Pubcrawl: City of Tonawanda
By Lisa Brown & Ron Ehmke
One of the best ways to know a neighborhood is by drinking, eating, and hanging out at its corner bars. An even better way is to recruit a resident who’ll take you to his or her favorites. In the first installment of this new column on WNY watering holes, neighborhood by neighborhood, the City of Tonawanda is our locale.
Cast: Regular pubcrawlers Ron and his partner Don, and Lisa and her husband David. Because Don grew up in the Tonawandas and has lived there for years, he is our tour guide du jour; upcoming pub crawls may employ a fifth crawler/drinker, a volunteer neighborhood insider who knows where to find the best drafts, wings, and—most important—local character.
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(101 Young Street)
Finding it: A stunning location on Ellicott Creek. As Don notes, you can bring your boat here in the summer.
Ambience: Beautiful, wrought iron- and stucco-laden, high-seventies Mediterranean, with a touch of fifties (note the pink Powder Puff sign for the ladies’ room) and twenty-first century, with twin high-definition TVs behind the bar. You’ll feel like a comfortable, modern-day conquistador.
What to eat: Not too many options: beef on weck or Kaiser, chili, and very salty and fresh popcorn. All good, if not terribly good for your heart.
On tap: Not a great selection, but the Yuengling Black and Tan is tasty.
Music: Nope.
Only at Swiston’s: The condiment trays that come with the beef on wecks take us back to an earlier era, when the accoutrements of food service were cheaply mass produced, yet fussily Victorian. True love.
Cost of a round: $10.50 for two bottled Blues and two Yuengling Black and Tans.
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(17 Broad Street)
Ambience: A neighborhood-institution private social club that’s open to the public, this place plays a big role in the lives of people who live in the ‘hood. We have a soft spot for social clubs, and we’re considering membership even if only to have our beer mugs join the other members’ on hooks around the bar.
What to eat: They were out on the night of our visit, but you can usually get ten wings and a pitcher for $9.
Entertainment: Semi-professional wrestling matches in the back room; card playing; shuffleboard; for members, a work-out room and other sports facilities, including indoor and outdoor volleyball; and, in our view the most important, pull-tab gambling, with each pull tab costing $.25 to $1—some of the illustrations under the pull tabs are well worth the cost.
On tap: A good variety, but not adventurous: Blue, Sam Adams, Genny, Yuengling, Coors, and Molson.
Characters: Our charming, pretty bartender kept us entertained with stories of her history at the club, including buying gin and tonics for her mom at age ten and her concerns about the newly relocated pool table on the second floor.
Best quote: Bartender—“I’m really not comfortable with the pool table up there.”
Cost of a round: Two Blues and two Yuengling lagers in (non-member) plastic cups: $8.
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(289 Adam Street)
Finding it: Jake’s is a small, square, yellow-brick one-story in a residential section, a few blocks behind Old Man River.
Ambience: With lots of paneling, Formica, and typical bar games—think pool, darts, and trivia—it has, David says, a comfortable basement-bar quality.
What to eat: On a recent Saturday night, we were happy to find white plastic bowls of Cheez-Its on the bar.
Music: A CD jukebox, heavy on country, classic rock, and the hits of the nineties. We started the night off with the Doors beseeching us to show them the way to the next whiskey bar. Karaoke Saturdays, starting at 9 p.m.
Best quote: Bartender—“We have menus, but only for other places.”
Only at Jake’s: Go ahead; ask what the letters “YCJCYAQFTJB” on a wooden sign behind the bar mean.
Cost of a round: Two bottled Blues for David and Lisa, a draft Blue for Don, and a gin and tonic for Ron set us back $9.
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(561 Main Street)
Finding it: This upscale eatery is the latest incarnation of the Main Street landmark many remember as Warren’s.
Ambience: The soft lighting, distinctively shaped bar, and intimate vibe feel more Elmwood-y than Tonawanda-ish.
What to eat: This is a full-service restaurant, but we arrived near closing time focused more on liquid nourishment than solid food. Definitely a subject for further research.
On tap: Easily the widest range of the evening.
Only at the Frog Grill: Lounge diva Marilyn Mann and accompanist Gerry Cole perform every weekend. Not only do they take requests, but Mann has the remarkable ability to remember the names and life stories of all the regulars.
Cost of a round: Four beers, fancy to basic: $15.
While you are in the City of Tonawanda, also check out Squire’s Tap Room (127 S.Niagara), Seven Wonders (38 N. Niagara), and Gene’s Junk Yard (501 Young).
Lisa Brown is a freelance writer who is considering a move to Tonawanda, but only if she can find a house really close to Swiston’s. Ron Ehmke already lives there and loves to show off it.
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