Cowboys still the place for ridin’

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’

Immortality be damned

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

Bang a drum

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

Delicious, deliberate, dark

By Peter Hemminger

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

The Ship sails another day

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

It came from the back alley

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

Sibling love

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

Kilkenny has curse of the irish

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