Scooter's Bar Journal » Emporia

Bruff’s

scooterj — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:12:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1092nd bar, first visited in 2015.

More of a restaurant, but there’s an island bar in the center and a back room with pool tables. We snacked on some popcorn shrimp with our beers.

2640 W. 18th Ave
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 342-1223
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Korner Pocket

scooterj — Sat, 11 Apr 2015 17:10:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1091st bar, first visited in 2015.

This would probably count as Emporia’s diviest dive bar. We had a great time chatting with the bartender and another patron longer than we expected to stay.

There’s a pool table and a covered patio, and grilled sandwiches are available.

728 E 6th Ave
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 342-4738
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The Trophy Room

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:22:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1089th bar, first visited in 2015.

A laid-back lounge, located upstairs from the Casa Ramos Mexican restaurant. They feature rotating selections of craft beers and some of the coolest bar stools I’ve ever sat on.

We had been told by other people we met that this is a private club, though no one asked us about memberships when we were there.

705 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 208-6099
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Mulready’s Pub

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:22:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1090th bar, first visited in 2015.

We’d expected to see college students all night, but this was the only bar we encountered any at — and they were all here. We were barely able to squeeze in.

This bar prides itself on a large rotating selection of craft beer. There’s a patio in the back.

We ended up hanging out here until we were too buzzed and too tired and ready to get back to our hotel. As it turned out, we should have called for a cab the moment we arrived because it would take a full hour for our cab to arrive.

717 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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620-208-2337
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Radius Brewing Company

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:21:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1088th bar, first visited in 2015.

Radius Brewing Company opened just in the past year or two and appears to be very successful. We were starting to get pretty buzzed by the time we got here so I can’t remember if I had the Porter or the Jose, but I remember really enjoying whichever one I picked.

610 Merchant
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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620-208-4677
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The Scoreboard Sports Bar & Grill

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:20:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1087th bar, first visited in 2015.

We expected this to be the busiest bar of the night, instead it was the quietest at this particular time. No matter, we had good conversation with the bartender and deep-fried bacon-wrapped bratwurst. Score!

We didn’t check it out, but there’s a patio in the back.

23 E. 6th Ave
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 208-4444
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Town Royal

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:19:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1086th bar, first visited in 2015.

This place is apparently an Emporia institution, one of the town’s most beloved bars. While we were seated at the large rectangular bar, we ran into the bikers we met a couple of bars earlier and they bought us shots.

To me this bar straddles the line between dive and classy. I decided to give it dive status â€” just barely â€” only due to the giant hole in the wall in the men’s restroom.

405 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 343-1232
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Brick Yard 20 Ale House

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:18:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1085th bar, first visited in 2015.

This is an enormous new establishment that was still under construction at the time of our visit, but had been open for a few weeks.

The completed area included a bar area with recessed purple lighting and multiple selections of craft beer on tap and in bottles. Towards the front are pool tables and several bar tables. A stage flanks the front wall of this section.

Outdoor seating is available in a central courtyard that was still under construction but was open during construction. The courtyard included a future stage and a future outdoor bar.

We did wander through the under-construction area, finding another large under-construction space with another bar, this room looked like possibly a figure dance hall. Stars led up to what was possibly a future mezzanine area.

It almost seems like this place is going to be too big for the market to support, but it might work if they can book enough good acts. They’ve put a lot of work into restoring this building so I wish them the best of luck.

One note — though it’s a Merchant Street address, the entrance is actually on the 4th Street side.

402 Merchant
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(855) 202-9949
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The Noose

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:17:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)
Formerly Lariat Lounge

Scooter’s 1084th bar, first visited in 2015.

Biker-friendly dive bar with a pool table in the front and a patio in the back. The rectangular bar was packed so we sat in the lounge seating along the walls and chatted with a biker couple that was in town for a bike show this weekend. The Noose hosts a weekly karaoke night

323 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 343-8629
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Charlie’s Place

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:16:00 +0000

(Downtown, Emporia, KS)
Formerly Last Chance Cantina

Scooter’s 1083rd bar, first visited in 2015.

Though the bar counter itself is pretty small (though very nice and clean), this is a bigger place than it looks like from the outside. There’s two pool tables, darts, and a new patio in the back that just recently opened.

116 Commercial
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 208-8540
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Mary’s Place

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:15:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1082nd bar, first visited in 2015.

One of the ratings I sometimes give when visiting bars in new city is, “This is the Zoo Bar of ____.” Well, this is, this is the Zoo Bar of Emporia.

A dive bar that feels like home, feels like everyone there is family, and is a lot of fun to boot.

Be forewarned, if you order beer and don’t specify exactly how you want it served, you may get it in a mug the size of a human head!

Inside the expansive drinking area are three pool tables, shuffleboard, darts and a jukebox. The outdoor area includes a basketball hoop.

We were really confused as to the location of the restrooms and began to worry that this was a bar that was cruel enough to not have any. It turns out in order to get them you have to break taboo and go behind the bar. They are around the corner down a short corridor that is covered with hundreds of photos of patrons, many years (if not decades) of good times remembered.

902 East 6th Ave
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 342-9610
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Just One More

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:14:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)
Formerly Purple Duck

Scooter’s 1081st bar, first visited in 2015.

This narrow dive bar features a long, boomerang-shaped bar with a pool table at one end. We watched a portion of The Masters alongside some of Emporia’s more silver drinkers.

1516 W. 6th
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 412-9593
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Coach’s

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:13:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1080th bar, first visited in 2015.

This place is quite a bit nicer than I expected. It’s really more of a restaurant than a bar, the bar is just one small corner.

2702 W 15th Avenue
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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(620) 343-6362
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Wagon Wheel

scooterj — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 17:12:00 +0000

(Emporia, KS)

Scooter’s 1079th bar, first visited in 2015.

This was originally going to be our third Emporia stop, but after we learned of its quirky weekday hours we decided to move it to the front of the line rather than risk it. We had the chicken fingers special for lunch.

The double-sized bar takes up most of the main area, a secondary elevated room — which was closed at lunchtime — has a stage, pool table, and additional dining tables.

Old school condom machines in the men’s room…

I enjoyed the failed attempt to paint over the condom dispenser signage…

2909 W. 9th Ave
Emporia, KS 66801
US
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620) 343-2525
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