Claremont McKenna College
- Nightlife

Heroes

Heroes has the potential to be far and away the coolest place around—if only it stayed open later. It’s a bar and grill in The Village, but it leans more towards the grill side. Still, the bar portion is great to pop into for a drink. Well, I suppose a 30-ounce beer requires more commitment than a simple pop in, but it would be hard to spend your whole night at Heroes. There are over 40 beers from around the world on tap, and you can order a big or a small (is that really an option?). It’s a great place to catch a game or just hang out, although it’s usually crowded with people waiting for a table, and it can be hard to get noticed.

Friar Tuck’s

Friar Tuck’s is a pretty lowbrow bar, with a dirty feel and sticky seats. There are games like pool and darts, as well as a boxing ring stage for live bands. Happy hour has mediocre drink specials, although they do have free snacks like Pizza Pockets. It’s not really worth the drive.

Tequila Hoppers

Tequila Hoppers rocks. It’s a great sports bar with great drink specials and waitresses who are easy on the eyes. There are TVs all over and lots of space to sit and watch a game. There are also games like remote poker and trivia, so you can play other people around the bar. They have 80 beers, over 50 types of tequila, and great drink specials on both. There are specials every night, and from 7 p.m. to close, they have deals like half-off food and drinks, $1 beers, $3 you-call-its. On Sundays during the football season, they have specials all day long while the games are on. At night, the place gets a little wilder with live DJs and lights, making it a bit more of a dance club atmosphere. At night, the clientele gets a little bit sketchy—daytime is definitely a little more enjoyable.

The Press

The Press is the only late-night venue in the Village, and it’s pretty popular with students for that reason. It’s classier than your typical college bar, but the prices are pretty good, and there is a variety of live music many nights. Happy hour is 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and every night from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m., with $4 well drinks, house wines, $3 pints, and $8 pitchers. The beer selection is limited, but quality. The Press is the other closest bar to campus: about a 10-minute walk through Pomona’s campus. Some nights the music causes a cover charge, but this happens infrequently.

The Buffalo Inn (The Buf)

The Buf has long been a student favorite for weekday happy hours (5 p.m.–7 p.m.) with delicious $2 hamburgers, homemade potato chips, and $7 pitchers with over 20 beers on tap. It’s a cool bar to just sit in, an intimate little double-decker log cabin on the side of the road. When the weather is nice, there is outdoor seating around a big fire pit. The Buf is mostly a happy hour spot, but you can have a great party there or just a great meal (try the buffalo burgers).

Blackwatch

Classy is not the word to describe the Blackwatch, but if the 5Cs were to have a student bar, this would be it. It’s dark, dingy, and one of the final rebellious outposts that allows smoking indoors. But make no mistake, the Blackwatch is a ton of fun. There’s darts, pool, Deer Hunter, Ms. Pacman, a St. Patty’s day countdown clock, and a crazy local cover band on Saturday nights. There aren’t any specials to speak of, but prices are always right with $3–$5 pints and cheap pitchers every night. The Blackwatch is also one of only two bars within legitimate walking distance from campus, and although students rarely take advantage of this, it’s a short seven-minute stumble home should you drink too much.

The Cellar

The Cellar is definitely the most chic place around with a cool bar, nice lounges, and a good dance floor. As is so often true, style comes at a price, and The Cellar is one of the more pricey bars around. Drink specials aren’t anything special. Most people would advise you to go to LA for this kind of bar experience, although that is even more expensive.

The Bulldog Pub

Your typical pub, kinda far from campus and nothing special. It’s not particularly popular with the students.

Dinner in the Village or TNC