Best Bar Restaurants in and Around Wilkes-Barre, Pa

Sometimes people go out to dinner, and then out for a night on the town. Wilkes-Barre offers many restaurants that also have great bars, making hanging out for the whole evening without barhopping a breeze. (If only they also served a 2:00 a.m. breakfast....)

Here is a look at a selection of some restaurants with a bigger beer menu than food menu:

Bart & Urby's Downtown Bar and Bistro

19 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre

While one of the newest additions to downtown Wilkes-Barre, Bart & Urby's New York Style Bistro has quickly become a favorite eatery and bar for many in the area. The exterior of the restaurant has spruced up Main Street and the interior is even cooler.

Bart & Urby's is a happy hour hotspot for downtown workers, as well as a great dinner date place. The restaurant offers an upscale, yet casual atmosphere with lots of seating arrangements-booths, tables, bar seats and more. Bart & Urby's offers a full dinner menu with some items unique to the restaurant from their seasoned chef.

Bart & Urby's also has a busy bar, offering 24 beers on tap and over 70 bottled varieties, as well as some great mixed drinks. The bar/restaurant also offers occasional entertainment by acoustic acts and full bands.

(See a related article on Bart & Urby's here)

Old Tyme Charley's

31 South River Street, Plains Township

Back in the day this place was a great restaurant called Charley Brown's. Today, it's still a great restaurant, but also one of the most hopping bars in the area. Just when you think Tuesday night is a lousy evening to paint the town, 'OTC' created a karaoke night on Tuesday, arguably one of the busiest nights for the bar.

Old Tyme Charley's is run by brothers: one runs the kitchen and one runs the bar. The appetizers are amazing, the food is fabulous and the drink selection is impressive. OTC also offers live entertainment by way of karaoke on Tuesday and Saturdays, as well as bands on other days of the week and weekend. Additionally, OTC is known for its many theme parties, such as the 80s prom night and a "Half Way to Halloween" costume party.

Arena Bar & Grill

Coal Street, Wilkes-Barre

The Arena Bar & Grill is in its second location; this time in a more spacious location on Coal Street, close to all the arena action and attractions.

The Arena Bar & Grill offers close to 200 varieties of beer from around the world, making it a huge place for the beer connoisseur. In fact, this AC writer is known to have a mini-beer-fest at each visit, sampling a half-dozen or so of the beer choices. The Arena offers a great happy hour in the big bar area. While having a basically open atmosphere, the use of half-walls separate the main bar area from the dining area. However, food can be ordered at both.

The Arena Bar & Grill's menu is impressive. The eatery offers everything from burgers and sandwiches to gourmet dishes, and offers great weekly specials. The bar opened a new deck for the 2007 summer season as well.

(See a related article here)

Hops & Barleys

Main Street, Luzerne

Hops & Barleys is by far one of the most popular nightlife spots in the Northeast Pennsylvania. Why? It's hard to tell what factor draws people to this establishment the most: the staff, the food or the beer selection. It's likely a combination of the three that has won Hops the honor of being the best corner bar by local magazine, The Weekender.

Hops & Barleys dubs itself, "A great restaurant that happens to have a really great bar." But while many families come in and out for lunch and dinner during the week, on the weekends Hops turns into a popular hangout for people of all ages. Aside from serving a full-menu of entrees and munchies until 1:00 a.m., "Hops" has had the same core staff for nearly a decade, meaning the regulars can count on the staff knowing their names and regular order. In fact, the staff and regulars take an annual Ocean City, Maryland vacation together.

Hops & Barley's has a several beers on taps, as well as a cooler full of malt beverages and bottled beer selections from around the globe. With some of the best prices around on food and drinks, Hops & Barleys is a great place to eat, drink or both.

Hop's menu includes everything from Surf-n-Turf to bar food favorites, such as their signature Buffalo Chicken Cheese fries, which some would call a heart attack on a plate. With a snack being so awesome as this, the taste outweighs the health risk! We're talking a huge pile of fries topped with chicken bits, lots of cheese and mild wing sauce.

Grotto Pizza

Harvey's Lake

Grotto Pizza is pretty much famous in the Northeast, as it has locations along the vacation-area beaches in Delaware. The original location is at Harvey's Lae, just north of Wilkes-Barre. The Grotto offers a huge restaurant on one side of the building, and the other side is a sports bar, also with restaurant seating. The bar side offers a huge U-shaped bar with plenty of at-the-bar seating, as well as tables along the windows. There are plenty of TVs to display sporting events, as well as allow patrons to get in on live trivia games. The Grotto offers live entertainment on the weekends, mostly acoustic duos.

Aside from pizza (of course), the Grotto offers pasta, sandwiches and more. In the summer months, there is plenty of deck seating around the building, offering a view of the lake, as well as a separate bar on the deck. There are two additional locations of the Grotto in the area, also offering a bar: Wilkes-Barre and Edwardsville, although the Harvey's Lake location is by far the most fun.