Hi again. Well here I've composed a list of many of the more auspicious nightspots in Buffalo and which are worth hanging out at and where I myself sometimes frequent. Here I've only included those places which in my opinion are worthy of checking out and spending time at, so as not to waste yours or anyone else's. (I haven't been everywhere in Buffalo however, so just because I didn't include a place, it doesn't necessarily mean that I don't like it.) I've only included positive or neutral comments, since I've come to see the wisdom in the old saying, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all..." Though, a little honest criticism never hurt anybody, and I've included some of that as well. By the way, all these places serve alcoholic beverages, so be sure to bring some I.D. with you, or something which reasonably resembles authentic I.D.
The Continental (*****). (a.k.a. Narcissists Anonymous, Hahahahahahahaha...) [THIS DESCRIPTION SOON TO BE UPDATED! STAY TUNED!] This is currently my favorite nightclub in Buffalo, and is noncoincidentally the only semi-"gothic" nightclub in Buffalo, and can be found on Franklin St., around the corner from the Calumet on Chippewa. It's only open Thursday through Saturday (especially Saturday), and those two nights seem to be the best nights there. I've gone twice on Friday nights, much to my disappointment each time as I gazed upon the near-empty club. Thursday night probably has the largest percentage of goths, while Saturday night has the largest sheer volume of people overall. Live bands play here regularly (downstairs), and my favorite of these is called The Industry of Live Divine; a definite must-see. Their members can often be seen dancing or hanging out (upstairs) when they're not playing. I could probably say that some of the most interesting people I've ever seen in Buffalo, I've seen dancing at this place. They also play some pretty cool music -- that one's unlikely to hear anywhere else -- upstairs, where everybody including myself can be found hanging out and dancing. Don't get to the Continental too early, because the action doesn't really start to pick up until like 01:00 AM or so; peak hour is like sometime between 02:30 and 03:30 AM. Well, a lot of people say a lot of different things about the Continental, the most interesting nightclub in Buffalo. I'll just finish by writing a line from its theme song: "It's something special, The Continetal, because it does what you want it to do!"
Network (*****). Well this was in my opinion the best (and probably the biggest) nightclub in Buffalo, that is until the owners (one of which was quarterback Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills) ran out of money and were forced to close it down. So there's really not much to say about this place for now, except that I hope it opens up again sometime in the near future. In its heyday, it was definitely the best place to be in Buffalo on a Thursday night (and this was also noncoincidentally its "alternative night.") Anyway, this place has now reopened and is now called Banana Joe's, and I haven't been in there since this regeneration occurred, but I'll mention it here if/when I ever see the inside of the place..
The Coliseum (****+). This is a fairly large nightclub right down the street from The Continental, right around the corner from The House of Quinn. It has a somewhat older crowd, mostly people in their mid to later 20's, I would say. Downstairs is most of the club, where there is fairly good music, a sizable elevated dancefloor, and a large bar. A pretty not-so-fancy run-of-the-mill modern nightclub, with all the standard stuff that a modern 90's nightclub should have. One can find a good mix of people in here, most of whom are fairly well-dressed. Actually things here have picked up recently, and I would now characterize it as the most cosmopolitan nightclub in Buffalo. You'll find just about everything regarding high nightlife in here, and one gets the feeling there are relatively powerful people with lots of money floating around. A few long stretch limousines and other expensive cars can usually be found right outside. For some reason there are often many Buffalo Police cars hovering right outside too, with some occassional activity observable... Many of the patrons are also extremely good looking, and as mentioned, customers tend to be very well-dressed, near the cutting edge of modern social fashion. There are even some men dressed in business suits, but this seems odd to me; I feel as if they're there to try to sell me something, dressed that way. This is the place to come to "see it all" and experience it all.
Flash (****). This is the recently-opened upstairs floor of The Coliseum, which costs a few more bucks to get into, and is basically a smaller version of downstairs, but with slightly different music; this place tends to market itself as a rave club for yuppies. It's basically an extension of The Coliseum, an overflow floor if you will, but the people with more bucks and more social/nightclubbing ambition will be found up here.
The Pier (****). This is a major upscale/mainstream nightclub on the shore of Lake Erie, just south of downtown Buffalo; you can get there from the Buffalo Skyway. Alternative night is Thursday. At least half the place is outdoors, overlooking the lake, since it's a summertime club which is only open during the warm season. 'Very large, it can hold thousands of people, I'm almost sure. Come here reasonably well-dressed, and take advantage of the fairly large dancefloor inside.
Club Marcella (****). This is, yes, a modern, relatively full-sized rave/techno club. You know the dress style and the whole routine. I swear, none of the songs they play at this place have any lyrics. And it seems most of the floor area of this place consists of a big dance floor, and one is expected to use it! Also, the building looks very impressive from the outside; one almost expects the interior to be much larger than it actually is. Well I guess there's really not a whole lot more to be said about it. Bring the whole gang on down, with the rave dress and the light sticks, and come and dance the night away to that transcendent music. The place is set back a ways from the sidewalk of Pearl St., between Tupper and Chippewa.
