The Best of Partying

Best bar | Best beer selection | Best cheap beer | Best drink specials | Good Beer | … Best bar | Best beer selection | Best cheap beer | Best drink specials | Good Beer | Best happy hour | Best karaoke | Best street to party on | Best place to wake up

Best bar: Peter’s Pub Runner-up: Hemingway’s

Located in the heart of Oakland between Forbes and Fifth avenues, Peter’s Pub is the place to stop after class to grab a beer or have a good meal from their varied menu. The crowd picks up after dark with nightly specials that are sure to please. If you want to get your groove on or just want to see frat guys shakin’ it without the walk up the hill, Peter’s has a dance floor upstairs. Like country music? Wednesday night at Peter’s is country night. If you’re lucky, you may even receive a free cowboy hat. All in all, Peter’s has a great beer selection, great location and a variety of music sure to please everyone.

Erica Armbruster and Laura Thomas, Copy Chief and Photo Editor

top Best beer selection: Peter’s Pub Runner-up: Gene’s place

Are you sick and tired of the same old Natty Light from your fridge? Are you ready to enlighten your tongue with a new lager or ale? Then Peter’s Pub is your next stop. Voted Best Bar by The Pitt News readers, Peter’s offers approximately 65 varieties of beer, from college favorites to classier bottles. Prepare to take down the mob in Chicago with Great Lakes’ Eliot Ness brew, cross the pond while sipping Fuller’s London Pride and experience a trippy walk home after a few Delirium Nocturnums. So, on that night when you decide to throw caution to the wind and boldly try something new, take the walk to Peter’s. You will definitely leave the bar happy.

Laura Thomas, Photo Editor

top Best cheap beer: Natty Light Runner-up: Miller Light

When many people think of cheap beer, they imagine a bad-tasting drink that Oakland parties overcharge guys $5 for. However, out of all the cheap beers, there is one that is worth the cover charge – Natural Light. Commonly referred to as Natty Light, Natural is often the keg choice of parties in this area because of its cheap price and relatively good taste. Created in 1977, Natty Light is a low-calorie beer that often can be purchased for as little as $11 a case. While other cheap beers such as Classic Ice and Keystone Light may rival Natty Light for the best price, there is no doubt that when it comes to taste, Natty Light is the best cheap beer.

Nick Lucca, Layout Editor

top Best drink specials: Hemingway’s Runner-up: Gene’s Place

No other Oakland bar has the reputation for drink specials quite like Hemingway’s. Seven days a week, Hemingways offers two $1 beer specials and a mixed-drink special. From Blue Moon to Bud Light to Heineken, every beer connoisseur’s tongue is sure to be satisfied at least one night of the week. What other bar do you know of in Oakland that gives you a candy necklace with the purchase of a mixed drink? Hop on over to Hemingways on any given night and enjoy a cheap drink that you probably would have been buying for a higher price somewhere else.

Erica Armbruster and Laura Thomas, Copy Chief and Photo Editor

top Good Beer: Coors Runner-up: Yuengling

So it seems that the Yuengling werewolf was finally shot with the silver bullet. It also means that Pitt students have fallen victim to the cool refreshing Rocky Mountain taste that Coors is known for. I mean, their beer is packed cold at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and shipped cold all the way to your local beer distributor; all to provide customers with the best possible taste.

Maybe you decided on each brewery’s commitment to excellence. Or maybe you guys just looked at the two price tags and chose the lowest, or maybe you decided alphabetically.

But however you voters came to your decision, I drink to you.

Andy Medici, Assistant News Editor

top Best happy hour: Mad Mex Runner-up: Peter’s Pub

So maybe you flunked your Bio exam or just got dumped – it’s all good – because for two very happy hours every weekday at Mad Mex, you can drown your sorrows with some pretty sweet happy hour specials.

From 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. for only $6, you can drink 22 ounces of lime, mango or even strawberry margarita goodness, with enough tequila to give you a buzz before even a happy half hour has gone by. For you lightweights, the 12 and 16-ounce sizes are half off, too.

Also, beer is cheap! All drafts are half off and Mad Mex changes the draft selection frequently.

If you’re feeling a little too tipsy and want to sober up, you could try some half-off wings (the ones with bones) and there’s always complimentary chips and salsa at the bar.

Nikki Schwab, staff writer

top Best karaoke: Bootlegger’s Runner-up: Cappy’s

Ever feel the need to sing obscure ’90s hits completely off key to a big crowd and still have people applauding you? If so, Bootlegger’s is the place for you. Every Wednesday, South Oakland is visited by the musical stylings of drunk college students. Hits from Whitney Houston to old favorites by Tom Petty can be heard at any given time. Make sure to grab a bunch of your friends and stop on by Bootlegger’s on Wednesday night. That way, even if you have a terrible voice, you can be sure someone will be cheering you on and ready to buy you a drink afterward for laughing so hard at you.

Erica Armbruster and Laura Thomas, Copy Chief and Photo Editor

top Best street to party on: Atwood Runner-up: Dithridge

We’ve all been there; it’s somewhere between 11 o’clock Saturday night and 3 a.m. Sunday morning, you’re stumbling through south Oakland looking for the next house party on your list. “I think it’s on Meyran, dude,” says one of your idiot friends. “No,” you answer back, “It’s on Atwood.”

Ah, Atwood Street, the Champs-Elysees of Oakland. Everything a discriminating college partygoer could want: beautiful, spacious homes, friendly, right-thinking residents, the creme-de-la-creme in all respects. And with fine street-side cafes like Antoon’s at your beck and call, who would want to party anywhere else?

D. Clark Denison, Society Editor

top Best place to wake up: My bed Runner-up: Boyfriend’s bed

Pillows, a blanket, warmth and safety, maybe even a cute stranger to run out to Pamela’s and eat some pancakes with – after a long night out, there’s nothing better than waking up in your own bed. Whether you’re in the dorms or an apartment, lounging around on a futon or a box spring, your bed is one of the few places you can truly call your own. Your bed never forgets to call you when it said it would, never makes you feel guilty if you don’t buy it flowers or take it anywhere nice, doesn’t care about your morning breath or your bed-head hair – really, why would you ever want to leave it?

Emily Kaufman, Assistant Opinions Editor