Marquette Nightlife

One of the many incarnations of the L'Attitude cafe is that of an upscale wine bar. The selection rotates seasonally, but you are sure to kind some excellent values, especially in Spanish and Argentinian Reds, which are the favorites of the owner Sam and Steve. If you have any questions, be sure to ask one of the knowledgeable waitstaff for a recommendation.

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Can't make it to Venice this week? Boat Drinks at the Villa Capri may be just what you're looking for! It's the only bar with a Venetian theme in the Marquette - and the decor has not changed since the late 1970s! If you like red walls, this is the place for you.

Be bold and try one of the "Villa Special 'tinis": it's like a cross between a shotglass of mouthwash and a grasshopper ice cream drink!

This nightlife tip comes from my experiences in Marquette while living on our boat in the Lower Harbor Park. For this reason my tips are all centered around the down town area, and are not a complete list of what Marquette has to offer. Upfront and Co. offers a variety of live music groups, including rock, folk, blues, country or jazz at reasonable prices. Not only will you find local talent, but you will also find groups from all over the country. There have even been some well-known artists such as Vince Neil. Check out Upfront’s web page’s calendar to find out what events are coming to the club. The calendar will give you the dates, a description of the group, and the band’s web page if they have one.

Dress Code: Casual dress fits well here. Check out their photo Gallery on their web page to see what the crowd looks like.

Nothing really special about the Doghouse, but it's smaller than other downtown MQT bars, and it attracts a somewhat older and more mature crowd than the Matrix danceclub across the street. "Beer and a shot" kind-of-place.

Jazz is the new cool music of Marquette in 2006. I was down at the Ramada last night to listen to Terra Cotta Half-Life, a recently formed ensemble of hipsters who attract mostly a twenty-something crowd. It's taken a while for my community to warm up to these cool sounds, and not too long ago the lounge at the Ramada was primarily the haunt of travelling snowmobile salesmen and those attending the regional "Mary Kay" convention. But all that's changed this season, when the "in-crowd" treks to the less-fashionable end of downtown, especially on Thursday nights, when there is a special deal on martinis, and Friday nights, when the "big league" players like TCHL jam.

(from my blog on 13 May, 2006)

Shamrock bar & restaurant is a really good place to go. Authentic western food, Guinness, Kilkenny, Large range of drinks, friendly staff and atmosphere. you can make lots of firends there who come from different countries. Also they have live music every sunday. free pool!!!

How can you mention the night life scene of Marquette without mentioning Remie's... A classic bar that's been around since the mid 1900's The clientele is mostly regulars 20's to 50's and college crowd mixed in, Remie's opens at 7 am for you early birds. Bands on Saturday nights. Around 2:30 am most nights (especially weekends) you can hear the bartenders/bouncers clearing the place out by yelling "You don't have to go home but you can't stay here...!"

Dress Code: Casual - Anything goes from Construction worker grubby to pretty princess glam.

The Portside is both a restaurant and a bar, and there are people in town who love it for both its food and its ambience. The place attracts an interesting mixed crowd of locals, college kids and staff, and visitors from out of town who are passing through. The Portside has a good variety of beers on tap - be sure to try one of the Bells varieties (from Kalamazoo) if you've never had one before. Many people (including Yooperprof) also say that the Portside has the best pizza in town. And the bread sticks -- WOW. Live music on most Thursday nights - in the summer the bands set up on the outside patio.