There has been a lot of confusion this year as to where you should go out at night. It seems like every week there are new bars in the running for the “place to be.” At least with every bar in competition for cheapest drink and cover combination, we finally have a real-world use for all of those math classes we had to take.
Before we get into it, I must note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these bars, nor do I plan to be at any time. So without further ado, here are the top 10 U of A bars in 2015.
10. Union Public House
The only time you’ll hear this name outside of The Foothills is on Wednesdays. This year, you basically have no other options of places to go on Whiskey Wednesday, but that’s OK because Union is there for you with 50-percent-off all whiskey drinks — and they keep the drunchies coming with a kitchen that’s open until 1 am. Make sure to dress to impress or it'll be clear you're the only person there with less than $200 in your bank account.
9. The Auld Dubliner
The Dub has cracked the top-10 thanks to its ability to get people to put their Monday night Netflix binge on hold. I’m not sure if having a Monday drinking spot says good or bad things about Arizona, but nonetheless, this pub holds it down for the Irish and the rich kids from California.
8. Fuku Sushi
All the fun of drinking and blasting music in a bar, with all the comfort of drinking and blasting music in a closet. Luckily, the DJ on Fuku Fridays usually plays great stuff, so at least getting a hearing aide at 32 will be courtesy of some bangers. Can’t beat $5 sake bombs that are sure to lead to a foggy rest of your night.
7. Maloney’s/Warehouse/The Wreck
The original Tuesday spot that has been in a Cold War with Ben’s for the last few years. There’s an interesting mix of locals and students, but with three bars and an outdoor patio connecting all of them there’s plenty of room to run away if necessary. With $2 drinks and no cover on Tuesdays and penny drinks with a $5 cover on Thursdays, it’s hard for students on a college budget to ignore.
6. The Hut
Thanks to a few conveniently planned bar-crawls, The Hut is back on the map. Being walking distance from Maloney’s and having $2.50 anything with no cover on Tuesdays makes it an ideal second stop. It also gives you a chance to test your drunken coordination with giant Jenga, corn hole, and pool — or you can serenade the bar with your tone-deaf karaoke. But make sure not to drop anything, trip, or breathe too loudly, because you’ll get kicked out faster than Donald Trump at a quinceañera.
5. Playground
This year seems to be the year of downtown Tucson. One of the highlights has been Playground on random nights of the week. This rooftop bar finally gives U of A students a chance to feel sophisticated while praying they don’t fall down 30 stairs in heels. I’m not sure anyone ever wanted a birds-eye view of downtown, but it provides a perfect spot to see how long the line at Hifi is getting.
4. Frog and Firkin
With all of the credit going to nightlife bars, let us not forget about the only day drinking spot outside of Sundays. Frogs will forever be the spot to celebrate game day, homecoming, finals or successfully making it to three of your eight classes in a week. If you’re too embarrassed to get on one knee and chug a Smirnoff Ice in front of a crowd, you can go sit in time-out on the No Anchovies patio.
3. Gentle Ben’s
Thanks to a prime location and a hell of a lot of marketing, Ben’s takes the number three spot. With $2 drinks and $5 cover on Tuesdays, it’s done a decent job winning over the old Maloney’s crowd — figure the price of cover makes up for the $5 you’d spend on a cab to Fourth Avenue. Outside of specials, Ben’s has been a consistent move on random nights every Thursday-Saturday.
2. Dirtbag’s
Although things have seemed to slow down this year, you know you will always love this dive-bar. With the new class of 21-year-olds experimenting at other bars, Bags got off to a rough start in 2015. But that’s nothing that a few Saturdays and homecoming can’t fix. What happens there, stays there, but only if Snapchat crashes and no one gets the video of you puking at the back bar. This place has provided great memories (or lack thereof) for generations of Wildcats, and you can plan on that continuing. Dirtbag’s may have been knocked off its throne for the first time in the last 30 years, but it will never be off the map.
1. Hifi Kitchen & Cocktails
With more promoters than the city of Las Vegas, it’s impossible to go on social media without seeing something about this place. With that being said, they never seem to disappoint. Things tend to get pretty packed on the floor Thursday and Saturday, but you’ll most likely be able to sneak into a table after learning your lab partner’s dad is the vice president of some well-known company. There’s just something about a sparkler taped to a bottle of vodka that makes you want to spend every cent of your financial aid. Hifi is also a tough place to beat on Sundays. There’s no sweeter phrase in a college student’s vocabulary than “bottomless mimosas,” and that’s exactly what they offer until 3 pm. By the looks of things, they bought every TV Best Buy had left, which means it’s an awesome spot for watching sports too.
There you have it: the top 10 U of A bars In 2015.
Love it or hate it, go try them all for yourself — and we’ll see you there.