fight and that was promptly moved outside, never really paid full price (at the end of the night the bartender would ask how many you'd had and then charge you $20.) Perhaps that's why it's not around anymore!

Thanks, all, for your comments. I see I'm in the minority about bars in shopping centers. Maybe the "location, location, location" mantra doesn't matter when alcohol is involved. I'm aware of a few more bars in shopping centers. Stay tuned. Perhaps one will be coming near your 'hood.

Cheers,

Jenny Shearer

Instead of keeping all the DUIs downtown, you bring them 5 miles from our homes.   Not an ideal situation.

I love the desert bar at home town buffet...............

Sorry Jenny.  I haven't been to a bar in a long time, but back when I was in the pool league we played at some PRETTY interesting bars.  There's little neighborhood taverns all over town that sponsor pool tournaments, and they're a hoot.  There's  this place way down on Union (waaay down.)  They only served beer and wine when I went there long ago, but the jukebox is all OLD country, and so are the patrons.  The mature ladies we played that night all looked like variations on Flo from Alice.  Then there's the Belvedere, and Muggs, of course.  Most of these places have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy about smoking.  If you want to see real Bakersfield (not the city-interchangeable downtown crowd) go to these places.

However, I'm interested to hear about all these fights downtown.  Back when I used to go bar-hopping downtown a hundred years ago there were never fights.  What happened?

Catherine...we have something else in common.  I used to play on pool leagues too and probably played in thos same "interesting" bars.  :-)

Did you really, Nancy?  Weren't the pool tournaments fun?  I really miss that.  Well, not enough to do it again--too taxing on my limited time right now, but fun nonetheless.  I have to say, my pool game improved a lot when I was playing in league--no more goofing off.  It was fun to go to a bar and put my quarters up on the table and get eye rolls from the guys, like "Yeah right, little girl," and then beat them all to a pulp.  I would run the table for hours.  The key was to have ONE drink to loosen up, but no more.  Those guys would get sloshed.  Oh well.  Good times.

Cat, I know the feeling.  I held the table at the Trap one night with a house stick.  Sure PO'd some of those guys.   I still have "Esmerelda" 17 oz McDermott  but haven't played in years.

Nancy!  I played at The Trap a few times.  I liked that place because it was quiet and ALL business--no fights, no loudmouths, no hoochie-coochie girls.  We must have run into each other 100 times in our lives!

Grrrrr...damn laptop.  I wrote a long piece about pool leagues and when I went to copy for safety hit the wrong button and lost it all.

Suffice to say Cat, that I doubt we played at the same time because of your age.  Or mine.  lol.  I haven't played in competition since the late 90's.  Mine included places like The Yellow Pages and one dive across Niles from there and Little Bit Of Country.  There was a little place on Patton Way where I played for Zingos..it's gone and I forgot it's name.  Pour House, Mickeys on Union.  LOL..if they were dives we played them.  My first to play for was The Knotty Pine, then The Trap, and Zingos.

You're right though....fun times.  My then b/f was a shark and my greatest pleasure waas beating him.  It didn't happen often ..lol.

That's how I got into pool--through my first boyfriend, when I was 17.  We played at that place downtown by Q St--the Pool Table Co or something like that.  Then my next several boyfriends also played pool.  I've always been a bit of a tomboy anyway, so it was fun to go play pool.  I always had a wide varitey of friends and a wide variety of interests.  I had my girly tea party friend, my concert-going friend, my going out dancing friend, etc.  Pool, though, seemed to appeal to almost everyone.

How did we get off the subject of bars?

Any ways, let me educate some of you out there that are blasting down town bars.

100 yrs. ago, there were not as many bars down town. It seems to be a lot of fights because there are a lot more bars.

Add up all the fight that will be in the near future in those  Rosedale area bars and you will find they will be as many. They don't seem to because they are standing alone.

Additionally, if you check it out, it's public info, you will see 90% of the fights are east of Eye st. (again because of the higher concentration). Kosmos and Nile are 'almost' alone thus has less fights. In fact Nile & Kosmos has the least number of fights then any bar downtown. Kosmos, had less then 5 fights in 4 yrs. in business. Of those 3 have been girl fights. Feel free to check it out, it's public info. In fact, Kosmos had less fights in any time period then any other bar in Bakersfield.

Also, down town bars are working together VERY hard w/the BPD to make a better safer down town. They meet several times each month brainstorming and trying to find better ways to keep the peace.

Any time you mix, alcohol, women and men you are asking for trouble.

Where are we off topic about bars?  The topic is bar stories.  Pool leagues are played in bars.

I never played a lot darts but enjoyed it when I did.

I wasn't trying to disparage downtown bars.  I just said I hadn't been to any of them in a long time and was unaware of the increase in fights.  Back when I used to go to the downtown bars, there was only Gooseloonies, The Alley Cat, The Mint and The Padre.  There were probably others but those were the ones I went to, and there were never any fights.  I loved The Padre--it was so offbeat.

Cat, used to be (mid 90's) that you knew the Mint and the Brass Rail were open because there was fresh blood on the sidewalk.  :) 

TomW--What?  I don't remember any fights at The Mint.  'Course, I spent most of my time at The Mint playing pool and didn't really pay attention to what was going on.  I don't remember The Brass Rail, but I did go to The Copacabana (I think that's what it was called) a couple of times.  I like gay bars as much as anyone, but it seems the older I got the less fun they became.  How many times can you listen to "Tainted Love" and "You Spin Me 'Round" before you finally get sick of it?

