The 12 best bars for Little 500 partying

Are you new around here? First Little 500 while of legal drinking age? Not an IU student?

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Little 500 is arguably best known for its gigantic house parties and frat ragers, but for those of you with no friends throwing house parties and/or no frat connections, the bars may be your best option. Bloomington is home to more great bars than we can list, but for this issue, we’ve decided to highlight the best destinations for those looking to party hard. If you’re planning to rage your face off this Little 500, check out the Weekend staff’s 12 favorite party-friendly bars.


FRATTY

KOK

No, it’s not pronounced “cock.” You dirty kids. Say it with us — ”Kay Oh Kay.” It stands for Kilroy’s on Kirkwood, and it’s probably going to be the most packed bar in Bloomington this weekend (with the possible exception of Kilroy’s Sports).

KOK’s main draw this week will be its spacious back and front patios. The back patio, when not completely packed, is a great place to kick back at a picnic table with a drink. However, it will be completely packed. This week, perhaps even more than usual, KOK will host high concentrations of the IU greek population, so if you’re looking for a hunky frat star or cute sorority girl, you’ll be in luck.

Their beer selection isn’t quite as varied as some other bars in town, and one Weekend writer likened it to “a time warp to 2003.” But drinks are cheap and strong, the people are down to clown and the patios are nice. If you can find a table. 

Kilroy’s Sports

Weekend staff used the phrase “permissive environment” to describe Sports, if that tells you anything.

Although it’s billed as a sports bar, “Sports” (as it’s called by locals) is in a dead heat with Dunnkirk as the best place in town to dance. The downstairs area is huge and connects to a large back patio. The bar brings in DJs (usually spinning hip-hop) for their upper-level dance floor, which, by about midnight, becomes what we affectionately call a “twerkfest.” If you’re in the mood to get your grind on, check it out.

The crowd is more varied than KOK, although still bro-y. The one thing you can count on is that everyone will be very, very intoxicated. Sports’ far-removed location from the Kirkwood bars makes this an end-of-the-night destination, so almost everyone is end-of-the-night drunk. If you’re equally inebriated, it can be really fun. If you’re mostly sober, it can be hellish.

Brothers Bar and Grill

Brothers is the anomaly in the fratty category — it’s definitely bro-y, but not quite as rowdy as its peers. Although there’s a dance floor upstairs, Brothers is made for sitting down, with big booths and a pleasant upstairs patio. If you’ve got a big group, it’s a good place to start your night. It has the best food of all the fratty bars, and it’s never too hard to find a table.

However, be prepared for a slightly older crowd — the people here tend to skew a little more mature than KOK, Dunnkirk and Sports. We’re talking local adults, visiting young professionals and some grad students mixed in with the undergraduates. If you’re a single guy or gal who likes slightly older men or women, this is your place. This older crowd is definitely ready to party. They may be sitting down, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they’re all sober.

Dunnkirk

Dunnkirk has quickly and quietly become Kilroy’s Sports’ biggest dance club competitor. It’s right next to KOK, and your KOK stamp will get you in to Dunnkirk for free. We think the vibe of Dunnkirk is a little different than Sports — although Dunnkirk also has two levels, their lower level almost always has some sort of live band, and their DJ usually spins a mixture of Top 40, dance and hip-hop.

Although it gets busy, it’s never quite as wild as Sports (probably because of the amateur-Dave-Matthews-esque acoustic sets happening on the lower level). If you want to dance or listen to music but don’t want to trek all the way to Sports or the Bluebird (respectively), Dunnkirk is a popular alternative. The crowd is slightly less fratty than KOK and Sports, but if you’re hunting for biddies and bros, there are still lots to be had.


INDIE

The Atlas Bar

The Atlas is one of the favorite bars of Bloomington’s creative crowd. It’s a little off the beaten path (if we’re designating Kirkwood and North Walnut as the beaten path), but if you’re looking for that stylish, “too cool for school” vibe, this is your place.

It’s fairly small, so finding a table can be impossible on busy nights. But the decor is intriguing, the drinks are stiff, the occasional DJs are good and the crowd is always amazing for people-watching. There’s usually a food cart parked nearby, and there’s an outdoor rail. But, although we don’t want to say it, we’ll say it anyway (because everyone on campus says it) — this is a hipster bar.

If you’re looking for a fratty scene, stay far away from the Atlas. This is not the place to find yourself a greek lover and order a water long island (that would be KOK).  

The Video Saloon

Known as the “Vid,” the Video Saloon sometimes feels like a less-well-decorated, larger version of the Atlas. It’s right next door to Brothers, so if you’re looking for a bit of contrast, walk the 15 or so feet from one to the other and be (sort of) amazed.

