Top Ten Classic Military Spots to Drink a Beer

[darrels joy]

Travel around in military service for any amount of time, and you'll find a few things you love. You'll love some of your units, love some of your buddies, and inevitably there will be a few watering holes that you'd swear your allegiance to.
There are a handful of places around the country and around the world that have gotten more than their share of love from folks in uniform over the years. Here's a smattering of such spots, new and old, and the reasons that they've inspired so much loyalty. If you find yourself on duty station or TDY at any of them, or after your service ends you'd like a jolt of nostalgia – here's a top ten list of places to buy a beer and feel right at home.
For this list we've looked at where the troops are, gotten something for each service, and hit a few hot spots around the world. These are all unforgettable places, all very different from each other – though we are somewhat over-represented in Irish pubs – but perhaps that says something about the military. Your favorite place may be missing – go ahead and let me know about it, and we'll run up another list. In the meantime, keep this one in your wallet, and if you're ever near DC, or Savannah, or Manhattan, KS – if you find yourself in Okinawa or in Germany, you've got a place to look up.

Here they are, in geographic order, from West to East Coast:

Danny's Palm Bar & Grill: "A Dive for Seals"
Coronado, CA
No top ten list for military hangouts would be complete without a dive bar. If you're a Navy Seal, chances are you know Danny's Palm Bar & Grill in Coronado, a few steps from the Naval training facility, nestled along Orange Ave. in Coronado. Famous for great burgers – some say the best in San Diego, its family friendly until about 8 pm, then it becomes an over 21 joint. Called by some "a seedy little bar" its got all the accompaniments you'd expect – over-45 bartenders, understaffed serving crew of sometimes one or two, a dodgy-looking front entrance. But their heart is in the right place, and they love their special forces clientele. While the Naval Air Station folks and any Miramar or Pendleton Marines finding will feel at home, this place belongs to the Seals. Its hallowed enough that when a Seal is lost, the mourners will usually find their way here after any official memorials are over. No live music here – its juke boxes and pool tables. But sometimes that's exactly what you need.

Jack Quinn's: "Clean Mountain Living"
Colorado Springs, CO
@#6#Jack Quinn's is an Irish Pub that belongs to the blue, green and purple of Colorado Springs. Just ten years old this year, it's become indispensible for cadets, Fort Carson soldiers, and the NorthCom folks. Not a week goes by without a hail and farewell, promotion, or other kind of quasi-official party happening within its doors – to the extent that Quinn's features a standard Hail and Farewell menu. The pub has blue foundations: the four owners are loyal Academy grads, even the manager is a military brat. They stay loyal to the troops, and show their appreciation with specials like free pints for folks returning from OIF/OEF tours. The décor is traditional Irish pub. Up in front is a cabinet with patches customers have donated, and in the corridor by the restrooms hangs a photo from Iraq, sent by three soldiers featuring a sign calculating the number of miles to Jack Quinn's. A special feature of Jack Quinn's is running club Tuesdays -- a big hit for folks who want to socialize and make height/weight standards. They combine a 5K run with discounted beer and free appetizers. About 400 people a week join the fun. Talk about having your fitness cake and eating it too!
If you stop in here, their manager promises, you can count on being welcome.

Wild Country: "Country Club"
Killeen, TX
The truth of the matter is, pretty much every bar and club around Fort Hood is an Army bar. That's what there is around Killeen: soldiers, soldiers' families, soldiers' girlfriends and boyfriends. As the largest military post in the U.S., Fort Hood is big enough to even have a few good bars on base, bucking the trend towards dead and dying base club culture. Rumor has it that Stetson Night and Legends is worth stepping out for, for instance. But Texas is country country, and so to narrow down the options here we went with the much recommended Wild Country, in Harker Hts. It's a straight out bar and dance hall – if you want food, you'll have to head for the taco truck outside. They do have free popcorn though, and they host a lot of parties – not only hail and farewells, but quite a few soldiers' wedding parties too. Their dance floor is a popular place to pop the question too. Dancing is what this place is all about, and once a month they'll bring in a big name band and the place goes wild. The manager is a former Fort Hood soldier himself, and says he they aim to take care of those guys. When units return from Iraq, Wild Country runs welcome home specials, hangs banners, and try to make an atmosphere where folks can take their minds off tough times for a while. They make an effort to keep it fun. You can take a break from dancing and ride the mechanical bull. You might get snagged off the floor to spend 10 seconds in the money machine, grabbing as many bills as you can before the bell rings. There's a wild wheel too, and pool tables. Wild Country – a great place for unvarnished country good times.

