Pizza
JC's NYPD (New York Pizza Dept.)
Essentially the late-night downtown food line, though fine for lunch as well. High-quality thin-crusts, full bar, limited beer (convenience over heavy drinking) and one hell of a calzone. Patio seating, old-skool video games, and a back room.
Joe’s/Carraro’s
Front: Carraro’s, home to tasty calzones & decent ’za. Wind your way back to Joe’s for a mighty selection of beer, pool, air hockey, ping pong and an ass-kickin’ jukebox. A great low-key Friday night dive. Kitchen closes late.
La Montañita Co-op Market
A member-owned source for organic food, health, and beauty care products. The bulk aisle is expansive, the meat top-notch, and the best produce in the city. This month, prime-quality organic thanksgiving turkeys!
Lotus
What’re you waiting for? Suit up, drop a shot and DANCE! Excellent low-key lighting, decent DJs, standard prices. Head upstairs to the VIP “Ultra” Lounge or stay below and get your grind on.
Low Spirits
This North Valley haunt offers local bands, rock shows, and slightly overpriced well drinks. Great atmosphere and pool might bring you back to your ska-loving days, and not just because there’s a ska band playing and all your friends from middle school are leaning on the bar.
Lucky’s Lounge
Why are the best dives always in strip malls? Dark and comfy (in the plush, round, vinyl pleather booth sense), strangely friendly, with chill bartender-bouncers.
Old Town Pizza
Warm, retro ambiance, but far from touristy. Hearty, filling, well-spiced build-your-own calzones that Adam proclaims the best he’s had west of the New York state line.
O’Neill’s Pub
A laundry-list of beers; fantastic (smoking-okay) patio well shielded from Central; and a decidedly Irish menu.
Retro’s
Booths and tables in (you guessed it) a retro-themed bar. The drinks are good enough, the bartenders are friendly (and hate food table-service on weeknights), and karaoke abounds.
Saggios Pizza
Legendarily filling pizza (seriously, a stack of large green chile ‘zas could shut up the Broncos, on a bad day), great salads, New York cannoli and cheesecake, shockingly good shakes, and an average 20-minute wait.
Sneakerz
The ultimate sports bar, Sneakerz offers every micro-sport we can think of: league volleyball, karaoke, pinball, shuffleboard, dart tournaments, pool, ping pong and more. Between the all-female, heavy-pouring staff and satisfying grub, just try to leave.
The Copper Lounge
How we miss Jack’s! The dingy, dark red booths, complete with ashtrays; waitresses with more hair on their arms than Eric’s chin, and that call from the liquor store at 10 ’til midnight: “Anyone want something to go?” But $.50 Taco Tuesdays ease our hearts (as they deliciously clog our arteries).