NIGHTLIFE

Bars

Bill's Bar - 5 1/2 Lansdowne St., Boston (421-9678)
Great live bands, moderate drink prices and plenty of action.
Boston Beer Works - 61 Brookline Ave., Boston (536-2337)
A spacious pub and restaurant offering plenty of beers on tap, including a fine selection of seasonal brews. It’s a fine place for a drink anytime, and a must before, after, and even during Red Sox games.

Cask 'N Flagon - 62 Brookline Ave., Boston (536-4840)
Its name rivals Ted Williams’ in Fenway lore. Anything you want to drink, plus a simple but satisfying menu filled with great bar apps.

Jake Ivory's Piano Bar - 1 Lansdowne St., Boston (247-1222)
The very cool Amazing Dueling Pianos shows, Thursday through Saturday nights at 9, are Jake’s backbone.

Jillian's - 145 Ipswich St., Boston (437-0300)
The bars in Jillian’s are almost an afterthought. The enormous complex boasts everything from a full arcade to pool, ping pong, foosball, and even a mock casino. If you’re bored in here, it’s not their fault. 18 to enter, 21 to drink.

An Tua Nua - 835 Beacon St., Boston (262-2121)
A BU favorite bar and restaurant, best known for its crowded dance floor.

Who's on First - 19 Yawkey Way, Boston (247-3353)
It’s a summertime hotspot for Red Sox fans. During the school year, its dance floor is a playground for students, with an especially faithful BU and BC crowd, especially Saturday nights, when it’s 18 to enter.

Clubs

Atlas - 145 Ipswich St., Boston (262-0300)
A young crowd and a casually hip scene. Come for dinner and drinks, and dancing Thursday through Saturday.

Avalon - 15 Lansdowne St., Boston (262-2424)
A dance club as you envision it, complete with a spacious dance floor surrounded by bars so you can scope out the scene before diving in. Avalon also boasts a formidable lineup of concert gigs.

Axis - 13 Lansdowne St., Boston (262-2437)
Its got a freaky feel, but that’s what makes it fun. The music and style on Axis' two floors differs so much on a given night that it feels like two clubs in one. Draws a solid college crowd (19 plus during the week) especially Friday’s, which offer techno downstairs and 80s tunes upstairs.

Bill's Bar - 5 1/2 Lansdowne St., Boston (421-9678)
Great live bands, moderate drink prices and plenty of action.

Karma - 9 Lansdowne St., Boston (421-9595)
Eclectic’s the word at this dance club. Plenty of action on the dance floor, plus places to chill in the lounge in back.

Sophia's - 1270 Boylston St., Boston (351-7001)
If you’re not wearing an Armani suit with an open shirt you may feel out of place. But the Spanish cuisine draws good reviews, and the Spanish crowd considers the sangria best of Boston. Live music nightly, dancing upstairs, and a roof deck overlooking the city.

Who's on First - 19 Yawkey Way, Boston (247-3353)
It’s a summertime hotspot for Red Sox fans. During the school year, its dance floor is a playground for students, with an especially faithful BU and BC crowd, especially Saturday nights, when it’s 18 to enter.

Faneuil Hall

Bars

The Ames Plow Tavern - 9 Commercial St., Boston (523-8928)
A simple, pure, watering hole below the crowded confines of Quincy Market.

The Black Rose - 160 State St., Boston (742-2286)
An old Irish pub, replete with food, Guinness, and live Irish music nightly.

The Hong Kong - 65 Chatham St., Boston (227-2226)
Is there a better combination than chicken fingers and scorpion bowls? Maybe, if you add dancing upstairs into the mix.

The Purple Shamrock - 1 Union St., Boston (227-2060)
Irish Pub best known for great chowder, live weekend entertainment, and Tuesday Night Karaoke that's not to be missed.

Sissy K's - 4 Commercial St., Boston (248-6511)
Dance club smack dab in the middle of Faneuil Hall, minus the Lansdowne attitude. Live music downstairs and dancing upstairs nightly.

Trinity - 61 Chatham St., Boston (367-6172)
Unpretentious Irish Pub on the main floor, with authentic Guinness and darts. The top floor offers live music, and the basement turns into a Top 40 dance party.

Clubs

The Exchange - 148 State St., Boston (726-7600)
An old bank vault turned nightclub. Two floors offer bars and dancing to a decidedly youthful crowd. Oddly enough, Thursday and Saturday nights are good.

The Hong Kong - 65 Chatham St., Boston (227-2226)
Is there a better combination than chicken fingers and scorpion bowls? Maybe, if you add dancing upstairs into the mix.

Sissy K's - 4 Commercial St., Boston (248-6511)
Dance club smack dab in the middle of Faneuil Hall, minus the Lansdowne attitude. Live music downstairs and dancing upstairs nightly.

Trattoria Il Panino - 295 Franklin St., Boston (338-1000)
The food is good, but dancing upstairs Thursday through Sunday, and live music on weekends are the real attractions. Popular Sunday night spot.

Trinity - 61 Chatham St., Boston (367-6172)
Unpretentious Irish Pub on the main floor, with authentic Guinness and darts. The top floor offers live music, and the basement turns into a Top 40 dance party.

Bars

Back Bay Brewing Co. - 755 Boylston St., Boston (424-8300)
Two story bar and restaurant with outside seating and a cozy upstairs lounge. Tons of great beers you know, plus a few of their own brews.

Bukowski's Tavern - 50 Dalton St., Boston (437-9999)
The prototypical hole in the wall. Check out a movie first at the Cheri theatre just down the street, or just come straight here to escape the controlled chaos of the Boylston bars across the street. A beer drinker's joint with great bar food.

The Cactus Club - 939 Boylston St., Boston (236-0200)
There's plenty of Tex-Mex, the bar is a Margarita lover's dream, and it's busy enough for beer drinkers' satisfaction.

Dad's Beantown Diner - 911 Boylston St., Boston (296-3237)
Two floors of drinking and dancing comprise one of the most popular college scenes in Boston, and a shameless pickup joint.

Daisy Buchanan's - 240a Newbury St., Boston (247-8516)
A casual break from upscale Newbury Street, and a favorite of local professional athletes and college pickup artists alike.

McCarthy's Bar & Grill - Boylston St., Boston (867-9090)
Constantly crowded, classy bar which has become the choice of twenty-somethings. Even the make-your-own dance floor shuts down momentarily to watch clips from famous movies shown on a plethora of screens. The crowd draws a crowd in a virtuous cycle, so expect company during the week and a line on weekends.

The Pour House Bar & Grill - 909 Boylston St., Boston (236-1767)
Reasonably priced drinks and bar food (Thursday half price Mexican and Saturday half price burgers), along with a reassuringly crowded atmosphere.

Whiskey's Food & Spirits - 885 Boylston St., Boston (262-5551)
Plenty of booze and a good crowd have made Whiskey's a favorite of area twenty-somethings. Try the Lobster Claw game - its the remote controlled claw you see in arcades, only instead of grabbing at ugly stuffed animals, you try to catch live Maine lobsters. If you catch one, they'll cook it for you. Two bucks for a try. A word to the devoted - wait until they're moving, then put one claw between their pinchers and two around the body. Then get your bibs and nutcrackers ready - you can't lose.