Here are my reviews of the bars that existed in Davis during the time I was there (1990-1995). These are only the main bars in town. There were a few smaller bars that were usually attached to restaurants. As far as I'm concerned they don't count. The five bars I've chosen to review are: Mr. B's, Cantina, Paragon, Sudwerk, and The Grad.
B's
This place had a longer name, I think, but it was always
just "B's" to everyone. "Hey, are you going to B's tonight for the
50 cent beer special?" The place could get raucous, but that was
because it fit so much into such a small space (though there was a fenced
patio outside that facilitated sneaking into the place). You had
dancing, two pool tables, a full bar, and on some nights karaoke on the
small stage (I'm ashamed to admit that I once got up there with about 10
other people and sang Don McClean's "American Pie"), all in a space about
the same size as a Taco Bell. Which reminds me, it always seemed
that when I puked after a night of drinking, it was Taco Bell that came
up. Weird.
I think B's is now some kind of restaurant. Not Mexican, either. Oh well.
Cantina
This place also had a longer name, but we always called
it just "Cantina" because we were lazy.
This was kind of a mellow place to hang out with your
friends and listen to a band and eat chips and drink beer. No hard
liquor was served. I think they had something like 60 beers on tap
here. All the different taps stuck out of a giant wall behind the
bar. Awe inspiring. Very spacious, with pool tables and darts
and an outside patio. They even had a separate room off to the side
for private parties.
The chips and salsa were excellent as well.
Paragon
This place was right next door to Cantina, with an outdoor
area great for drinking on a warm night. So we would often wander
between the two bars. This was a bar in the traditional sense of
the word: no dance floor, just tables and chairs, and they served lots
of hard liquor. This place was even smaller than B's. Here's
a funny story:
When I was still a freshman, I got a fake ID from a buddy of mine who was a little older. So some friends and I (not the guy who gave me the fake ID!) went out to the bars and the first one that night was Paragon. I still had my real ID because I was driving that night and didn't want to get pulled over without it. Anyway, we were standing in line, and I was acting all cocky, as if I belonged there. I got to the bouncer and handed him my fake ID nonchalantly. I continued rappin' with him like I was an old pro at the bar scene as he was looking at my ID. He shined his flashlight at the ID, then up at my face, then down again, and repeated this a couple times. Then he looked at me and said:
"Do you know you're only 19?"
At which point I realized that I'd given him my REAL ID, and the fake ID was still in my wallet. So my friends were laughing at me, everyone in the line was laughing at me, and to top it off the bouncer called over a bunch of waitresses so they could see what kind of idiot was standing at the door. Needless to say, we left promptly.
It was still a cool bar, though.