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The Bear's Lair Brew Pub
Categories: Nightlife Bars Pubs Restaurants American (Traditional) Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Pubs, American (Traditional), Sports Bars [Edit]
2475 Bancroft WayBerkeley, CA 94702
Neighborhood: UC Campus Area
(510) 843-5247
- Hours:
Mon 11:30 am - 12 am
Tue, Sat 11:30 am - 1 am
Wed-Fri 11:30 am - 2 am
Sun 10 am - 5 pm
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
168 reviews for The Bear's Lair Brew Pub
Review Highlights
"Beat the Clock starts at 4pm every Friday."
(in 62 reviews)
"Get there early to get a table or spot at the bar."
(in 4 reviews)
"during Cal Football games."
(in 4 reviews)
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168 reviews in English
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Review from Cesie A.
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
3 stars for the bar
+1 star for the wings and fries
Cons- not enough seating, especially during a game or beat the clock. I've actually never been to a real beat the clock since it's always so crowded. Beers are an ok price. The bathrooms are disgusting. I get that it's a bar, but come on!
Pros- Great food. I love wings and consider these the best in Berkeley. The cajun style fries are great too. BTC is a great college tradition. It's a BAR on campus. That's just cool. -
Review from John L.
Oakland, CA
2/6/2012
In a word.. The Bears Lair Sucks. I gave it one star because... I really don't know why.
The place is totally understaffed. The only reasonably attentive employees were the food servers. Otherwise, you sit there, while the slacked jawed employees behind the bar stare at you for a while and then their attention span goes on a tangent. They must be thinking of cleaning the (yuck) bathrooms and then lose their train of thought.
The one good thing is I know where I won't be squandering my time today... Or any day!! -
Review from Jen D.
Oakland, CA
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Bear's Lair used to be a pretty good place, but now? Not so much.
It was never very clean on my previous visits, but they had good beer, friendly servers and decent food. Then I went one Thursday in November (2011).
The place was pretty empty, and I grabbed a seat at the bar. While I waited and waited for the bartender, I checked out the menu. Apparently, Bear's Lair no longer offers food, only wings. WINGS. Big wings, little wings, wings, wings, wings. Apparently some chain has moved into the kitchen area. They should really get that looked at, or it will spread.
After a few minutes sitting at the virtually empty bar, the bartender remembered to notice me and came over. I wasn't familiar with everything they offered on tap, so I asked for his recommendation.
Me: "Do you have something brown and malty?"
Him: "How about this IPA?"
Me: "???"
Him: "Or, uh, Bud?"
Me: "???"
I left and went to Raleigh's, enjoyed a Newcastle on tap and a delicious barbeque chicken sandwich, and tried to put this traumatic experience behind me. The very next day, Raleigh's BURNED TO THE GROUND. Coincidence? You be the judge. -
Review from Jane D.
Berkeley, CA
1/14/2012
This used to be a fine place to watch football. Now it is hell. An assault on all the senses, plus an affront to the dignity of the customer. How is the bear's lair offensive? Let me count the ways:
One is for the visual dissonance of a thousand tv screens, corporate wing shop logos, the hair-gelled frat boys and open-mouth-chewing senior alums whose skeaziness the eye cannot miss.
Two is for the flimsy feel of a plastic cup, the stickiness of the bar, the slick of the previous customer's grease.
Three is for the taste of a nice beer, tainted by its plastic vessel; the tongue's unmet longing for something worthy of eating.
Four is for the officials' rulings, drowning in techno music from the kitchen and the ostentatious cheers of the hair gel set.
Five is for the aroma of vomit, ranch dressing, and axe body spray with undertones of cigarette smoke and body odor.
Six is for the careless servers, the last resort ambiance, and the frequent visits by campus police.
Too bad they "redevloped" this place. It was a s***hole worth visiting before and now it's just a s***hole. -
Review from Amy H.
