West of Sixth Avenue:
Vaudeville:
No theater is performed, but it is a fairly cool bar. Tables, chairs and pool tables are all crowded in front of medium-sized stage against a short bar. Live music most nights, usually with a cover under $5. This is where the pretentious indie crowd heads on every night but Monday.
The Red Room:
The Red Room is the bar of The Grill, although alcohol is available at all (legal) times throughout the restaurant. Where else can you get great pancakes and a $15 shot of aged whiskey? The Red Room, like The Grill, is a little grungy and often attracts a strange clientele, but the bartenders are always nice and they strangely have a fantastic beer selection, including many Belgian beers on bottle not seen anywhere else in town, several "reserve" bottles available for higher prices ($10-20) and a good selection of quality draft beer. They also take pride in their whiskey selection. Menus are on chalkboards next to the bar as they change often.
Zen Rock:
Zen Rock is an upscale dance club with a dress code and cover. It is one of the nicest clubs in Tucson, if not the nicest. There are three levels and a total of 5 rooms. Music is typical dance club music.
Sapphire:
Sapphire is owned by the Zen Rock people and serves a slightly older crowd. Sapphire features three levels, each with its own bar and DJ. The top level is its rooftop bar, the only one of its kind in Downtown Tucson.
Centro:
Centro, during the day, is Chile Verde, a somewhat gringo-esque taco shop serving the Downtown lunch crowd. Nights brings out a chic dance club. The interior is full of post-modern/Warhol type kitsch, while the exterior is literally in an alley between two large buildings. Both areas feature bars and DJs.
Dress Code: Dress codes at Zen Rock, Sapphire and Centro.
At Centro, if you get there early, it's not as dressy and you can get in with typical Tucson garb (i.e. - flip-flops, khaki shorts, etc.).
Updated Sep 12, 2010
Congress is much more bar-heavy with many more choices than Fourth.
East of Sixth:
The Congress:
The first is Club Congress. It's the standard in Tucson. The club itself typically has bands play almost every night, except Monday, which is 80's night, and the coolest time to go. It's a good venue though, and usually gets some of the better bands rolling through town.
The Tap Room inside the club (you're required to pay the cover) offers all of the beer, and provides an escape from the music, if you need it. It's small, but there are booths and even a lonely TV playing sports.
The lobby bar is the coolest bar ever, although there are no beers on tap. The lobby of the Hotel Congress is meant to look, and succeeds in looking, very noir. The ambiance is enough to keep you here though. Smoking after 9pm.
The District:
Old-school Tucsonans will remember this as Seven Black Cats. It's been re-done and now serves $1 PBR cans every night. Pool tables, wood floors, a stage but no music, The District is one of those no-money bars.
Shark's:
Shark's has live music on Wednesdays, a tejano night on the weekends, and is typically much more frat and more of a meat market than anything else on Congress. Very cool stage though.
Dress Code: Shark's occassionally has a flimsy dress code, but isn't really busy/popular enough to be too demanding.
Updated Sep 12, 2010
As I mentioned in my hotel tips, Hotel Congress is more of a restaurant/club than a hotel. I was less than satisfactory with it as a hotel. But as a night club (Club Congress) it's possibly one of the most popular in town. In the evening there's always music -- live music, DJ music, or other events. Right across the street from Hotel Congress is another night club (don't know the name) whose music is mostly hip-hop and the crowd much younger.
Written Apr 20, 2004
There are at least a few clubs, restaurants, pubs on both sides of Congres Street. It's a main street of Tucson downtown.
I was looking a place to dring a coffee and rest for a moment there. I finally found a nice looking place but... it was a club and they wanted me to pay $5 fee for entry. Maybe next time...
Dress Code: Casual dress usually accepted in clubs: I mean jeans, T-shirt and trainers.
Updated Sep 28, 2003
I was walking around Tucson downtown after sunset and I survived as you can see. It's safe area, I suppose, more: I am sure :-).
I tried to take pictures of night skyline but... I didn't have a tripod :-(((. So my pictures were... look yourself at digitally corrected one.
Dress Code: Casual dress = T-shirt + jeans or shorts + trainers for example. No nudity accepted :-).
Updated Sep 15, 2003
Sometimes has rock bands and mostly local acts. Hip-hop on some nights.
Dress Code: None
Updated Jul 13, 2007
Some live music some dj nights.
Dress Code: None really
Written Sep 7, 2002
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Some live music some dj nights. None really
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