Rusty's Last Chance: "College-style Bar Scene"
Manhattan, Kansas
Soldiers stationed at Fort Riley know they can count on finding people from their unit at one of the bars in Rusty's Last Chance pretty much any time they drop in. Young locals, college students and soldiers are the core of the clientele here, this is your under-thirty crowd. Rusty's Last Chance is four bars in one and the largest bar in Aggieville. Housed in a former gas station, with two patios, it's got rooms that feature pop, rock, and country, respectively. And it's got TVs, a lot of them, more than 60 at last count. Its gotten some big-time recognition for a spot in Kansas, variously recognized as a top-100 Bar by Playboy (‘nough said) and actually ranked the 12th best sports bar in America by Sports Illustrated. All those TVs couldn't hurt. Rusty's Last Chance is especially popular with NCO's and young officers. They play to their crowd with regular military appreciation days, and host a lot of promotions. They make a point of being open 365 days a year, and that's good news if you've got duty or otherwise stuck in Manhattan for the holidays. You can have a beer, hang out with a guy dressed as Santa, and enjoy a little camaraderie, and that beats an empty barracks or living room.

McGuire's Irish Pub: "A Roost for Flyers"
Pensacola, FL
If you've been to Pensacola, you know McGuire's Irish Pub. Officers and gentlemen, enlisted, and no doubt a few rogues swear by it. "I live and breathe by McGuire's" enthused the wife of a Marine flyer, and a Navy guy I know gets far-eyed and nostalgic thinking about it. I know people who have framed photos of the place on their living room walls, I do not lie. Why is McGuire's so beloved? Atmosphere – including thousands of dollars hanging from the ceiling, with messages from besotted patrons. Beer – they brew their own. One of a kind food – a hundred-dollar hamburger (hey, how else are you going to spend that reenlistment bonus?), a peanut-butter hamburger (perhaps for Elvis fans…) and Sheppard's pie, it is said, to make the Irish weep. And then there's the music – the best Irish music south of Austin, McGuire's claims, though perhaps south of Austin narrows the field fairly generously. At any rate, if you can stay late, drink real beer, and sing Irish songs with your mates, it can't be too bad of a choice. And last but not least, they love their military clientele. Their manager tells me the guys from the Air Station are their favorite customers, and are always welcome here.

Kevin Barry's: "Southern Comfort"
Savannah, Georgia
Many a Ranger has spent many a late night singing Irish drinking songs at Kevin Barry's, in Savannah. You know you're in friendly territory before you even enter the building, just by looking at the front, which features alternating flags – the Stars and Stripes, the Irish Flag, and the black POW/MIA flag along the entire face. Walk inside and upstairs, and you'll find rooms that are a tribute to the military – Heroes Hall and Liberty Hall, decorated with pictures donated by the Ranger Battalion and the 160th Airborne. Mementos and war stories cover the walls upstairs too, from chair-rail to ceiling – its worth stopping in just to take a look. Kevin Barry's is known for its music. They play both kinds here, as they said in Blues Brothers – but in this case its Irish traditional and Irish contemporary. And there's even more to recommend it. There's a cigar bar overlooking the Savannah River upstairs from the bar, and its open until late, late at night. The owner is former military, and he says he's happy to have anyone who has served walk into this pub.

The Globe and Laurel: "Old School"
Quantico, VA
Perhaps its fitting that the most tradition-loving service is represented by the most traditional pub. The Globe and Laurel is presided over by the legendary still-straight-and-strong WWII vet, Major Rick Spooner. Dapper in his white high and tight, Spooner is what we'd all like to be at 83. Spooner retired in 1972 – before 80 percent of today's Marines were born – and after fighting in battles from Saipan, to Okinawa, to Vietnam. Drop in, and he'll sit down at your table and tell you about it. Meeting him is one of the perks of stopping by. The Major opened the Globe and Laurel forty years ago as a pub for professional Marines. The memorabilia piled on every available space – walls, doors, tables, even ceiling – is testament to the longevity, and the affection of its clientele. The Globe and Laurel's got badges and unit insignia donated from fond patrons, a Victoria Cross and a replica Medal of Honor, flags, and statuettes. It's kind of like an "I Spy" puzzle everywhere you look. The Globe and Laurel serves a pub lunch, has a bar, and is known for its prime rib, but its mostly a place you go for the atmosphere. It's had its bit of fame too – as the subject of a number of news stories, as part of "War Stories" on the History Channel, and its even been featured on the Food Channel. The Globe and Laurel is a great combo packet with a visit the Marine Corps museum.

Zuggy's: "A bar, a room, a ski slope"
Garmisch, Germany
If you're in Germany, don't be a schlemiel and miss coming to Edelweiss, in Garmisch-Partenkirschen, just outside of Munich. OK – the bar and grill, Zuggy's Base Camp, is not really what's great here – it's the fact that Zuggy's is in the middle of a luxury hotel in the Alps that's about as expensive as the Holiday Inn in Cleveland, and is just for you because you serve, or retired from service (or are the good friend of someone who's still serving and will sponsor you). Probably we could put this up there with the Halekoa, but if you're stationed in Hawaii the beaches are free. In Europe, the ski slopes aren't – but at Edelweiss they are the next best thing. The skiing is outstanding here – and you can buy a beer pretty easily on the slopes on your way down, as little chalets stud the long runs. There's a glam pool-size outdoor hot-tub, with views on the mountain that's pretty spectacular at night. Folks on R&R leave from OEF/OIF or Bosnia can spend a weekend there for less than $200 for a family of four. This is a perk not to miss.

