Worcester Bar Hopping: Park Ave. vs Water St.

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Saturday, March 02, 2013

Emily Davies, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Looking for something to do with a group of colleagues or friends? Luckily Worcester is great for their variety of bars in the area. Water Street and Park Avenue are known for their population of bars on their streets. Both streets have an excellent variety of venues and serve excellent drinks. This piece is going to look at which street serves as a better bar hopping area based on the five bars from each street.

Park Avenue

Leitrims
Cheap drinks, check. Loads of people, check. Leits, as known by college kids, is a popular place for the student population. If you’re going with a younger crowd, Leits would be a better option. If you’re also aiming at keeping to a budget, Leits is also a good stop for your bar hop.

Beatnik’s
Beatnik’s has an awesome energy and funky atmosphere to it, and they are a great live venue for up and coming bands. Following the '60s theme of the rebellious style of artist, Beatnik’s draws in a unique crowd. Their entertainment factor is definitely a plus and their cocktails are certainly delicious.

Ho Toy
Ho Toy is not necessarily focused on the bar scene, but they do make a mean scorpion bowl. Ho Toy has an extensive cocktail list of some drinks I haven’t even heard of, and yes, they do have a bar counter area. Also, while you’re there, grab some of their delicious Asian cuisine.

Mahoneys
Sandwiched between 7/11 and Domino’s, Mahoney’s can be easily hidden. However, it is definitely worth the visit. One on the extensive list of bars beholding Irish names, Mahoney’s offers a wide range of beer and mixed drinks. However, beware of the fish bowl, delicious but deadly.

Consensus:
For prices, Park Avenue is definitely a cheaper bar hop to go on. Park Avenue bar hopping is more accommodating for college students than work partners. The downside, the bars are somewhat spread apart, therefore a designated driver is a necessity.

Water Street

The Perfect Game
The Perfect Game doubles as a restaurant by day and a hopping sports bar by night. Karaoke on Thursdays, Trivia on Wednesdays, and DJs all around, Perfect Game provides a versatile bar experience. Perfect Game is a comfortable place for sports enthusiasts.

Jose Murphy’s
Twenty-dollar margaritas and ten-cent tacos, you can’t beat that. Focused on Mexican drinks and cuisine, Jose’s is a classy bar to bring your friends and colleagues. Across the street from Perfect Game, Jose Murphy’s has two levels, a dance floor on top and a classic bar on the bottom.

Blackstone Tap
Blackstone is right in the vicinity of Jose Murphy’s and the Perfect Game, walking distance from both. With pool tables, flat screen bar TV’s, keno, and Buck Hunter, this bar is a classic to swing by for your bar hopping trip. Blackstone also has a large selection of brews on tap and by the bottle.

Salty Dog Saloon
Located about a block away from Water Street on Kelley Sq. is Salty Dog Saloon. This is one of few bars in the Kelley Sq. area that is more college student oriented, because of its 18+ age restriction, where most bars in Worcester are 21+. The Salty Dog has a good selection of drinks and comes equipped with a bull-riding machine.

Consensus:
Compared to Park Ave, the Water St. bars are definitely pricier, but the venue and atmosphere serves to be more entertaining and professional. Location is also fantastic, because you can walk to every bar listed on Water St. 

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