Kyle S.
Yelp
Pros: wonderful selection, cheerful, inviting service, and a convenient food truck outside. The fire pit on the patio is a great touch.
Cons: Usually too cold, loud, uncomfortable seats, and lots of TVs. They close comparatively early.
This is a fantastic venue, and has become (ever since the death of Copper Door) the first bar I suggest for both casual and professional meetups.
It's clearly a labor of love for the bartenders, who are knowledgeable, friendly, and diligent. They're happy to offer advice, samples, and make a point to address you by name. In their downtime, they're cleaning and zipping around to collect empty glasses from the tables.
All are welcome; there's usually a dog or two in the bar, and a little kid's area in a corner. Normal tables complement taller bar stools and a really cool extended bar section juts out to double the amount of available bar seating. It's always clean, so I love coming here to write or catch up with friends.
I usually try to bring noise-cancelling headphones, though. It's typically loud, and the TVs can be really distracting. The temperature is also fairly brisk, and there's one seat in particular positioned directly under a vent; I've seen several customers sit there and quickly reconsider.
The hours and parking also leave something to be desired. A bar closing at 10 is a little unfortunate.
They don't serve food, but the Starvin' Marvin food truck in the parking lot can bring your order to your table inside. They offer piles of great crunchy fries, sandwiches, and personal pizzas. Wonderfully convenient.
Finally, there's a big fire pit outside on their patio. It's a really great place to nurse a beer and stare into the flames.
Despite my low tolerance for the external stimulation of the noise and TVs, I love Beer Star and hope they stick around.