Beer? The answer is always ‘yes’
We’ve all heard them–the one-liner answers that are supposed to be the final word to any given question.
You: ‘Why do I have to wait until I’m out of the house to set things on fire?
Parent: ‘Because I said so.’
You: ‘Should we really be playing with this liquid nitrogen?’
Friends: ‘Everyone else is doing it.’
Here’s another one: What are we going to do tonight? Magoo’s. Only have 20 bucks until payday? Magoo’s. You’ve been dumped, and you need to start anew or cry into a big beer or both? Magoo’s.
Magoo’s, located in Puck’s Alley, has been around forever and looks it: 1980s-era bubble lettering adorns the wall and the tables and chairs look and feel as if they’re just as old, torn in numerous places and falling apart. But that’s part of the dÈcor–the place, particularly in the evening, is like a college kegger, complete with plastic cups when it’s busy and a bathroom that floods every night.
Of course, that’s during the evenings, and the crowd from the day to the night at Magoo’s is as different as, well, night and day. In the afternoon you’ll see families sharing pizza, sprinkled with the occasional lone sports fan watching the television while a student huddles in the corner trying to see if an $8-pitcher of Newcastle will make their trig course any easier to understand. And while technically a pizzeria, the food aspect falls by the wayside during the evening when the place fills to near capacity with the nouveaux 21 and up crowd.
It’s easy to see the attraction. While other bars offer deals to try and pump up business, Magoo’s has an astounding collection of beers on tap-more than 75 different drafts–all priced near the bottom of the barrel, between $5-$7 a pitcher. Given its location, the student vibe is almost overwhelming. But don’t expect deep discussions of Heidegger or foreign economic policy. Instead, it’s all about a cocky swagger and a dress code that implies a sense of laissez-faire cum America’s Next Top Model. Like frat parties gone by, the evening crowd at Magoo’s is pheromones on parade–they’re young, single and proud of it.
During these times it’s enough to make an alcoholic weep (seeing all the beer left behind), or to prompt a liquor commissioner to dance with joy at the sight of all the violations of the stacking rule (which states that no one person can have more than one drink at a time) as patrons roam the crowded open-air patio seating with a pitcher in each hand, drinking freely from the rim. But it’s all in infectious good fun, and at these prices, the plusses easily outweigh the minuses.
Magoo’s Pizza
1035 University Ave., 949-5381
Getting in: Open 11-1:30am; all ages for the afternoon, 21+ for the evening, bring ID. Dress Code: Tank tops, slippahs, backward baseball caps, visible thong panties for the ladies. Soundtrack: Rock hits just slightly out of date. Signature drink: Beer. Lots of it.