Berkeley, CA
TIP #1: Take advantage of Beat the Clock! It's one of the quintessential things to do as a Cal student, once you've turned 21. A pretty good selection of pitchers of beer are $7 from 4pm-5pm, $8 from 5pm-6pm, $9 from 6pm-7pm, and $10 from 7pm to close. See this photo: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
TIP #2: There is no system to ordering pitchers and you will get frustrated trying to get the bartender's attention. Be chill, wave a $20 bill, and demand attention!
TIP #3: Pretty difficult to snag a table--inside or outside--on Fridays. Either send someone to "reserve" a table early on, or make do with squeezing in with other groups. Some of the tables are large enough for beer pong.
This past Friday was my first Beat the Clock! There was a scare over the summer that BtC wouldn't be happening anymore because Bear's Lair changed management, but alas, it is here. And thank goodness, because all that cheap beer was awesome! You'll see so many familiar faces here, too.
I haven't tried the food, but during Welcome Week, there was a promotion for $1 beers and free wings and fries. The menu has switched from pizzas and burgers to Wings Fiesta! There are at least 10 different flavors of wings to choose from. From what I sampled during Welcome Week, the wings were pretty standard, but I'd probably drink at the Lair before heading elsewhere for food.Listed in: Beer O'Clock
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Review from John P.
Milpitas, CA
Not to shabby for a College bar in campus. My buddy and I came decided to spontaneously journey last minute to UC Berkeley last Friday because Daedelus was playing a free show on campus. We decided to go to this pub to grab a drink and that we could still see and hear Daedelus play from this pub.
This pub had plenty of space to sit and dance. They have pinic table outside. Stools and tables inside and the dance floor is in the back which they had a dj playing electro music that night but no one was dancing. LOL! They have tv's to watch anything that has to do with sports. The bar area was was decently big enough to try to accommodate everyone.
One con was that line for the bathroom for long and they have 2 unisex bathrooms which looked raunchy.
We didn't stay here that long but all I can say is this is a cool campus bar but the I would probably go else where because of the weak drinks they serve. -
Review from Alex P.
Hayward, CA
6/7/2011 4 Check-ins Here
Whats sup Bro's! This is one of the Bro's favorite places to get a brew! I have had so many Bromanic's here. I find a bro, and we start drinking. Beat the Clock is where is at. All the bro's are here chilling and hang out. I give this place 5 Bro's Up. Best place to bro out and have a brew if you go to cal :)
The best part of broing out at the Bears lair is getting waste and taking a piss with your best bro in the bathroom. We all take turns playing swords with each other it kinda of suck for this bro, my bro sword isn't as big as my other bro's. We play swords as any normal bro would, loser has to buy the next round of beers for the bro's! It's a epic time of swords and brews and all the BROS!. Deal with it bro!
Any hot slams piece at CAL loves bro's if they don' t they need to come at me bro
GO BEARS! -
Review from James R.
Berkeley, CA
5/29/2011
This place is so trashy I usually buy a pitcher for myself and drink right from the pitcher. Recently someone had the bright idea of hiring a band during BTC to create additional noise and decrease seating space on the patio.
A great place to come if you have to go out with friends or coworkers and don't want to hear a word they are saying.
The price of a pitcher hasn't matched the hour for years. The name of their happy hour should be changed from beat the clock to beat the wallet.
The funny thing about BTC is that you run into everyone you have met previously in class or at some party the week before. Forgot to get her number? Find her at BTC. -
Review from Phan H.
Berkeley, CA
11/23/2011
They changed their name. But the service wasn't very good as I was sitting at the bar for 10 minutes, before I said something to take my order. I had the party platter of 50 wings and it was good, not bad for the price and more than enough to satisfy 10 people with leftovers.
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Review from Liz W.
5/29/2011 3 photos
BEAT THE CLOCK!!! Fridays, come around 4pm and have the time of your life... plus run into everyone and their mom! LOVE IT.
Their cheesy fries are great! -
Review from Jean L.
4/10/2011
A little bit gross, a little bit grungy, a little bit drunk... Some words to describe your time at BTC.
A large selection of beers ranging from the blondes to the darks juxtaposed with a not-so-large selection of drunk foods, limited to pizza, chips, and some fries here and there.
