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6522 N. 16th St. Phoenix, AZ 85016
602-285-5555
http://www.16th.st European expatriates Keith and Marianne Prescott (he's from England, she's from Denmark) have a simple philosophy, when it comes to both life and how they run their charming CenPho joint. "If you just enjoy people and let them enjoy what you have to offer, everything works out," Keith says. Lucky for him, patrons have been willing to put this principle into practice, as the place is quite popular with both drinkers and sports freaks alike. The couple are devotees of soccer (natch) and have created a Mecca for local FIFA aficionados, including the Phoenix chapter of the American Outlaws fan club. In addition to airings of English Premier League matches, they're more than happy to flip on whatever game is on, as well as crack open any of the 40 bottled import and domestic beers in stock. More >>
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5009 E. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85034
602-273-7378
http://www.stockyardssteakhouse.com Few places in the Valley evoke our city's Wild West heritage better than this Phoenix landmark that's adjacent to the historic Stockyards Restaurant. Amble on through its swinging doors, pardner, and discover a gorgeously appointed interior resembling a saloon straight out of The Rifleman. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and old timey murals dot the walls. The only thing lacking are a few desperados and no good card cheats playing poker games between and a few can-can girls. The hand-carved mahogany bar is usually frequented by cowboys (albeit of the urban variety) and offers a menu of drinkables that includes 22 different beers, such local wines as Stronghold and Cimarron, as well as a dozen-plus whites and more than 36 reds. After a few stiff drinks, you might even feel brave ordering a plate of the Stockyard's infamous calf fries. More >>
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1 San Marcos Place Chandler, AZ 85225
480-812-0900
http://www.sanmarcosresort.com This elegant watering hole at Arizona's oldest golf resort has quite a history. Below a banquet room across the hall, catacombs are all that's left of what was once a speakeasy. You won't need a password to get into the brightly lighted bar today, but it seems nearly everyone who works there has a ghost story to tell. More >>
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1520 W. Warner Road Gilbert, AZ 85233
480-497-2445
http://www.firstrounddraft.com A popular hangout for transplanted Midwesterners, First Round Draft gets particularly busy during college football Saturdays. University of Nebraska fans from across the Valley tend to take over the joint whenever the latest Cornhuskers match-up takes place, occupying every seat in the house and filling the place with a sea of scarlet tee shirts. The rest of the week belongs to locals, however, with team trivia on Tuesdays, game nights featuring beer pong and bingo on Wednesdays, and Texas Hold'em tourneys on Thursdays. Friendly bartenders and reasonable drink prices are enough to keep you coming back, including 10-cent beers on your birthday. Heck, you might even want to make drive all the way from Nebraska just for a sip. More >>
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2038 N. 27th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85009
602-272-3146
An all-day happy hour, bodacious bartending staff, and a variety of games and pool tables make this colorful West Valley watering hole a favorite destination at different times of the day and night. Patrons run the gamut, from the blue-collar crowd and neighborhood regulars who stop by after the workday is done, to the beautiful babes that pack the place on nights and weekends. Beat-mixing DJs rock the turntables with Latin grooves and hip-hop anthems Thursday through Saturday and the occasional live band stops by, too. More >>
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8945 N. 43rd Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85051
623-847-0335
With the massive amount of dive bars and strip-mall watering holes in the West Valley, you're playing a game of chance when you walk into an unfamiliar one. So why not stop by one that has an actual wheel of fortune mounted on the wall? The 43rd Avenue Tavern's owner and his wife concoct new $2 shots every few weeks, put their names on the wheel, and let patrons spin it to see what they'll get. You could end up with one of the bar's tasty creations or you could wind up paying double for a shot, but, hey, that's how fortune works, right? More >>
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5030 Peoria Ave. Glendale, AZ 85302
623-939-3876