Actually, that's true about bar-hopping in general.  I finally got sick of it and would have to be PAID now to spend time in one.  However, when I was 22 and had just discovered the wonders of bars, I was afraid I would never get sick of them.  I also thought that about Barbies when I was 8.

I used to have a bud down there who always insisted we go to Amestoys.

So, when I was down that way, I'd look him up and we'd go over there on River Blvd or wherever in EB and we'd fall into that little Green (as I recall) stucco dive and order lunch.

The people were nice enough, they sure fawned all over my buds, I guess in the evenings they were good customers. Or they felt more secure for their presence.

But to me, the place reeked. And hey, I'm no prima donna........... viz Billy Bobs off Ave 56 was no  "Tavern on the Green"  (kinda like the one [BB's] that used to be in EB actually) but I just felt like it basically  "crawled" as far as an eating establishment. Maybe as far as just throwing back some shots it might be OK, but......

So I finally realized one time why those buds always insisted on Amestoys to partake. It was when it was their turn to pay. A discernible pattern had emerged...... It seems when it was their turn to pay, Frankie or Marie would give them a  "pass".....

Now, that's OK, but it cannot be (or as Joe Biden would say  "It Can NOT") be taken out of the equation. One of them would insist on the old  "Red Pepper" in EB but he was one who didn't mind springing for the tab......

The Red Pepper was always excellent IMHO. But someone had to pay the piper. Not at Amestoys. (not for some people it seems)..... LOL!

I've been down there @ Chuys for biker nights and the young ladies in leather coming in are a sight for these sore ole eyes..... no doubt.......

Many many moons ago one of my bros used to hang out at the Belvedere. Is it even still there? Back then it was on Brundage (at Oak I believe) and I think its more because back in those days it was crawling distance from where he resided more than anything else........ the kind of place back then where a would be Frankie Blue Eyes would have a tip jar on a  piano for the stewed prunes to put a few bucks in......... (that was a long long time ago.....)

Of course he used to frequent (on other side of town) the Grenadier and us other bros used to tease him it was because he was a famous  "tosser of M-26's in VN"  that was the attraction [he liked the name]..........

The old  "Tavern on the Green" where years ago you could sit in the bar, order the strip steaks appetizers (best deal in the hooch) and look out over the second 9, have a Kessler with draft back up and commiserate on the possibles.... now THAT was livin..............

But to each his own, I guess..........

Cat, they were always outside from what I remember.  I remember being inside for a few and not knowing and being outside for a couple.

It's a bit of an exaggeration that there was a fight every night, but my friends insisted on being on Wall St.

Wall St?  Aren't you thinking of The Alley Cat?

Cat, I meant my friends insisted on being on Wall St. because they didn't like being on the other side of Chester.  Never had a problem at the Alley Cat or Suds.

Chico, I do think the  Belvedere is still there.  Amestoys...my favorite drink was the Flamin Dr Pepper!

Are you folks kidding??  Not  one of you has mentioned Jeanne's Westfair Lounge.   That is hands down the best neighborhood dive bar in town. They have two pool tables, a dart board and quite possibly one of the best shuffle boards around.  When I first visited this spot, I got hussled in shuffleboard by a blue haired old lady for a rum and coke.  I knew at that point, this would become a home away from home for me. 

Respect,

Ransfanguy  

YOU GUYS CALL THIS NEWS??? what about Cheney's, VIP Lounge, Cheers? If I'm not mistaken, these places have all been here since before I started driving here in 1990...

Alright--calm down everybody.  There's room enough in this town for ALL the dive bars!

Egalindo,

Cheney's  is long gone, the Vip's dartboards are inoperable half the time, not to mention the dip in the lower left hand corner of the shuffleboard.  The owners and workers from Cheers go to the Westfair when not at work!  man, call me butter because I'm on a roll! 

My point, is that this was the worst waste of space in recent days on TBC, as the mentioned bars have all been located in "strip malls," along with hundreds of others.

Worse than the eighth, ninth and tenth same-sex-marriage blogs?

I just gazed longingly at the Belvedere the other day.  Still advertising outside, so I assume it is open.  Note: I didn't try the door.

Amestoy's!!!  Used to try to sneak in there at age 19 or 20.  Love the VIP and the Mint!  Is Murphy's dead?  No one mentioned it.

I live on the mountain these days, so I can only speak for quirky places like Rocky's.  Just off I5 at the Lebec exit--grapevine.  Pool tables, vintage couches, and surprisingly modern jukebox.  Undulating drunk women peppered with truckers and the occasional suprise celebrity who just  couldn't wait until L.A.

In Frazier Park there's The Tavern on the old business road.  Smells bad, feels good.  You'll feel like a slice of Americana in them thar hills in this bar. Pool table affirmative, too. 

Next I'll skip to Madd Bailey's Pub in Pine Mountain Club.  This is a Sunday stop for many a biker.  It's between I5 and Hwy. 166 just west of Maricopa, so coming in the back way (Cerro Noroeste) is a fantastic drive too.  Bailey's overlooks the 9 hole golf course and the sloping, pine covered mountains.  There is a pool table, jukebox, regular live music, two decks, and a greasy restaurant right down stairs.  The British owner has an affinity for plastering Raiders swag all over the place, but there's ten TVs and cheap drinks--a balance I can stomach.

Yep, the Belvedere is still open. Music ranges from live band, karaoke, and the juke.