The University Pub

Your standard hole-​in-​the-​wall college dive bar!
A friend wanted to show me his favorite bar from his tcu days! The owner and his daughter were super nice and the drinks came cold and fast! I’m sure we will be back soon!

This place is very relaxed. It’s like your chill friend’s house with a ton of alcohol. Good pricing and has the classic games of darts and pool. If you don’t like the music, feel free to use the touchtunes to change the vibe. Honest pricing at $ 10 for a pitcher of beer. Sit or stand, this place is casual and you’ll have fun hanging with your friends. Lastly, smoking is only allowed outside on the patio.

Best bar owners around. No more smoking in there now, so everybody can enjoy it.

Drinks are very fairly priced and I love the atmosphere here. It’s a small, cozy, low key place with a pool table in the back area, probably a good place to either start or end the night. It is a smoking bar, something that my drunk friend was not very fond of — she caused a bit of a scene and got berated (justly) by the bartender. However, on the way out of the place, the guy smoking and one of his buddies followed us both outside — thankfully we ran into a guy friend and they high tailed it back in. I probably won’t be coming back for that experience alone. There’s nothing quite like being a college girl targeted maliciously by two dudes twice your size at a bar.

The University Pub is just that, a Pub, who happens to have the best Bloody Mary’s I’ve ever had. They’re hand made by the bartenders. It must be the spice they use. My son and I went to the University Pub before the Baylor at TCU Football game on November 30, 2013. We had several Bloody Mary’s probably because they’re served in a very small plastic cup. The bartenders were very friendly and we enjoyed hanging out for a while. We’ll be back, U Pub!

The University Pub is a TCU landmark! It’s a shotgun shack set-​up where you can see the back door from the front. (When it’s not Fri, Sat or Sun night) Just a hole in the wall that has been there for years and likely will be there 40 years from now. I was there in the late 80’s when Elmer owned that place and I have many fond memories of playing pool there, drunken brawls, bawdy behaviour, cute girls, drunk stoners, etc. Just as it should be. There aren’t many places like this around any more so enjoy it and savor it while you can. If you get there early enough, it doesn’t stink (well, maybe of stale beer on the floor) but hey, it’s a college dive hole in the wall like I said! It’s supposed to be that way! That’s part of it’s charm. If you want something high class head on over to Dallas! Elmer will live on in infamy! Just ask Dave about him! One of the best human beings that you could ever meet!

The Pub is an amazing college bar the likes of which are a dying breed these days. Dave, the owner, is a gentleman of the highest order, a real salt of the earth kind of guy. If you take the time to talk to him, and you definitely should, you’ll find he’s one of the most genuine guys you’ll ever meet. By your third visit, he’ll have your name memorized. This may not seem that impressive, but remember this is a college bar. Meaning they see a lot of turnover in their clientele base. Yet year after year, there’s Dave providing a fun, safe environment for kids to kick back and blow off a little steam after class. Like Amanda said in her review, when Dave announces last call the entire bar erupts in a synchronized «F*ck you, Dave!» It’s a silly tradition, but it really drives home the feeling that the place is just as much yours as it everyone else’s. And maybe, just maybe, there’s a little bit of truth in it. Because when you’re having a good time, last call is a sad, sad song. I haven’t been back to Fort Worth in a very long time, but I’m willing to bet the place hasn’t changed a bit. And in my opinion, that’s a good thing. I had many a great night in this joint, and I hope it’s around for a very long time. Man, I need to stop in for a pitcher and catch up. Bottoms up, guys!
The only negatives I’ll say about the place, and they’re not really a big deal anyhow, is that…
1.) It can get pretty packed on the weekends, but this is to be expected as it’s literally across the street from campus.
2.) And I don’t know if this has changed in the last several years, but the guy’s restroom door used to have a busted lock and it was one of those single bathroom/​toilet set-​ups that opens up right onto the back hallway which functioned as a secondary entrance where people would queue up to get their IDs checked. Speaking from experience, if you’re taking a deuce, there’s a high probability someone might open up that door, exposing you to everyone waiting to show their ID to the door guy. And Murphy’s law being what it is, there’s probably some cute ladies standing there witnessing you do the unthinkable. My suggestion if you have to drop a grumpy is to waddle on over to the Cellar and use their crapper. That place sucks anyway.

This is the classic TCU bar! Hung out here while in school and always make a stop in for a pitcher or two or three during football games. You can still smoke, play pool, and put some tunes on the juke box. Make sure you say «what do you say Dave!» When you walk through the door.

I will agree that this place is dirty, but come on its a old bar. The drinks could be cheaper and the place could be a little cleaner, but what makes the pub is Dave and his wall décor. I went a couple months ago and had not been in over a year, and Dave remembered me! I love walking around the bar and looking at all the old photos of TCU kids from the 80s, 90s, 2000s. lol its like stepping back into a yearbook. Hands down the best part of the night is last call! Dave announces last call and everyone screams «F*** you, Dave!». Its tradition!

Hands down, the best bar around. When I was at TCU me and my buddies spent many a night here, playing darts or shooting pool, just enjoying the place. Dave, who runs the establishment, knows all his regulars on a first name basis.
No freshmen or pop music here. Just good college memories.

My group of friends will probably excommunicate me for writing this review, but the Pub is horrible. I did not like it when I went to TCU, and I do not like it now that I have graduated. No nostalgic value at all.
Strike 1: The Pub stinks. It literally smells so bad that when you leave the Pub, people know that you were there because you have the Pub stench in your clothing. I strongly advise against wearing anything you care about to the Pub, because even after dry-​cleaning, the Pub stench will remain.
Strike 2: Dirty, the Pub is dirty. Nothing about the Pub is clean. Granted, you do not expect bars to be clean, but this one is especially dirty. It is like the 10 dirtiest guys from TCU were hired to clean the bar while drunk.
Strike 3: The drinks are not cheap. When I go to a dive, especially a dirty dive that stinks, I expect cheap drinks to offset the fact that I know they spend no time or money cleaning the bar.
Strike 4: The Pub is boring. I have quite possibly the most entertaining group of friends on the planet, and even when I have been with them, I am still bored at the Pub. I could go to an empty field without my cell phone and have more fun then I have at the Pub.

When I went to TCU, the Pub was our standard bar. We hardly ever went anywhere else. Though it’s small and can get pretty claustrophobic on Friday and Saturday nights, it’s cheap, laid-​back, warm and friendly. Dave, the owner, eventually gets to know your name and welcomes you every time. The drinks are cheap the service as fast they can be. I always tipped good. And when it’s not super-​crazy-​busy time, it’s also a nice place to have a beer and hang out with friends.
It just had a really nice atmosphere. Aside from the claustrophobia and loudness on Fridays and Saturdays, it feel feels the way a bar should feel: down to earth. Go there often enough and you just might get your picture taken by Dave and put up on the wall.