http://www.the5030.com The 5030 Lounge boasts the tagline "drink in your own ZIP code." Located in a quiet Glendale suburb, this bar strives to be the neighborhood hangout. The friendly wait staff knows the regulars by name and welcomes newcomers as though they're family. Open 365 days a year, 5030 offers patrons looking to escape the holiday madness (or in-laws) a place of refuge. The hospitality is extended to Sundays and Mondays, when there is free pool. You can party as though it was your 21st birthday, with $1.50 domestics and wells for "power hour" every Sunday through Thursday or $2 shot specials every day of the week. NASCAR games are a particular treat here: Every time there's a caution, patrons are given a $1 drink ticket. If NASCAR isn't your thing, there are two pool tables, two dartboards, and a dancing pole. More >>
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910 N. McClintock Drive Tempe, AZ 85281
480-966-0707
http://www.910liveaz.com/site/ Way "back in the day" (specifically, from 1991 until 2002) this eclectic Tempe club functioned as a home base for the Valley's music scene. Back then it was called Boston's. Fast-forward to today and you'll discover that the place is still rocking, although the ramshackle décor has been ditched in favor of tasteful nudes and choreographed lighting. It's once again an epicenter of live music, however. Much like in its heyday, the joint still offers separate bars and stages indoors and outside on the large patio. National touring bands and locals perform four nights a week. Talented turntablists hang out here on Wednesdays and the occasional Sundays, transforming 910 Live into a dope danceteria. More >>
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4282 N. Drinkwater Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-264-8300
http://www.myspace.com/afterlifescottsdale Sleep is overrated, especially when Aron Mezo's after-hours club Afterlife offers energy drinks, blackjack and other casino-style action, video games, dancing, and other eye-opening distractions to anyone 18 and over. The Liquid Room regularly hosts hourly shower shows (featuring go-go girls shaking their moneymakers in glow-in-the-dark body paint), while the Earth Room also offers hookahs and DJs, and the upstairs Fire Room boasts secluded nooks and even more scantily clad dancers. A special party bus also transports college kids from ASU every 30 minutes to help add some young blood to the already raucous atmosphere. More >>
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5040 Wild Horse Pass Blvd. Chandler, AZ 85246
480-559-1847
http://www.wingilariver.com/AIRIA/
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11807 N. Saguaro Blvd. Fountain Hills, AZ 85268
480-837-5699
http://www.myspace.com/374197580
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101 E. Jackson St. Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-253-7337
http://www.alicecooperstown.com School's out forever at this hybrid sports/rock 'n' roll theme eatery where the shock-rocker born Vincent Furnier is worshipped like a demigod. Goth-punk waitresses wear eye makeup à la Cooper, and his ghoulish image stares out at you from nearly every table. Fender guitars signed by such acts as The Police, Eric Clapton, and Black Sabbath line the walls, along with a collection of sports memorabilia. Huge TV screens face you at nearly every angle so you can watch any and every game that might be on. Surprisingly, the food's not bad for bar grub: barbecue, burgers, sammies, chili, wings, etc. Cool spot to eat before or after a game at nearby U.S. Airways Center or Chase Field. More >>
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4236 W. Dunlap Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85051
623-937-5869
This is what a friendly North Phoenix neighborhood bar looks like when it's run by folks who wear a love for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Marilyn Monroe on their sleeves simultaneously. If you're in the mood to get hammered on the cheap, 75-cent Jägermeister shots can be had every day (with the purchase of any beer), and there's a crane game near the front with adult novelty prizes for those who are feeling, uh
amorous. Pool, darts, arcade games, and karaoke on the weekends are also available if your tastes are a little less racy. More >>
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21001 N. Tatum Phoenix, AZ 85050
480-606-0803
http://www.amctheatres.com
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4363 N. 75th St. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-990-3000
http://www.americanjunkieaz.com Part dance club, and part scenester lounge, American Junkie also functions as a haven for sports nuts, with a ring of flat-screens hanging just above the circular bar. Operated by the same people behind Pussycat Lounge and Dirty Pretty, it also boasts a fun vibe, and killer kitchen dishing out upscale comfort food selections. More >>
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10101 E. Bell Road Scottsdale, AZ 85255
