It’s no secret that one bar near North Campus and three bars located in the University Heights have closed down in the past three years.
University Heights residents may be complaining students wandering around their community, but students are complaining about how there’s nowhere for them to satisfy their college partying needs.
Not every student knows there’s more to Buffalo’s bar scene than the surrounding areas of South and North Campuses, where they can have a night out with friends or simply go for a drink.
Don’t let the closings of Northside, Mojo’s, Molly’s and The U stop you from having a good time as a college student. Try out these favorite bars among students instead.
Sky Bar
Sky Bar, known as Buffalo’s only rooftop nightclub, is located downtown at 257 Franklin Entertainment Complex and open on Friday and Saturday nights until 4 a.m.
The only downfall about this bar is that Buffalo’s weather after mid-October is not ideal outside drinking weather – therefore the bar is only open in the summer months and early fall.
But the guest DJs, $5-10 cover and great drink prices make it a go-to place for students to party with friends while in Buffalo.
Students can try out this rooftop experience in the beginning and at the end of the school year – but Sky Bar is located right above two other inside bars: LiFT Nightclub and D’Arcy McGee’s Irish Pub. So when the weather does get cold patrons can check them out while waiting for Sky Bar to reopen.
(716) Food and Sport
The first thing you might take note of while walking into (716) is the huge flat screen TVs hanging on the wall. This two-level sports bar is a fun place to go to for casual drinks with friends to watch sport games and eat great food.
(716) is located at 7 Scott Street in the HarborCenter of downtown. You can sit at one of their many bars or at a regular restaurant table for drinks, food, friends and game time.
Join this restaurant during Happy Hour Monday through Friday for $2 off bottle and draft beers, $1 off wine by the glass and $1 off standard mixed drinks and signature cocktails. Two popular signature cocktails to try are the Sabre Blue Cocktail and the Blood Orange Margarita.
Slick Willie’s Sports Bar
Need a new bar near North Campus to make up for the loss of The U? Slick Willie’s Sports Bar, located on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Tonawanda, can be that new bar.
To celebrate the college night known as Thirsty Thursday, this bar offers $1 beers all night long. Slick Willie’s, also known as “Slicks,” is a bar where you will see college students and locals playing darts and billiards while drinking and hanging out with friends.
Although this bar isn’t walking distance from Campus or any Stampede stops and isn’t 18-and-up like The U was, it is a place for students to look into for a new and different cheap night out in Buffalo.
Thirsty Buffalo
The name of this bar says it all.
Thirsty Buffalo, located on Elmwood Avenue, has 32 beers on tap and from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, patrons can get $2 off pints of Labatt blue and $2 off well drinks. But the bar is most popular on weekend nights and has a good crowd for college students and young people. The bar also has a nice enclosed patio off to the side that patrons can spill into on the nights the bar and dance floor get too crowded.
Obviously, the best part about going to bars on Elmwood and nearby district Allentown are the options it gives. There are many more bars located near by making the two areas a perfect fit for barhopping.
Dani Guglielmo is a features desk editor and can be reached at dani.guglielmo@ubspectrum.com.
Photo: Courtesy of Tracey Drury
