From dive bars to upscale bars, UNC students' favorite hangouts offer a variety of drinks, moods and music.
Bringing an alternative perspective to the downtown Chapel Hill bar scene are bars like Hell, Henry's Bistro at 403 W. Rosemary St. and the Carolina Coffee Shop at 138 E. Franklin St.
A self-professed "townie," senior anthropology major Will Harmon said the jukebox is one of the reasons he frequents Hell, located at 157 E. Rosemary St.
He said it is a bar with style, good specials and lots of people he knows.
Lucy's Manager Linanne Kulic said her bar is unique because it is clean, classy and offers a more upscale bar setting.
"We have a wide range of customers," she said. "We have the football players, undergraduates, graduate students -- people come to Lucy's to be seen."
And East End owner Howard McDonald, one of three people to claim ownership of East End, located at 201 E. Franklin St., in May of this year, said though his bar has an upscale atmosphere, management has been trying to do away with the perception that their bar is expensive with a recently revised menu that includes 101 martinis and lowered drink prices.
East End waitress Mirian Stanley said the dinner jazz music, the upscale atmosphere and the Diamond Dole -- an infused vodka drink -- is what attracts its customers.
"We aren't a hole in the wall," she said.
"Everybody is dressed up."
Although the customers aren't always dressed up at La Rez, located at 202 W. Rosemary St., Manager Dieter Gualtieri said owners built their customer base this summer when students realized they offered a big patio and warm cookies late at night.
"We have the best atmosphere; we're the bar that people come to at the end of the night," he said.
"We want to provide a place where the beer connoisseur and the average college student can come and enjoy the atmosphere," he said.
But Goodfellows regular and UNC senior Aynsley Pirtle said the atmosphere at a bar like Goodfellows, located at 149 E. Franklin St., is better than Top of the Hill.
"Top of the Hill is pretentious for no particular reason," she said.
"I can walk into Goodfellows in baggy jeans and a T-shirt and still feel comfortable.
"It's not all about the look here."
He's Not Here Owner Mark Burnett said his bar also has an unpretentious atmosphere and appeals to everyone from 21-year-olds to their parents.
"We have been here 25 years," he said. "I met a guy recently who came in here and told me that his parents met at this bar."
Burnett also said that although He's Not, located at 112-1/2 E. Franklin St., has a lot of regulars, it is also like an outside frat party.
23 Steps bouncer James Bartholomew said his bar appeals to a more Greek crowd.
"We see a lot of fraternity and sorority people in here; we are more of an undergraduate scene," he said.
Senior Josh Crews said he comes to 23 Steps, located at 173 E. Franklin St. for the younger crowd.
"I like 23 Steps because it lacks the old people," he said. "You don't get all the old IBMers from Raleigh."
And if you're looking for the unassuming, Linda's, located at 203 E. Franklin St., the bar's down-to-earth and chilled-out atmosphere attracts customers during early hours of the night that many other bars do not, said bartender August Wells.
"We get medical students that come in every Thursday by the twenties; we have a lot of regulars, and we sell a lot of draught beer," she said.
Also keeping with the laid-back genre are bars such as Bub O'Malley's, located at 157 E. Rosemary St., and the Thirsty Turtle, located at 201 E. Franklin St.
Thirsty Turtle's Manager Chris Serguson said there was some confusion over the bar's former name, Bottom's Up.
The name implied that they were a strip club, he said, but the Thirsty Turtle is instead just an ordinary bar.
"We are your local dive bar," he said.
"Everybody knows your name here; it's your local Cheers."
Bub's bartender Lloyd Rippe said his bar has a similar atmosphere.
"We're just a bar where you can go to drink some beer, play some games and enjoy your friends," he said.
Ken Achenbach, manager of Kirkpatrick's, located at 108 Henderson St., said he wants his bar to be a place where you can let your hair down a little bit and enjoy a beer with friends after class.
"We are revamping our menu and prices; our place has dropped the pretentiousness," he said.
By experimenting with live music and Thursday night beer specials, Achenbach said, he is trying to reclaim the strong customer base Henderson Street Bar & Grill used to have.
And if you're looking for the dance scene, NV, located on Rosemary Street, Players, located at 159 1/2 E. Franklin St., and Alley Oops Treehouse, located at 157 E. Franklin St., among others, are the bars with the dance floors and DJs.
With Players' Holy Grail drink, club atmosphere and dance music, Manager Doug Greene said they see a lot of the same faces.
"We appeal to the college scene because we do have an upbeat atmosphere, and the only actual dance floor right on Franklin Street," he said.
Although each bar has its own distinct ambiance and crowd, many owners say patrons will have to discover for themselves which bar most fits their particular style.
Achenbach said "I'm a beer and a shot kind of guy, and I'll drink at the bar that fits that bill."
"Hell, some of the best nights are the ones you don't even remember."
The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.