480-585-3150
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718 N. Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85004
602-258-6122
http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/dining/Amsterdam_679527248422 Whether they're classic, fruity, or just plain dirty, Amsterdam's martinis -- all 37 of them -- are made to please. Sip one alongside the here-to-be-seen crowd, mingling and bouncing to techno beats within a sultry Greco-Roman interior, or on one of the swanky outdoor patios, where smoking divas sit back and survey the scene from overstuffed leather couches. On Mondays, a $5 bill will get you a cocktail, manicure, or tarot card reading. And if you're planning to visit on First Friday, bring your Dolce & Gabbana crowbar, because the place is packed. More >>
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6820 E. 5th Ave. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
480-994-5176
http://www.vagabondballroomaz.com
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5749 N. 7th St. Phoenix, AZ 85014
602-277-9373
http://www.apollos.com A longtime favorite of the Phoenix gay scene, Apollo's is the kind of bar where you can have a few beers and hang with a diverse selection of drinkers. From jockish preps and fabulous drag queens to big cuddly bears and roughneck biker types, they all gather here for the camaraderie and cute bartenders. If your peepers get tired from all the people watching, there's karaoke from Thursday through Saturday, and the infamous "Greek God Revue" strip show on Sundays. More >>
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1245 W. Chandler Blvd. Chandler, AZ 85224-5206
480-917-3535
http://www.applebees.com
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4801 E. Indian School Road Phoenix, AZ 85018
602-840-3950
http://www.arcadiatavern.com We go here for good company, sure, but it's the bruschetta that we long for. The spinach and artichoke brucshetta is our favorite, and we like to order it during the week when we can get a whole board of the stuff along with a bottle of wine for only $20. Yummy sides include sweet potato tater tots, which have to be tasted to be believed. Good bar food includes Asian chicken salad, the piled-high monster nachos, and the Cobb 7, a salad so full of bacon and avocado, you'll pass out from joy. More >>
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524 N. 92nd St. Scottsdale, AZ 85256
480-850-7776
http://www.casinoaz.com
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2 E. Jefferson Phoenix, AZ 85004
http://www.foxrc.com/the_arrogant_butcher.html If you must dine in downtown Phoenix, try this 7,500-square-foot urban grill - where an ambitious menu holds a few hits along with the misses. We love the pate and the salads, though we recommend skipping the too-salty pastrami sandwich and the rather limp fries. Daily specials like Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes (every Monday) and the Wednesday night Slow-Roasted Prime Rib bring people back again and again - or maybe it's just a lack of options. Here's to arrogance! More >>
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7707 E. McDowell Road Scottsdale, AZ 85257
480-656-0010
http://www.avalon-scottsdale.com At stylish Avalon - located in an unlikely part of south
Scottsdale -- executive chef Travis Watson caters to guests at the
adjacent 3 Palms Oasis Resort with standards like steak and Caesar
salad, but adds a few twists to his California-meets-Mediterranean
menu, like calamari "frites," polenta-stuffed prawns, and lovely
desserts that reflect his pastry chef background.Feeling thirsty? The dope drink-mixers working the glowing bar at Avalon Scottsdale can slake your thirst with any of a dozen scintillating and exotic-sounding alcoholic concoctions. Check out their super-sweet take on the traditional caipirinha (made from a combo of cachaça, cane syrup, fresh lime, and a swizzle stick made with rock candy); as well as the delectable Africana Fiz (consisting of fresh lemon, Madagascan vanilla bean More >>
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1906 E. Mcdowell Road Phoenix, AZ 85006-3053
http://www.myspace.com/531208648 There aren't any garish neon signs marking the location of this bizarre-looking boutique dedicated to notorious rap-rock group Insane Clown Posse. In fact, it doesn't even have a phone number, just a simple-looking MySpace and a crew of face paint-wearing Juggalo employees hawking ghetto-fab ICP gear like tee shirts, CDs, and posters. The Axe also functions as a no-frills music venue, where visiting rap-rock and punk bands perform inside an adjacent room tagged with multiple graffiti art murals. There's also plenty of room for moshing about while costume-clad horrorcore artists like Spooky Z Tha GraveDigguh and Darkside Immortals suck down Faygo soda and get freaky onstage. Whoop! Whoop! More >>