To newcomers, The Vid can feel like a maze, but the drinks are always good, and there’s always breathing room, (although we can’t guarantee that during Little 500 week. There are lots of activities (pool, arcade games, etc.) for the easily entertained. It definitely has a rock-and-roll vibe, both in music selection and the general crowd — as one Weekend writer put it, it sometimes “feels like everbody came to fight.” But there’s something fun about that.

Farm Root Cellar

The Root Cellar is what it sounds like. It’s around back of FARM Bloomington, in what actually looks like a cellar. You descend into it on stone stairs through a tiny door. Although it’s a very small bar, the crowd is always lively, and the small dance floor is always bumpin’ — there’s usually a DJ spinning something up-tempo.

The brick walls and cool inner architecture give it a touch of European sophistication, and the bar’s tininess makes it a good place to meet people. Drink specials are all right, and the people are hip but never too snobby. When it gets too crowded, though, it can feel a little claustrophobic.

House Bar
 
House Bar has a cult following among some IU students. It’s very small and very intimate. It may not sound like a good place for those looking to get festively smashed, but we’re convinced they have some of the cheapest drinks in Bloomington. The crowd is friendly — this isn’t one of those bars where you feel super judged as soon as you walked in.

There’s no real dance floor, so if you’re trying to fist pump, it’s not your place. Small size and lack of dancing aside, we’ll say it again: some of the cheapest drinks in Bloomington. Start your night here, and get sufficiently schwasty in a chilled-out environment before you venture to the jungle that is Kirkwood and North Walnut.

IN BETWEEN

The Bluebird

The Bluebird is your best bet if you’re looking for live music AND a party-friendly atmosphere. The drink specials are good, the music is usually entertaining and the bar is spacious (although it fills up pretty quickly when popular artists are playing).

It’s always a strange mix of people, and the crowd varies wildly from night to night. When they book country acts, country lovers come from all around Indiana to celebrate in their cowboy hats and boots. When they book electronic dance music acts, undergrads pour into the bar in their neon shorts and glow bracelets.

Unless you know who’s playing before you go, you never quite know what kind of crowd you’ll get, which can be good or bad, depending on how patient and/or adventurous you’re feeling. If you’re going on a busy night, wear layers — the bar gets stiflingly hot when large crowds come for shows.

Bear’s Place

Bear’s is far, far away from all of the other bars. Even so, many IU students swear by it as a place to pregame or just sit and drink (and drink and drink and drink). If you need to get away from the main drag of bars and calm down for a while, go to Bear’s and slowly sip your way through a Hairy Bear, one of the strongest drinks you can get in Bloomington for cheap.

Just remember — depending on how intoxicated (or, more appropriately, sober) you are when venturing to Bear’s from the other bars (or vice versa), the walk can sometimes feel like it takes years. If you don’t have a decent jacket on a cold night, or if you’re wearing heels, avoid it. You’ll hate yourself by the time you get there.

The Upstairs Pub

Just a short walk across the deck from Dunnkirk, Upstairs is a fun, relaxed place to go if you’ve gotten a dance music/acoustic guitar headache. It’s pretty small but never too cramped. It’s a good place to take a quick break from the bigger bars on Kirkwood, with strong drinks (try their famous AMF), darts and pool.

You’re unlikely to awkwardly see people you know here — Upstairs is always a motley crew of people that have wandered in from various other places. But the variety of the clientele is refreshing — older, younger, undergrad, grad, white, black, student, Bloomington resident ... you get a bit of everything in Upstairs, in a good way.

It’s not a great place to dance, and the vibe is much more casual than Bloomington’s other bars, so you may feel out of place if you’re out cruising for singles in your finest polo or highest stilettos. “Nobody will ever find you,” said one Weekend writer, describing both the pros and cons of Upstairs in one sentence.

Nick’s English Hut

As one Weekend writer put it, Nick’s often feels “more like an alcohol-serving restaurant than a bar.” It’s an IU institution, and you’ll always find tons of alumni and older folks here mingling with the college kids. Nick’s always has a fun, lively atmosphere, with none of the aggressiveness or sketchiness of some of Bloomington’s other bars.

It’s fairly well-lit, which sounds like a minor detail, but actually adds to the warm, fuzzy feeling of the place. Sink the Biz is one of IU’s proudest drinking traditions, involving a literal bucket of beer. The food is also pretty good (especially the famous “biz fries”). It’s fairly affordable, and a fun place to drink with alums or parents, but it’s not as young and hip as the bars across the street.

If it’s 1 p.m. and you want to eat a real lunch but continue your drinking spree, go to Nick’s. But for late-night shenanigans, stick with the less restaurant-y bars.