Bar Bleu

Probably the most wutever bar ive ever been to. Crowd is aite sometimes but its way more crackin at the lions den. Drinks arent expensive but not a great selection either. It really epitomizes ur local «College» watering hole more than anything. They have like 4 decent craft beers at best, but a bunch of other random cheap beer specials as well as fish bowls and pitchers.
If ur jus tryna get drunk for cheap then by all means stop by. I dont know if they the cheapest state college has to offer plus i think the fishbowls and other shit is watered down and sugary, but overall vs other college bars theyre ok.

We came in tonight to have a nice time and were degraded by the only female server on ⁹⁄₁₆. She continuously gave us dirty looks and ignored our table. She never even greeted us at our table or asked if we wanted to order food, which we did. So, we left to get food and drinks elsewhere.

Waited at the front of the line for over an hour as the bouncer was rude to me and my friends. Bad service and not worth it.

Seriously disappointed by $ 5 fishbowls. It was like drinking super sugary juice. Atmosphere wasn’t bad, and service was disappointing considering it was easily half empty.

This bar has two fairly distinct areas. The upstairs is set up like a divey sports bar, with lots of TVs and billiards tables… and the bros to go along with it. Head downstairs for a more lounge-​like experience where it’s dark and Loud (yes, a capital L), with a room containing low seating.
I wasn’t thrilled with my vodka and soda, which was served in a draft glass and was more soda than anything. The pitchers were a cheap deal (and very alcoholic) that I wish I had taken advantage of, but I had a great time with our group!
One tip: beer is served on both levels, but it’s kind of hidden int he basement because they don’t have any drafts.

Don’t waste your time. If it’s a busy night, you’ll never get served at the bar. The bartenders are rude and ignore you until they are damn good and ready to get your a drink. They won’t even acknowledge you or say they’ll be with you in a moment. Customers DO NOT take priority here. Fish bowls can be fun, but I never felt they had much alcohol in them. Let’s not even mention the bathrooms — sticky!!! Not worth it to go here… I wont be anymore.

Bands half decent. Bouncers overly rough and arrogant for no reason. Inferiority complex. Too many other bars near by to get a drink without being harassed.

It’s a great place to watch the game (or any game) if you don’t have tickets. They have pretty good food, and great drinks. It is a bar though, so during home games they get packed and you may wait a long time for food. You just have to remember, it’s «Bar Bleu» — emphasis on the bar (not restaurant). So if you find yourself waiting for food, that’s the perfect time to order another (or 2, or 3 more) fish bowls in the mean time! They go on special for $ 5, $ 12 regular. If you have a sweet tooth the Punch Bug is the best. Titanic tastes just like sweet tarts. Overall great college bar.

Good, reasonably priced beer. Lots of TV screens. BUT the food is terrible. Fried mozzarella was tasty but unnecessarily «greasy». Pierogies were bad. Hamburger was worse (¹⁄₃ pound? Really??). Go for the beer only.

I have mixed feelings about bar bleu.
Fishbowls are great and get the job done, other than that, nothing special. I enjoy bar bleu if you’re going early to pregame or on an off hour/​non weekend.
When it’s crowded, the place just isn’t worth it. Not enough standing room, one bathroom upstairs, just nothing special.

When I was first in State College a couple of years ago, I actually liked this place. However, after getting around to more bars, I came to realize that this place has a lot of baggage; its strengths are offered elsewhere but without the negative points. Happy hour is one of the better ones in town, but the pricing is the same as at Saloon and Inferno (which are both owned by the same outfit, Dante’s Nightlife). It has comfortable seating, but so does Inferno just around the corner. One thing that really gets me about this place is that the bartenders consistently behave as if they are doing you a huge favour by serving you at all; I think that’s why I dislike Bar Bleu.
Perhaps the worst service experience I had there was in March 2013 (the 9^th, if I recall correctly — the second Saturday of Spring Break, so the place was nearly empty). Three friends and I went there around midnight after having gone to another bar or two; we had consumed but weren’t drunk. At the time, I had a pretty long beard and hair and was wearing my usual brimmed hat. Everybody stepped to the bar area to order a drink, and my order was a pint of Labatt Blue. Upon my ordering, the b*itch bartender sneered at me and ignored me and went around to the other side of the bar to speak to a bouncer (same one who admitted me into the establishment), who glanced over at me. The bouncer, after (I think) arguing with the bartender about my sobriety, walked over to me and said, ‘Well, the bartender/​manger, here, says you’re too drunk to be here. I disagree, but I’m unfortunately going to have to ask you to leave’. So, I asked him, politely, what signs of visible intoxication I was displaying; he said that he didn’t know and that it had been the bartender’s call. Then, one of my friends, a little 4’10″ gal, snapped back at the bartender, ‘So, are you sure you aren’t kicking him out because you don’t like his appearance and don’t want to offend those bros over there [on the other side of the bar] you’re flirting with?’ The bartender’s response: ‘Get the F*CK out of here! ’ My friend then said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought’.
Granted, most of my service experiences there have been somewhat better than that but rarely better than mediocre.

