By Hilary Ribons, Blog Editor @hilaryalexisr
and Seline Jung, Multimedia Editor @selinejung

Some of the DFP staff ventured out on a Friday night for a “bar crawl!” Check out the list on our Foursquare map to see where you’re headed. Here’s what we found:

Tommy Doyle’s:

Located on the side of a small street in Cambridge, Tommy Doyle’s looks like a house from its warm interiors to its wood siding. There was and upper and lower level, but on the night we were there, the upper level had a cover charge and the lower level was a private event. The atmosphere on the main floor is in between a nice sit-down place and a club. It’s a good place to hang out with friends and casually sip drinks before heading to a full-fledged club.

Hong Kong:

From the outside, this bar/club looks like your average neighborhood Chinese food restaurant. But don’t be fooled by the Hong Kong‘s looks. Once you pass the bouncer, make a sharp left, and go up some stairs and you’ll get to a second level. A well decorated bar is packed with people in their twenties and thirties socializing, standing in groups or sitting in offset corner booths with tables. The bartenders are friendly and interactive. But wait, there’s more.

There is a third floor as well. The night we attended, there was a long wait for the floor and most of our party did not get to go up. Part of the excitement surrounding the third floor was the hype that was created amongst the people waiting to go up.

The dance floor was pagoda-themed, and smaller than the lower two floors. Perhaps the biggest allure of the Hong Kong it feels like you have discovered a new scene each time you ascend the stairs.

Storyville:

There are plenty of dance clubs/bars in Boston, but few have no cover charge. This is one of the few. Storyville usually has a small line. Once inside, you descend a flight of stairs and have the option of entering one of two rooms. The first is lit with red lights and has a bar, and, behind a half-wall with rentable booths, a dance floor. The second room has blue lighting, its own music and a different, calmer yet still dance-worthy atmosphere. This club is good for decent drinks at a decent price, dancing, and saving money. The age group can be a little older, but if you go with a group of friends it’s a lot of fun.

Mass Ave Tavern:

Spacious sports bar/restaurant on Mass Ave and Newbury St. The service at Mass Ave Tavern is fast and friendly and the ambience is laid back but a bit nicer than your average sports bar. It’s not a typical college crowd, but if you don’t want to be bothered by anyone and just want to throw back a beer or two and eat nachos (seriously, the nachos could feed a party of 10) with your friends, Mass Ave Tavern is your place. There is also a foosball table and an array of board games to play, a fun and laid-back addition that mad Mass Ave stand out. Specialty cocktails include the Bee Keeper, which our fellow FreeP staffer described as “rye whiskey [with] fresh lemon and honey [to] really balance it out. It’s palatable and complements it instead of drawing attention to the alcohol.”

Grendel’s Den:

In our opinion, this was by far the best place of the night. Located right in the heart of Harvard Square, Grendel’s is located in the basement of a charming white building. It does sort of feel like a den – prepare to feel cozy but not suffocated, as can be the case in many bars frequented by college students. The crowd is young, the bartenders are trendy and tattooed, and prices are wallet-friendly. But beware of the specialty drink called “Kanye’s Workout Plan” – it sounds cool, but according to our taste-tester, it tasted more like watered-down mint syrup mixed in with some vodka than a refreshing lime-infused drink.

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