Best College Bars In The Bay Area
College Bar (credit: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
They seem to prosper in San Francisco, Berkeley and Palo Alto, where Bay Area college bars have lots going on. From live music to foosball and from darts to trivia quiz nights, happy hours and late nights are as much a part of the scene as cold beer and wide screen televisions. Some of these bars and pubs have been around for a decade. One important thing that will never change is location, location, location.
Kezar Pub
770 Stanyan St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 386-9292
www.thekezarpub.com
Pool, darts and video games plus multiple TV screens go great with the nachos and crispy buffalo wings. From the University of San Francisco, a walk to the sports bar on the edge of Golden Gate Park is only a six-minute walk. From the UCSF Parnassus main campus, it's 10 minutes on foot, which beats waiting for Muni. The Kezar's sister pub, Brit-style The Mad Dog in the Fog, is down the other end of Haight Street. Whether it's March Madness, the World Series, Big 12 or the Super Bowl, you won't find a sports event that doesn't pack these places out.
Bus Stop Saloon
1901 Union St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 567-6905
www.busstop-sf.com
Around since 1900, Bus Stop Saloon boasts the awning at the corner of Union and Laguna streets in the Marina District. Open until 2 a.m. seven nights a week, it's a bit divey, heavily sporty feel with a campus vibe, even though there isn't one here. The big commuter schools around San Francisco know about places like this for pool, a good jukebox, craft beers on tap, plenty of space and lots of TVs. One of the best deal is on Wednesday and Saturday, when the Pabst Buckets are six for $15. The Blue Light and Brick Yard are only a few steps away, so the whole two-block strip is a go-to sports bar zone.
1822 San Pablo Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94702
(510) 843-2473
www.albatrosspub.com
At Berkeley's oldest pub, established in 1964, you can BYOF (that's bring your own food) if you like. The Bird holds their Brainstormer quiz nights for fun and prize drinks tokens on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. and the darts tournament on Tuesdays. Board games, beer and popcorn rank high on the list of good things about the old school place, where occasional live band performances take place on a Wednesday (free) or Saturday ($3 cover) night. Over-21's only, it's just 1.5 blocks north of campus at UC Berkeley, with the Bay Area's largest student population.
The Rose And Crown Pub
547 Emerson St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-327-7673
www.roseandcrownpa.com
The mock Tudor place stocking beer and wine only behind the bar is a Palo Alto tradition. No plush sofas here. It's not pretentious and it's not about great food, although you can order fish and chips and several more English-themed items to go with your Fullers London Pride or Newcastle Brown Ale. Brainstormer trivia quiz nights are on Tuesdays at 8 p.m., when beer specials are $4. Right off University Avenue, it's only three blocks from Caltrain, a few minutes' walk from Stanford University.
321 S. California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94306
(650) 321-2550
www.facebook.com/pages/Antonios-Nut-House
The party's been going on here since about 1972. The drinks are no longer a dollar, but they're less than a fiver and the peanuts are still free. Named for the peanut shells everybody gets to throw on the floor, Antonio's is a Peninsula dive bar of note in Stanford's backyard. There's a jukebox, foosball, air hockey, a couple of arcade games and three pool tables (coin operated at $1 per game) plus a taqueria counter on the back wall, for when the munchies strike. Love it or hate it, it's open until 2 a.m. seven days a week, making it the quintessential grungy joint near campus.