The Chippewa Strip (****). Well, this currently seems to be the most active weekend nightlife spot for Buffalo-area 20-somethings. This is a single block of land on Chippewa St., stretching from Pearl St. to Franklin St.. There are numerous bars here, including, in no particular order: The House of Quinn (*), which is famous for it's corner patio; The Atomic (***), which is small but packs a punch and has a small dancefloor (check it out); The Concrete Cafe (**), which is big and spacious, but pretty boxey; Bradford's (*), which is dark and difficult to characterize; The Third Room (***), which has just about every kind of person you can imagine, and has a large rear patio; and the Calumet Arts Cafe (*), which is laid-back with tables and chairs, and plays jazz. The Third Room is probably my favorite of these, as I seem to prefer it's mixed environment and diversity of people the the most. The Atomic is good too, but it's better if you bring earplugs; save those earplugs for when you go down the street to the Continental too. (This is definitely not a commentary on the music, but rather on its volume.)
Mr. Goodbar (***), and Coles (**). [TO BE APPENDED! STAY TUNED!] This is definitely the place to be on a Tuesday night (and perhaps on other nights too, though I wouldn't know since I've never come here on other nights). I refer to "this" place in the singular because these two bars are adjacent, and their crowds are somewhat similar. Located on Elmwood Ave. just south of Buffalo State College, it's no surprise that these archtypical college bars draw in mostly Buff State students. Mr. Goodbar is very cool indeed -- very dark, very "alternative"-looking, I dare say almost semi-gothic, and in fact one can find a few regulars from The Continental in here on a Tuesday night, which is also when they have twenty five cent beer drafts at the bar. It has a small dancefloor too, and an odd upstairs section. Coles nextdoor has a distinctly more conservative/traditional atmosphere, though there's some natural "trickleover coolness" from the clientele of Mr. Goodbar and the neighborhood in general. Coles is a very spacious bar with many different areas to hang out, including a small outdoors section at the sidewalk, and upstairs there is a small dancefloor with a nice geometric set-up, where just about anything can happen.
Mulligan's Brick Bar (***), the former Old Pink Flamingo (*), and Nietzche's (**). Mulligan's is a rather conservative/traditional college bar, which some refer to as "an upscale Third Base" (see below...). One can find it on what is perhaps Buffalo's most famous and interesting street, Allen St., at the end of it which lies west of Delaware Ave. It's not very wide but is very long, and this alone allows it to pack in large numbers of college students. On the positive side, one can find large numbers of very good-looking nicely-dressed young women in here on a weekend night, and they're actually somewhat friendly too. The guys are usually dressed in a very "preppy" manner, so people who walk in dressed gothic may very well get the evil eye. One gets the feeling in this place that it's a prep-bar for future country club members. But it does have a physics equation somewhere on the back wall, 'last time I checked, making it acceptable in my book. The best night at Mulligan's is on a Saturday night, upon which the place is usually packed shoulder to shoulder during peak hours. At least until recently it was. Something odd seems to have happened to it recently, and there hasn't been much activity going on there. The best times of year to go are when school isn't in session, it seems. On the other hand, the Old Pink, right next door, is a noticably dark and shady bar, usually with a lot of motorcycles parked out in front of it. One can find the most bizarre characters in this place, though it's hard to tell exactly who's in it since it's so dark. It has a billiards table, a couple of cheezy video games, and a long bar. The restrooms do have cool grafitti in them though. Old Pink is the place to come if you're looking for the darker side of life; I might even describe it as "postmodern". But be forwarned: there's really no place to hide if you start to feel uncomfortable, so that might be a downer if you're a more convention type of person; the last time I was in here, men were casting sexual compliments at me... Finally, right down the street and across the way is Nieztche's, which is a small live music bar that attracts some of the most famous local bands around. Somewhat overpriced; very "artsy" crowd. Good for live bands I guess; I've never really spent any time in there; 'only peeked in to look around once.
Mickey Rats (***+), and Broadway Joe's (**+). [NEEDS UPDATING! STAY TUNED!] Ahh yes, this is considered "the big time" for UB students who are still relatively new to the barhopping scene. Located several blocks down from UB south campus, on Main St. between Minnesota and LaSalle, these are a step up from the staple UB bars, P.J.'s and 3rd Base (see below). Mickey Rats is overall a cheezy, somewhat sleezy nightclub with a small but colorful dancefloor, but the place is not totally devoid of merit. For one thing, one can find attractive underaged girls in here, if one is into that sort of thing. All things considered, it's also a relatively sophisticated environment for college students to socialize at -- frankly in my opinion, an excellent place for inexperienced nightclubbers to get "broken-in" at; I know it was a good "first nightclub" for me personally. Also, the club seems to have made a great comeback in recent times, making it possibly the most crowded nightclub in Buffalo on a Thursday night nowadays. As said, the crowd is pretty crude and untamed, but most everyone seems to have a great time, and the women tend to be very attractive, and still very young to boot. Please do not come here to find intelligencia however; you won't find much brainpower or sophisication in here. Okay, right next door to 'Rats is Broadway Joe's, which is a live bands club. All kinds of local bands play here, especially ones which are hooked-in with the UB community. The crowd tends to be UB and other college students who enjoy listening to modern live music. Very alternative crowd; a lot of people from the surrounding University Heights neighborhood. One gets the feeling that many crowd members are also musicians themselves.
