By Chris Tait
There are few places that have shared the infamy of the Cowboys Dance Hall. This always full mega-bar has been described by many critics with such phrases as “meat market”, “shallow”, and “hootchy”. But everyone agrees: it is a successful venue. Thousands of patrons a week and millions of dollars a year denote this fact.… Continue reading Cowboys still the place for ridin’
Some bars encourage you to drink as much you can, as quickly as you can, and then get the hell out of dodge. Vicious Circle doesn’t seem to think that way. A lot of care has gone into ensuring the Circle is a place you can spend the entire night in comfort. The drink selection,… Continue reading Vicious’ nice drinks
By Rob Scherf
If Calgary’s nightlife has just one place that’s utterly stunning in its uniqueness, that place is Mortal Coil. Located in the heart of Mission, the Coil has been a fixture of Calgary culture for almost seven years, and shows no signs of slowing down. The first thing new visitors will notice is that Mortal Coil… Continue reading Immortality be damned
By Andrew Ross
The Drum and Monkey is essentially a classic English-style pub. Dark walls, TVs in the corners, lots of wood, and plenty of footy paraphernalia. There’s beer on tap including the venerable Boddingtons, English food of the stock that’s bred generations of Anglo Saxons (soup, burgers, and shepherd’s pie), and music that doesn’t draw attention to… Continue reading Bang a drum
The Night Gallery is the antithesis of the Cowboys/Coyotes approach, as far removed from those soulless meat markets as possible within the confines of “places to get drunk and dance.” It’s tiny, essentially a converted apartment block (though renovations are underway to add another floor). It’s dark enough that you can’t really see that stranger… Continue reading Delicious, deliberate, dark
By Natalie Sit
The Hop in Brew sits between two extremes on 12 Ave. To the west, are hookers and others promising “a good time.” To the east is the poser-zone of 1 St., littered with 16-year-olds with fake IDs and others with fake tattoos. But, nestled in the middle is the Hop. The pub is a converted… Continue reading Jump to the Hop in Brew
By Jeff Kubik
There are some bars bound to remain legendary in any city’s nightlife. They’re large and they’re popular, the kind of place where you’re bound to run into any number of long-lost friends and regular drinking buddies on any given night. In Calgary, if straight-up nightclubs aren’t your scene, you’re eventually bound for the Ship and… Continue reading The Ship sails another day
By Jeff Kubik
They’re always loud, that’s a certainty. Certain too are the random flashing lights in scattered sections throughout the bar, shining on glistening skin covered in sweat and spilled alcohol. They’re built for dancing, drinking and sex and don’t make any pretensions about being anything else. So huzzah for the capital “C” Club, huzzah for the… Continue reading It came from the back alley
By Chris Tait
With its home brewery providing many original beers on tap, the Brew Brothers Taproom, attached to the restaurant of the same name, is the place to be for anyone even remotely interested in beer.Highly recommended comes the award-winning Prairie Steamer, with a seemingly unmatchable smoothness. Also recommended is the Black Pilsner, which adds a slightly… Continue reading Sibling love
By Rob Scherf
As the maxim goes, if you’ve seen one Irish pub, you’ve seen ’em all. There’s always something familiar about walking into an “O’Gready’s” or “Goodtime McDonnel’s”, probably having to do with the standard-issue deep, dark wood furniture and Guinness on tap. It seems that these sickeningly congruent places are everywhere one turns these days, with… Continue reading Kilkenny has curse of the irish