Our gang has done this a couple of times now and it never disappoints! We call it a “Barcycle”, that means we hop on our bikes and ride from bar to bar. This past Saturday was my friend’s birthday and she decided that we gather our mutual friends and do a “barcycle” crawl to celebrate her day. We met at her house with our bikes and started the day off with a champagne toast and birthday cake. Before, heading off we checked that everyone had bicycle locks and pumped up tires. Flat shoes and driver’s licenses are a must.
Newport Beach is great for this because there are many bars and restaurants in a close proximity to one another.
Newport Beach Brewing Company aka “The Brewco” is a great place to start a pub crawl for several reasons. One is that the food there is good and secondly they brew their own beer. A favorite thing to order is their ESB brew. It’s a dark beer with a deep flavor, be careful because it’s strong. Also order their Mac n’ Cheese pizza. Great crust with macaroni and cheese and bacon layered over it. You need a food foundation on bar-stop one to keep you going. The Brewco has plenty of in and outdoor seating and lots of t.v.’s.
From the Newport Beach Brewing Company; we hop on our bikes and head to the boardwalk. Riding along the boardwalk is fun in itself; the sand, ocean and the many beach-goers is a great view. Riding on the boardwalk to Blackies by the Sea is about a 5 minute ride. Lock your bikes up and head into “Blackies” named by Esquire Magazine as one of the Best Bars in America for an ice cold one. I believe it received this accolade by having the coldest beer, not to mention, the location is right on the boardwalk. Blackies is a great dive bar on the beach, so grab a beer and a tray of roasted peanuts and head to the back and partake in a little billiards.
Leaving Blackies, we ride south along the boardwalk and hang a left on 15th Street towards the bay, about another 5-7 minutes. The American Legion boasts of being one of the only Legions to be located on the water. The American Legion is a private club, open to only those who have served their country and is a member. If you are lucky enough to be with someone who is a member, this is a great spot to grab a drink ( a heavy-handed pour & light on the wallet), and sit at a table next to the water. They usually have a live band outside on the weekends that you can enjoy.
After enjoying the strong, yet inexpensive beverages at The American Legion, we head out to 15th Street and to the boardwalk again, this time riding north.
The Newport Beach Pier area has many bars and restaurants, but our next choice is The Stag Bar. The Stag Bar was originally opened in 1908 went through many changes and the name was changed to The District in 2006 and now it has been renovated and renamed The Stag Bar once again. I like The Stag Bar because one, the décor is cool and hip. The second reason is the crowd is a good mix of people. They have pool tables to use and seating with waitress service. I have heard that they serve killer meatballs and the pizza is quite good. The music is always fun and eclectic. A round of drinks and shots and we are ready to cross over Balboa Blvd. and head to Woody’s Wharf.
Woody’s is located on the bay with fantastic views of all the yachts docked on the bay. The bar itself is pretty small but has huge windows to enjoy the view. For some reason, Woody’s is usually one of our last stops of the night. One friend who shall go nameless always likes to order a round of Scooby Snacks upon arrival at Woodys. I am not sure what is in a Scooby Snack but it is some green foamy concoction that tastes pretty good!
Across the street again, we ride down to Malarky’s Irish Pub. Malarky’s has a huge square bar in the middle and darts for entertainment. We ordered their tator tots and sweet potato fries with ranch dressing to go along with our libations. At this point, our group has completed the bicycle bar crawl. Everyone has had a superb time and is looking forward to our next “barcycle”!
