The Spoke

Great dive bar with amazing bartenders. Great place to play pool and drink. Cant wait to come back

For being a non-​smoker even walking up to the place is overwhelming because they have a patio right out front. Also, I couldn’t buy anything because the first sign my eyes drew to was the giant «CASH ONLY» sign. They’re lose and I really wish they woulda had it displayed in the front or online.

After telling an old friend of mine from back East my son was going to go to Amherst, he told me I needed to visit the Spoke when I got to town. I was only there about 40 minutes, but I shit you negative brother, this is one of the best fuckin’ bar I’ve ever been in. And I’ve been in plenty. For $ 6, I got a Jameson Whiskey Sour in a pint glass. Best whiskey sour I’ve ever had, and everyone I meet was authentic.
Cheers, Aedan! Your gonna love Amherst.

The Spoke has long been a favorite of mine, even as an undergrad at UMass. Much of it’s appeal is that you won’t see the sort of crowd that is typical of other uptown bars. Not that The Spoke doesn’t get packed (it often does) — it’s just a different crowd.
As for the important stuff: drinks are cheap, mixed drinks come in pint glasses and are just a few bucks! The staff has always been great, especially if you’re a regular (they prepared my groups drinks as soon as we walked in the door). There is a pool table, jukebox and decent outdoor patio but there are plenty of tables inside as well as a good sized bar.
And make no mistake — this is a dive bar. It’s small and dark… but that’s what makes it so great! You can go and have a pile of beers with your friends and just hangout in Amhersts own dive bar/​‘Spoke Easy’.

Trying to put my sentimentality aside, this place is a great dive bar. Always something going on, for better or worse. Clientele can range from nobody to a lot of people pending college schedule. Locals are always entertaining and sloppy behavior is encouraged. Wouldn’t go by myself (especially if I was female) but great place for a group. If your in the mood for dirty and sloppy, this is the place for you!

Smoke J’s outside while you drink, everyone else does.

A legit dive bar in Amherst. Although themed around bicycles, there’s nothing in there which would impress Lance Armstrong.
Lot of freebies on odd evenings. Sunday 5:00 pm gets you free meatballs and hotdogs. Monday nights, they have free Poker. Tuesday nights you get free Pool table.
Also, they make the best Long Island Iced Tea. I have a vague memory where I had downed a tower of mixed Vodka with my lady friend at the nearby Charlie’s, and then proceeded to drinking two Teas at the Spoke. One would have been enough.
Voila! My love for humanity came alive. I started conversing with random strangers on the road. Fueled by the Alcoholic concoction mixed with 100 grams of sugar, I was a drunk Cornholio. Soon, I found myself rolling with my lady friend on the lawns across the street. Oh boy, the rest, the rest should just not be told…

I make the drive to see friends and have a great time. You cannot beat the «everyone know’s your name» feel. The drinks are well made, the beer is cold and and every visit to the patio is a good time.
There is coin-​op pool, a jukebox an no bullshit. There is a split of local folks and grad students although I am told that later in the night the younger crowd shuffles in. There is no better place to watch a game, have a beer, shoot pool and hang out with your friends — as long as your friends are regulars :-)

The inverse of what the moan and dove is. Its dark and not populated with too many UMass «yeah dudes» but whereas the M&D goes upscale the spoke goes strong and cheap, which is a great combination

Best bar in Amherst. Shout out to Jeff, Todd, and Nick.

Cheap, tall, and strong drinks. I wish I found this place earlier in my college career. We started a bar crawl here and didn’t want to leave! Like Johnna M. said, the crowd here is much more stomachable than the majority of Amherst bars and I hesitate to divulge this great spot. Spoke it up.

This is a local bar. For the most part you aren’t going to see the frat going Umass kid, the tennis playing Amherst kid, or the patchouli wearing Hampshire kid (unless it is me). I like that. Therefore I am somewhat reluctant to reveal this little piece of information.
DRINKS ARE STRONG AND CHEAP. They are really, really, cheap. They are really, really, strong. Beers for under 2.00! Mixed drinks in glasses the size of your head! Shots that look more like doubles! Oh yeah, and a pool table, jukebox, and great outdoor seating!
It’s a dive though. Don’t go here.

The only bar I really enjoy in Amherst.
I liked it better back in 2001 when we started going here cause we were tired of all the kids in the terrible downtown bars in Amherst, as there were only 30-​something locals there and we — being the only college students there — could get some breating space and just have some beers and talk.
These days the bar has been discovered by the college crowd (hmm, it was right there the whole time?) and its still nice, just not quite as relaxed an environment.

The Spoke makes me warm and fuzzy inside… mostly because as a non-​local from the über expensive NY, I enjoy a dive like this where you can bring all your friends, play terrible music a la jukebox, and get very large whiskey sours for very little cash. That’s an A in my book.

I love this place. It’s such a hole in the wall, that it’s typically the last resort for the average bar-​going college student. The prices are great, though hiking the PBR up to $ 1.75 was rough. Great staff, great atmosphere. Service with a grunt. Check it out!