Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

Pros and Cons of the Three Most Popular Bars Around UK’s Campus

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Elizabeth Baker
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Sydney Baker
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UK chapter.

Downtown Lexington is bustling with nightlife – you’ll never find a dull moment on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night. With dozens of bars around campus, it can be difficult to decide where you want to go when you turn 21. Here is a pro/con list of the most popular bars for college students.

  1. Two Keys Tavern

Pro:

  • $10 all you can drink on Thursday nights (with you UK student ID)
  • Fishbowls
  • Goodfella’s pizza is literally attached to a bar
  • When there is a DJ, the music is on point
  • Beer pong tables
  • Multiple bathrooms
  • There are 3 bars, so it’s relatively easy to get a drink
  • Impressive back patio with several tables, heaters, and a seating area that will remind you of the Secret Garden
  • Spacious dance floor surrounded by booths and tables
  • Front patio convenient for checking out the crowds heading to other bars without having to leave
  • Events and specials every night

Con:

  • Crowds are no joke
  • The live bands actually suck
  • Most toilets are clogged with a ridiculous amount of toilet paper
  • Line can be way too long to get in
  • Guaranteed to run into someone you don’t want to see

 

  1. Tin Roof

Pro:

  • Live bands with *actual* talent
  • Great front patio
  • Lots of tables and benches to dance on
  • Monday night trivia
  • Beer pong tournaments on Tuesday
  • Karaoke night on Wednesday
  • Two for one beers on Thursday
  • Lots of seating

Con:

  • ….Karaoke night on Wednesday
  • If you don’t like early 2000s alternative rock or country music, you better go to a different bar
  • Crowds can make it extremely difficult to get a drink
  • Lots of fights tend to break out in the parking lot and nearest intersection
  • Caution: floor is very slippery when wet

 

  1. McCarthy’s

Pro:

  • Excellent atmosphere
  • Connected to other bars
  • Typically not as crowded as bars on the strip (Two Keys & Tin Roof)
  • Drinks are easy to get
  • Patio has lots of seating
  • Décor is perfectly themed throughout
  • Multiple bathrooms
  • Drinks are served in glasses, so you kinda feel fancy

Con:

  • The patio is usually packed
  • It’s a long walk from campus
  • It’s a long walk from late night food
  • You’re likely to run into an older crowd here
  • Tends to be unusually warm inside
  • When you’ve had too much to drink, it can feel like a maze inside 
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
Elizabeth. 22. 5th year senior at the University of Kentucky. Dog lover. Chicken nugget fanatic. Nap enthusiast. Kitten mother. AOII sister.
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar
My name is Sydney E. Baker, but mostly people call me Slim. As a junior at the University of Kentucky, I am pursuing a B.A in Integrated Strategic Communication (a mouthful I know but I wouldn't have it any other way). During my studies, I am focused on building my professional self - which basically means staying so busy that I hardly get a wink of sleep. I previously served as the Campus Correspondent for the UK chapter of Her Campus and before that I was only a writer. To know more about me visit http://www.linkedin.com/in/sydneyebaker.