Good place to meet up with your friends and bump into those awkward facebook friends you never really talk to. What's better than beer to smooth over that initial awkwardness as you invite them to your growing table and pour a few cups? There are no sad pandas when everyone is laughing.
Note: Pee before you come! The bathroom lines get long and the toilets considerably gross as the hour turns.Listed in: Drinks
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Review from Hazel K.
4/10/2011
I am a huge supporter of college campuses with amazing Pubs. I have a soft spot for College Pubs that are on campus and good. Because sometimes a smart girl's just wants a beer after lecture. Sat at the bar and was there for the pop quiz Night which was fun even though my friend and I didn't participate, we felt the energy of the space and the power of the brain no matter how many adult beverages one consumes.
Almost gave the bear lair 5 stars but I held back because of the bathroom. What's up with that? Is it just one stall because they are going green or something? Or just in case some of those people from people's park stop by and need a place to kick it?
Other than the bathroom (I shiver just reviewing about that bathroom) this pub is bomb dot com. -
Review from Eric B.
3/11/2011
I had an hour to spare before a class meeting yesterday and decided that a "wee pint" would help pass the time. So the Bear invited me into his Lair - No Trojans or Bruins Allowed!
I really enjoyed the space, the bar, the Triple IPA, the Iowa-Michigan State BB game on the Telly, and the overall vibe. And it's cleaner and friendlier than Northside LaVal's. However, it took multiple attempts to get the bartenders attention on both sides of the order and the slice of cheese pizzza was a bit less than so-so. And that means a 1-2 star deduction on any campus.Listed in: Beer and a Nosh
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Review from Davey R.
4/4/2011
The Bear's Lair has always been a place that piqued my interest. It's on-campus drinking permissed by the UC system, but with a type of bar experience that lets you down a lot more than a private bar in town that has real character.
You'll notice it immediately in the not-very-attentive bartenders. They work for the UC system, not for you. And certainly not at a bar dreamed up by an entrepreneur who is looking to push the envelope and give his clients the best times possible. There's a sense of corporateness and "rah rah rah" to the bar's atmosphere, and it's decidedly fake to me.
However, you avoid a lot of the problems you see off campus with cantankerous drunks, and even though it gets really crowded, people still seem to stay at bay as far as violence goes.
I think only freshmen or out-of-steam Van Wilders looking to relive college glory are going to get anything out of this, and yet freshmen aren't allowed in. But what do I know? The place has 4 stars. -
Review from Kristoffer J.
Vallejo, CA
5/27/2011
I love this place! Ah, so many great memories and forgotten memories. If you're a Berkeley student, then it's a MUST to attend at least one Beat The Clock session!
Tip: Use the bathrooms in the MLK Center. -
Review from Connie C.
San Bruno, CA
5/2/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Came here for beat the clock, the place was already packed by 4. $7 pitcher of Hefe, no lemon or orange. Cheap. It's not the best beer I have had, but I was there just to try BTC.
It's a college bar, so don't wear your flipflops or open-toed shoes. There was some guy who yacked next to the bar and ran, beer cups falling, pitchers stacked on the side. Yeah, it's a college bar.Listed in: College Go-To's
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Review from Erin A.
2/25/2011
Tastes like College.... Go Beers! =)
Come for beat the clock! It's crazy because the bar is directly on Berkeley Campus. They have some of the cheapest Pizza, fries, and drinks. I love their seasoned fries -- it's some of the best!!
Tip: Come early! Take full advantage of Beat the Clock. Have a friend save a table for you! Bring your deck of cards!
Drink, laugh, reminisce, and definitely come here if you're a current student!Listed in: Best of Berkeley, Berkeley Bucket List
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Review from Anne L.
Sacramento, CA
4/8/2011
First time at Bear's Lair: I was a senior. Came with a friend to visit visiting friends of hers. Crowd was mostly rowdy, pitcher-chugging bros who had split beer all over every table and bench before we got there, so there was nowhere to sit unless you were already drunk, soaked in beer, and didn't give a shit. Shitty people, shitty atmosphere (gets gross and sticky really quick...), never really wanted to come back.
