The Cellar

I have to say, when I first walked downstairs to The Cellar, I was afraid that I was about to get forced into a human trafficking ring. It was SO sketchy. The doors were locked and I couldn’t figure out how to get inside. I had to go back upstairs, outside, and around a corner to get in.
Once I was inside The Cellar, I was certainly unimpressed. It was small, dark, and smoky. It smelled like a mixture of mildew, cigarettes, and sweat. There were mostly people in their late 30s+ sitting around at the tables, drinking their drinks and just staring at me and my friends. Overall, the place was gross, creepy, and boring.
The only real positives were: the bartender was friendly and was creative with the drink making. Also, there are two pool tables and a homemade dare Jenga game (i.e.- when you pull out a Jenga block, it says something like «slap a stranger on the ass» or «steal a ball from the pool table without anyone noticing») which was honestly the best part of the whole place.
As far as I’m concerned, this place is nothing special. I could go the whole rest of my life without ever coming back to The Cellar and I would be just fine.

Really cool dive bar spot that has the feel of a Prohibition back-​alley hidden speakeasy with the entrance that can be kinda hard to find without good instructions. But once you get in the practically unmarked door, your journey is rewarded with a cold one at the bar, the bartenders are usually pretty efficient and you don’t wait too long. The beer selection is decent and they are pretty cheap, especially with PBR on tap which is awesome for a broke recent college-​grad. Pool tables are a plus and the video game collection is a cool throwback. Love bringing friends here for the first time and showing them how to get away from normal Franklin St and grab a real beer.

Nice little spot below the West End Wine Bar. Divey, two pool tables, some video games, board games to play. Random pole in the middle of I guess what could be a dance floor. The endless stripper pantomimes and jokes get old after… once. The music is kinda loud here which makes it difficult to talk (one of my bigger pet peeves). Music can be thoroughly pumped up without people having to yell! Maybe people not being able to talk helps them drink more and get more business, I don’t know. The music selection is fair, pretty hit or miss, as I believe it’s the bartender’s mix. I’m not totally sure, but you don’t really get a choice in the matter so it gets a little indulgent to a particular person’s tastes. Why am I so harsh on four-​star reviews? Geez. I like this place because it’s a dive, it’s sort of hidden, and it’s not occupied with being a dance floor. Turn the music down a notch and you’ve got a five-​star place in my book. Also, the drinks are fairly cheap.

A relaxed atmosphere with pool tables and a jukebox. I visited during the week so no one was really there but the bartender was cool and I still had a fun time.

Hidden below the West End Wine Bar, The Cellar has a lot of great things going for it. Similar to the bar below East End, it has the movie bar «smokey» sort of thing going for it. There are also pool tables all over the place for games. They also have an old-​school game machine, in case you get a hankering to play some Donkey Kong or Pac Man (and you will. Trust me. You will. Mario will be all like, «I need to save my girlfriend from Donkey Kong» and you’ll be like, «Alright dude, we’ll save her.» And then you save her. Woo woo.)
Beers are relatively cheap, the atmosphere is calm, and overall it’s a nice place below the hustle and bustle of West End.

I generally enjoy the Wine Bar, but on most nights I think I actually prefer the Cellar. The smoke doesn’t bother me, but I can see how it would deter some people. The Cellar is located at basement level and the ventilation is poor, so the smoke just hangs in the air. The bartenders are friendly and efficient, and the beer selection is decent. And while I do appreciate that it’s an option, I suck at pool and much prefer to hang out by the eclectic jukebox at the back.

This is the Mr. Hyde to West End Wine Bar’s Mr. Jekyll. What you’re going to find here is dark and seedy by comparison. If that’s your thing, come on it. Also, pool tables!
I tried the Cellar a couple of times but was run off by the intense cigarette smoke. If not for that it would seriously vie for the title of my favorite local pool bar (Zog’s being the current champion).
You’ve got a full bar to work with and a quieter, slightly older clientele, so don’t come here if you’re looking for action with college students. You run the risk of encountering overcrowding, but it’s usually not too bad. The atmosphere is great, something like the nearby Cave but slightly less Tim Burton. Not too bad (especially if you’re a smoker).

The Cellar is an okay place to hang, so long as it’s not bursting at the seams with people and so long as the smoke level is under control. They do have some pool in the back, and that’s a definite draw for some folks. Not a ton of seating other than at the bar, so more of a stand-​around place. The bartenders are pretty speedy and that’s always a plus.

Now this is a great area pool table and bar! Come on proximity has to count for something! Yeah, this bar happens to be quite close to where I live and it’s smoky and kind of crazy at times. It just depends on who ventures in there from night to night.
I like to hang out here with a group of friends or perhaps just a couple of people over cocktails while chilling at the bar or at one of the tables if there’s one available.

The Cellar is West End Wine Bar’s smoky, dark counterpart. Down here, a full bar is available, as opposed to only wine upstairs. There are a few pool tables and lots of high bar tables to lounge around, not nearly as nice as the couches, but still a good time. If you are irritated by smoke, however, do not enter the Cellar. It traps all of the smoke from the cigarettes, sometimes practically suffocating the patrons. If it weren’t for this factor, I would rate the Cellar one star higher, but the lack of ventilation is too much for me to handle.