Downtown and Nightlife
New to Fayetteville? Looking for something to do beyond the mall, restaurants and movie theaters? You've come to the right spot. If you love night life, here's a list of nine places you need to know. Sure, there are plenty of other places not listed here — just consider this your Fayetteville Night Life Starter Kit. Enter and be entertained.
TONIA'S BLUE MOON CAFE
310 Hay St., 860-4700
Tonia's Blue Moon Cafe is a quaint, cozy and cool bar and restaurant downtown, where urban intersects with upscale. A popular hangout for downtown denizens, the cafe is where many night life lovers start their evenings — which is a good thing because of its earlier closing time.
THE KEYS
102 Person St., 483-3854
Featuring dueling piano players Wednesday through Saturday nights, The Keys Piano Bar & Restaurant has become one of the city's hottest night spots. You'll want to get there by 9:30 p.m. on the weekend, though — by 10 there's usually a line waiting to get in. Make sure to bring your sense of humor and a list of your favorite songs. But please check your "American Idol" aspirations at the door. There's a $5 cover on weekends.
DOCKS AT THE CAPITOL
126 Hay St., 423-6257
Instead of asking what you can do at Docks at the Capitol, a better question would be: What can't you do? Docks offers plenty for children as well as adults, including a restaurant, sports bar, bowling alley and arcade — complete with video games, a flight simulator and ticket redemption games. There's also billiards, darts and shuffleboard upstairs.
THE MASH HOUSE RESTAURANT AND BREWERY
4150 Sycamore Dairy Road, 867-9223
The Mash House Restaurant & Brewery is no stranger to reinvention. After serving Fayetteville diners and microbrewery fans for eight years, The Mash House — originally called Cross Creek Brewery — closed its doors July 3 for major renovations, which have recently been completed. The Mash House has reworked its menu, which will specialize in steak and prime rib dishes, as well as offer up to 10 signature beers — six standard, three or four seasonal — from The Mash House's onsite brewery.
IT'Z ENTERTAINMENT CITY
4118 Legend Ave., 826-4635
It'z Entertainment City offers a trifecta of nightlife options: a sports bar, a cigar parlor and a nightclub (which also doubles as a comedy club on Sundays). There's also no shortage of live music on the outside patio from local and regional bands. Dance club admission is $7, and $10-$12 for those under 21.
HUSKE HARDWARE
405 Hay St., 437-9905
Newly reopened, renovated and reinvigorated, Huske Hardware has returned to prominence in Fayetteville's night-life scene. The new Huske has reinvented itself with an Aspen-ski-lodgemeets- industrial design, as well as revamped dinner and lunch menus and beer selections. It doesn't hurt to have a brewing facility on-site or an award-winning brewmaster. Huske has also brought back its live entertainment, featuring local bands who'll play "unplugged" sets, exchanging the bar's rowdy past for a cooler, calmer and brighter future.
BIG APPLE
5900 Yadkin Road, 868-5559
Before the Big Apple moved into its new digs a few short years ago, it was already a popular local bar and hangout. Now, with its billiard tables, cigar parlor, restaurant, roomy dance floor and wallto- wall televisions, it's more popular than ever. And it's one of the city's hottest night spots, filling up regularly on the weekends and for special pay-per-view events. There's a cover charge Thursday through Sunday, ranging from $3 to $7.
THE ROCK SHOP
106 S. Eastern Blvd., 321-7625
If alternative rock, ska and punk are more to your musical liking, then The Rock Shop will rock your world. One of the city's newest local live music venues, The Rock Shop has fast become a home for regional and local bands such as Gasoline, All She Wrote, Falling In Two, and Waist Deep Madness, among others. The club also has several open mic nights and even had its own stage at the Dogwood Festival the last two years. Ticket prices vary.
JESTERS PUB
6577 Fisher Road, 423-6100
Jesters Pub has made a name for itself by not only bringing talented national bands like Chevelle, Daughtry and Drowning Pool, but by creating a home for such local bands as The Fifth, Messenger of Hope, Anamoly and Romeo Falls. Local hard rock and heavy metal is alive and well at Jesters Pub. Just make sure to come early so you can get a good spot near the stage. Ticket prices vary.