Second time at Bear's Lair: I was a super-senior. Beat the Clock. Drank wayyyyy too much. Hipsteriest band I've ever seen (asymmetrically haircutted, grunged-up Nick Cave rejects dressed in thrift-store plaid blasting garage-y covers of Velvet Underground songs WAY TOO LOUD in the corner) as entertainment. Still the same pitcher-chugging bros all over the place, but I didn't mind as much because this time I got drunk hecka early so I was the one doing the spilling all over the tables and benches. (I've stickified my table - how do you like me now, seat-robbers! Chyeah.) Had an okay experience but left thinking I didn't really need to come back again.
Bottom line: I can only imagine myself enjoying this place if I was a freshman (which, I could never get in here that young anyway) or new to the bar scene. Maybe I just hate the whole bar scene thing (which I DO - IT SUCKS), or I'm too old for a place like this, but this is a college bar through and through - in other words, it has its place, but it's a scene and an establishment that you'll end up outgrowing sooner or later. -
Review from Leo K.
San Francisco, CA
4/18/2011
An awesome campus pub. Back when I thought hefeweizen was the best brand of beer, slightly edging out Coors Light, the Bear's Lair served up pitcher after pitcher of unfiltered wheaty goodness.
Prices were cheap, the crowd was chill, and the outdoor area always gave me a good excuse to down a pre-class pitcher (if there is beer, you drink).
Half the time, I didn't even make it to class. Especially if class was in one of the smaller rooms in Dwinelle. Fellow Bears know what I'm talking about.Listed in: SF Nightlife
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Review from Katty K.
San Jose, CA
6/24/2011
If you're up by UC Berkeley on a Friday and looking for a great place to hang out with friends, then The Bear's Lair is the place for you! They have an event called Beat the Clock, which offers pitchers on tap at awesome prices according to the time. For instance, from 4pm to 5pm, a pitcher is $7 and from 5pm to 6pm, a pitcher is $8. The price caps at $10 a pitcher from 7pm to close.
I've only been here on Fridays, but so far it's been a good place with great atmosphere for college students and college graduates. -
Review from Teresa G.
San Francisco, CA
4/2/2011
Beat the Clock Fridays: Starting at 4 p.m., you can get a pitcher for $7 and the price goes up by a dollar every hour.
Tip: Go with a group of friends and stake out a table as early as 3 or 3:30 so you don't have to stand. Super fun if you're into the whole rowdy college crowd thing once in a while. -
Review from Tien P.
5/4/2011
This is a review for beat the clock:
It's pretttty fun to come hang out with your friends at BTC every Friday! It's packed, yes... but if I were to pick from an empty pub or a packed pub with high energy, I'd pick the latter.
Don't expect to do anything except eat and pass out after BTC though... trust me. -
Review from carlos a.
1/3/2011
This is THE place to be on gameday.
Outside patio, large TV's and plenty o' beer. The crowd is pretty rowdy, primarily because most people drink here hours before gametimes so they are pretty sauced up come kickoff time. You can by slices of pizza here and are very close to telegraph in case you need a quick bite elsewhere. -
Review from Marlon T.
3/28/2011
I went here once a long time ago.
I guess the only bad thing is that it can get really crowded at busy times.
I remember the prices being fair and service wasn't too bad to get.
You probably already know about Beat The Clock.
Anyway, good times have occurred here. -
Review from Tony C.
2/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Solid 4 star establishment thrust in the heart of a wonderful campus setting. Don't get too expectant from some of the bar staff, their laid back attitude and general talkativeness leads to longer wait times for drinks and though they do boast a nice array of beer selections, they don't seem to rush to replace them when they go out. Overall, you'll feel like you're back at school the minute you venture to use the restroom and discover yourself in the middle of a food court adjacent to the establishment. Everyone gets carded, every time so don't be insulted if you're well over the drinking age and being asked for id from someone much younger than yourself. A great jump off spot for the rest of the Berkeley bar scene or a safe and comfortable end up after a night of failed adventures.
Cheers -
Review from Zamarise M.