We were the only patrons in the restaurant which was great for us! Choice of seating, TVs, attention from our waitress… good times. The fish bowls were good — don’t remember what I got but it wasn’t overly sweet. They are big though — easily shareable or enough for «good times» drinking.
The food was OK. Barely any vegetarian options — fried pickles (they were addicting with the ranch dressing & were eaten quickly). I also had the pierogies and they just were disappointing. Asked for them to be cooked in oil instead of butter, but what came out was a dish of oil with a couple mushy pierogies, barely any mushrooms and absolutely no taste of cheddar cheese.
I’d probably stick with the fried pickles & a fishbowl.

On a Saturday night in the summer, you can enjoy a $ 5 fishbowl (of which you can select from many different flavors, varieties, and liquor), on a nice cushy couch or while playing pool, and watching a sports game on one of the many flat-​screen televisions. It wasn’t overcrowded whatsoever and the staff were maybe sometimes a little too eager to take away glasses but still out there doing their job.

In town for a friend’s bachelor party and this was a stop on our afternoon bar crawl. We arrived around 3 and the bar was pretty crowded. Special of $ 5 fish bowls (essentially really big wine glasses) and they had a list of flavors. We all got the Long Island bowls and they were just OK. Tons of booze and tasted fine, just nothing to write home about. Would definitely stop in again if I was looking to get a little sideways, but nothing special here that would draw me back in.
I would normally only give it three stars but Bar Bleu was very clean in a sea of dirty college bars; so it gets a fourth star.

Not a huge fan of the $ 3-​$ 5 cover. Normally go during Happy Hour on Fridays and Saturdays. $ 5-​$ 6 dollar Fish Bowls and plenty of varieties to choose from. I love the Sports Lounge section where you can watch plenty of games, especially all the PSU football games (if you do not have tickets)
I have been here plenty of times. Most of the time, the Fish Bowls are solid and the bartender gets it right. Some times, they do mess it up and put way too much alcohol in it.

Have I really never reviewed my absolute favorite bar in State College?
I lived across the street my junior and senior (read: legal drinking age) years here and I spent many, MANY nights here.
It’s got 2 very different atmospheres… the upstairs has wooden booths, leather couches and a pool table and the downstairs is an electric bar that is a bit sexier.
We usually sat upstairs, and ordered pitcher after pitcher after pitcher… and then attempted to stand up and walk home. (again, I lived across the street so I only had to hurdle myself so far)
The drinks are really reasonable (looking back, it was cheap as balls) and they’re well known for their fishbowls. Kind of akin to the Saloon’s monkey boy, but smaller. They are also a diabetic coma waiting to happen if you order the blue one. (I don’t know what that is other than a freaking lot of curacao).
I also recall many nights of blowjob shots. (take that how you will, they are delicious.)
Overall, one of the better bars downtown to catch the game, have a few beers and people watch.

Deece

Pretend this says 3.5 stars.
I have to agree with Emily A about the «city vibe». Clean sports bar + neon blue lights does not equal «city», but it DOES equal availability of tables and chairs you’re not afraid to set a Isabella Fiore bag down on.
I can’t speak for the food, but I can say I didn’t really see anything I was dying to try either. I CAN speak for the drinks, and, have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The beer selection was pretty good, but better yet, they actually had cocktails (!) that were decent (!!) and inexpensive (!!!). Honestly, two beers and two call-​shelf cocktails for $ 13.50? I’m not in Boston anymore and lovin’ it! That alone gave me a reason for a half-​star boost over the 3 star rating. Keep in mind when I say «cocktail», I mean an actual cocktails, not the sugary, watery, fishbowls that anyone over 22 should be ashamed to be seen with.
My biggest pet peeve with State College bars is the fact that they allllllll charge cover even on the Friday before spring break, when there are about 15 patrons and not a lick of live music. Bar Bleu is no exception, but the bouncer did snap my friend’s ID while checking it, so we somehow got out of that :)
Overall, one of the few DT bars that I’ll come back to.

Am I an alcoholic? I forget exactly when I got here — it was either before or after the Deli. Of course, you don’t care, do you? Anyway, didn’t wait in line too long, and I THINK they charged cover. Staff, including bouncers, were non-​douchey.
Bar Que (mmm, Kansas City-​style BBQ) encompasses the upstairs of the building it resides in, and the more lounge-​y, more jazz-​y Bar Blue downstairs. Flat screens illuminate the venue, and you can’t deny the upbeat vibe. There’s seating if you suddenly get dizzy or, you know, actually like sitting down. Want to shoot pool? There’s at least one pool table around.
Of course, they have multiple bars to help you get your drink on. Heard their martinis are tasty, but I don’t swing that way.
Bar Bleu was more crowded than usual, probably due to it being a home game weekend. Randomly, I ran into friends I hadn’t expected to see — and unintentionally lost the friends I walked in with; it was that crowded! Ah, crazy times.

— overall score: 3.5
— I’m convinced the only place in State you can find a decent martini
— great if you like jazz/​blues and if you can find a seat
— usually has live music
— well made cocktails
— pleasant staff