The Steer (**) (downstairs from The Montana Room), and Molly's Pub (*). [TO BE UPDATED; STAY TUNED!] Ooh, here's a touchy subject. Located on Main St., roughly mid-way between UB south campus and Mickey Rats, is none other than The Steer. This is a rather serious-feeling bar with a young-ritzy atmosphere to it, with the feeling that a lot of power is flying around here. One tends to find expensive, sleek-looking cars parked in its parking lot and in front of it. The clientele is disproportionately members of greek-letter organizations: fraternities and sororities. However, one may find non-greeks in here, particularly those who are friends of UB (and other?) greeks. Some neighborhood clubbers may also just opt to come here, rather than say, to Mickey Rats. The Steer is considered by many to be the "elite" bar and social scene of the UB student community. I admit I've only been in here a few times in my life, and each time with one of my best friends who lives in the neighborhood. It can be a good place to go though at certain times, on the right occassion and with the right people. A little ways down the street, toward UB, is Molly's Pub, a small little bar with fancy green florescent lights on it. I've been here on rare occasion, though I frankly can't see why anyone goes here. I'm told that it's a comfortable place to "just hang out with friends". There's really not much to it on the inside that in any way individuates it, though there is a huge artificial "beer bottle in ice" (I know not how else to describe it) hanging from the ceiling above the pool table. I always thought it might hurt if that thing fell down while someone was trying to sink the eight ball in corner pocket.
Third Base (*), and P.J. Bottom's (*). As sad as it may seem to us bar veterans, 3rd Base and P.J.'s are the cornerstone of the barhopping nightlife of UB students, particularly of the younger UB students. These are almost adjacent, separated only by Coffee Bean Cafe, on Main St. right across from UB south campus. I have to actually admit that they're fun places to hang out and get used to barhopping at, for those who have little experience. P.J.'s used to have a wild and crazy let-loose anything-goes kind of environment, chocked full of all kinds of young college students, including large numbers of greek-lettered ones and athletes. Something strange has happened in recent times though, and their clientele has dropped-off sharply for some reason. Now the predominate UB bar seems to be Third Base. Third Base is the quintessential hangout for UB athletes of all kinds, including managing members of the ski club, members of the men's and women's rugby teams, women's lacrosse, gymnastics team, and players from many other university teams. Hey, one might even find a few non-athletes here too. It's basically a bare-bones run-of-the-mill small college bar that plays popular college music and attracts UB students who just like to hang around, drink, dance in place, and maybe even shoot a game of pool. Both P.J.'s and 3rd Base have rear patios, P.J.'s' being nicer and semi-enclosed.
Bobby J's (formerly The Stuffed Mushroom) (**). This is one of the few places in the area which is packed on a Monday night, and is located on Main St. about halfway between UB South Campus and Canisius College. For some reason though, the people in this place feel the need to stare at anyone who walks in, as if screening them to find out what they're doing there. A lot of students from Canisius College can be found here, and the environment is rather "conservative/traditional college bar," I would say. 'Good place to come with friends for a lighthearted "good time"; 'bad place to come looking for people to have an intellectual conversation with.
KIXX Nightclub (****). [MORE TO BE ADDED SOON!] Well I had to mention it. KIXX is a large nightclub at the Buffalo Airport Radisson Hotel, on Genesee St. across from the Buffalo International Airport. Mostly an older crowd, and I do mean older. 'Very few college students here, though I guess the best nights if you're young are Wednesday and Friday nights. Beware of Saturday "retro" nights though; it's mostly 40-somethings trying to act like they're 20 years younger, though it's very interesting if you're looking for something different and on the more "mature" side. I occasionally refer to this place as a "redneck" nightclub, the reason for which might be evident to one who goes in there and takes a look around at the typical clientele. The place is rather large though, with a sizable dance floor too. Multi-layered so you can either get down low and dance, or get up onto higher plateaus if you want to survey the terrain. An additional comment is in order; it seems that the crowd has improved in quality recently, and now the people to be found here are actually pretty decent and attractive, though above comments still apply. It definitely seems to be the place to be on a Wednesday night in Buffalo.
The Metroplex (***). This is a rave/techno dance club which has replaced "The Edge," and frankly I don't even know if it's open, though I believe it is. I plan to give it a thorough inspection in the near future so I can make a more detailed report on it. It is hard to find though, located in the one-block one-way section of Main Street, between Pearl and Tupper. The entrance is the back alley facing a parking lot coming off of Washington St.
I'll add information about more clubs as I come across them.
Back to front page