Grenadier: "Roots Tour"
London, UK
America's friendly GI's are no longer "overpaid and over here" as the Brits used to say (can't speak to the over-sexed bit), but the ties remain strong. Air Force guys on a Mildenhall/Lakenheath tour, or PCS'ers on a long lay-over, or lucky, continent-hopping MAC-traveling retirees should find their way over to London's toniest postcode, Belgravia and tipple a pint at the Grenadier. This was Wellington's officer's mess, and still has the stone step installed to help the Iron Duke (or to his men, Old Nosey) mount his horse after a few glasses of the good stuff impaired his hoisting skills. Its dark, small and cramped – full of history, with an old pewter bar, and the few Brits left who will appreciate seeing an American military man or woman in their midst. Reputed to be haunted, by the ghost of a Grenadier shot by his comrades for cheating at cards. It's a real trick to find it, off trailing alleyways just a bit north of Belgrave Square. Perhaps the best strategy is just to pay a cabbie to take you there. If you are feeling cheeky while you're in the neighborhood, swing by The Royal College of Defense Studies right on the square, where two US senior military officers are always in residence (the services take a turn every other year), and if you can find a Yank on site to give you a brief tour of the inside of Seaford House's solid malachite banisters and paneled ballrooms of this Victorian grand aristocratic town manse. Our military roots are in the British military, after all, this is a good place to go and reclaim a bit of history.

Yoshihachi's: "Culture Fusion"
Okinawa, Japan
On the other end of tradition is the innovation you find at Yoshihachi's in Okinawa. Whatever your branch of service, you may well find yourself in Okinawa some day. And if you do, it would be a crime not to stop by Yoshihashi's. Yoshio is an Okinawan native who spent 12 years in America serving sushi to the beautiful people in Los Angeles, most of whose pictures have found their way to the walls of restaurant. Look for Stevie Wonder, Peter Falk, Robert Wagner, Danny Glover, Ken Norton, Tom Watson, and Arnold Palmer. You'll see so many pictures of Yoshio and Tiger Woods you'll think they must be related. Yoshi's is not Okinawan and it's not American, but the kind of great fusion that can come from culture clashes. Some people quibble with Yoshihachi's, say that its American-style Japanese – that sushi isn't even an Okinawa cuisine for crying out loud. OK, true. Bitter root is very popular in Okinawa, but there's only so much you can eat it. Yoshio will make the crazy-quilt variety of sushi, multiple fish and veggies all rolled up together – very un-Japanese, true, but darned good. And true, his tatami mat tables feature holes cut out in the floor for those long gaijin legs to dangle, but that's a good thing. True – its more of a restaurant than a bar or club, but the beers and cocktails flow freely, it's a great place for large groups, and you can take your unit, or that visiting girlfriend or in-law and be sure to show them a one-of-a-kind good time. It's a great place for the unaccompanied officer barracks folks to find themselves, have fun, and not get into trouble – that's got a value all its own. You can't go to Okinawa without making Yoshihachi's a regular stop.

This list stops at ten, but we could go on – there are new favorites with edgier music, more quirky out of the way spots, and one's we couldn't quite squeeze in here with this space. Let us hear from you, if you've got a place that belongs on this list. PCS'ers and travelers want to know. We'll do our part to see if we can keep the intel going on great places to hang your cammie hat for the evening.

http://www.military.com/entertainmen...=recruiting.nl

[sn-e3]

Ah man you forgot the Black cat bar and nunery in Olongapo PI. Warm beer. country western music and girls so ripe they could glow in the night. cheep booze cheeper woman. remember you numbr welve GI and also the standard I luv you GI but me a drink.

[82Rigger]

I can vouch for McGuire's in Pensacola...just an hour from me.

Great food, great beer, and great hospitality!

Sometimes great entertainment!

The "Naval Aviators" and the Jarheads "get together" in the parking lot once in a while!

[Doc.2/47]

Doubt any of those could hold a candle to the old "101st Airborne" in Nashville (I think it recently closed). You just had to know that you were in for an unusual dining experience when the access road makes a sharp turn and you find yourself nose to nose with a WWII Stewart Lt. tank. The whole place was made to look like a somewhat battle damaged French chalet that had been turned into a CP. Sandbags, barbed wire, and lots of WWII-era jeeps and other equipment all over the place. The (sandbagged) entryway appeared to take you under the building into a bunker which was actually the bar/resturant. Memorabillia all over the place.

On my first visit I was introduced to a woman and beer-cheeze soup. Still got the woman. Sure could use some more of that soup.

[revwardoc]

The Ponderosa Bar and Grill in Angeles City, PI; actually there was no grill and the bar only served "San Magoo" beer / that was downstairs / upstairs the ladies served whatever you wanted for about 10 pesos. I could tell you a really nasty story about the upstairs but this is a family site.

Then there's the Kozy Korner in San Bernardino, CA; real small place with only 6 tables and about 12 bar stools, but for $1 you could get a freshly made burger with jalepeno peppers, a small bag of chips, and a cold Coors. And the barmaid was VERY accomodating, but cost more than $1.