Berkeley, CA
6/9/2011
I was going to give it two stars, but I added an extra star because it's pub on campus.
A pub. On Campus.
That's the only thing it has going for itself. -
Review from Rick C.
Berkeley, CA
5/6/2011
Beat the clock is amazing. It's really fun but the lines are so goddamn long. It starts at 4 pm so I suggest getting there early if you don't want to wait outside like a chump! Seriously, you start having reunions at this place or at least I do. Everyone and anyone is here!
The food is pretty typical pub food so you shouldn't expect much. It's not Henry's! Don't order their Hefs. I've always thought they tasted a bit off but just chalked it off to them using a different brand than what I'm used to. A lot of my friends have reported that their pitchers of Hef are half-Hef and half-Coors/Bud Lite (piss). BOOOOOOO BEAR'S LAIR FOR BEING CHEAP! Also, there's no slice of orange, what?!
Ghettoooo but still amazing because it's our campus bar! With the pitchers, stick to an IPA or piss if you'd like! Speaking of ghetto, why are people mentioning the bathrooms here on the reviews? It's a bar! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?! -
Review from Karen M.
Pomona, CA
3/12/2011
Likes: seeing friends and having a place to hang out on campus
Dislikes: bartender was a jerk when I was trying to order beer, place gets too crowded, hate it when beer gets sloshed on me, bathroom lines, etc... -
Review from Elaine L.
Berkeley, CA
4/19/2011
BTC/beat the clock:
I dont see what the big deal is. Maybe it's because I dont really like beer or maybe I'm not used to drinking when there is still light outside. But the things I do for my friends on their 21st birthdays.
Speaking of birthdays, she got a free pitcher AND pint. Holla. Maybe that is what she did [holla-ed] at the bartender because apparently its normally only the pint that is free for your birthday.
$7 a pitcher....I guess. I heard it used to be $4 back then. Boo for inflation.
My friend came early to get a table for us outside which was a good idea because it got really packed inside. People are nice, at least the people that ended up sitting next to us. Its a nice place to see familiar faces and get your 4pm buzz on then head over somewhere to get your drunk munchies on.
We got 3 pitchers of Budlight and 2 pitchers of Heff. Some of my friends thought Heff was better but I thought it had a weirder aftertaste. Again, I am not much of a beer drinker so I dont know what is considered "better" beer.
Bathrooms are pretty dirty and the lines are long so I suggest running over to Nia Lounge to use their clean bathrooms. -
Review from Danny S.
Walnut Creek, CA
9/9/2010 5 Check-ins Here
Beat the Clock!
Here's the down low: This is a great place to meet up with old freshman floormates you haven't seen in 3 years and catch up over a pitcher of beer. There is a great selection of beers for you to choose from however, Beat the Clock is only worth it if you drink between 4-5.
1 Pitcher at 4:00: $7 (YES IT'S SEVEN DOLLARS NOW)
Every hour there after is an additional dollar and honestly, you can find better deals in Berkeley for a pitcher without the chaos and long lines for bathrooms (or having to sneak off to Eshleman to pee in the garage).
I liked Beat the Clock the first few times I went but after a while it kinda gets old. I'll still give it 4 stars though.
ENJOY.Listed in: The REAL Best of Berkeley
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Review from T L.
Berkeley, CA
10/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
Hello Manager of Bear's Lair,
I would like you to know that typically I love coming on Fridays to Beat the Clock with good friends. And I ALWAYS have a good time.
However, I am now reconsidering ever coming again because you are SO UNBELIEVABLY RUDE. WOW. I get that my friend had a long day of midterms and drank beer and was resting her head against the wall. It was not like she was sprawled out on the seats or had her head all over the table or doing anything inappropriate in anyway. And you have to come up screaming like a lunatic, telling her you're going to call the cops and put her in jail, and tell her her dress is too short. WOW REALLY? YOU'RE A FREAKING JERK.
Way to be a such a great manager with such amazing customer service skills. If I knew who else to complain to I would. You suck! Hope you're proud of yourself for yelling at college kids/loyal customers. -
Review from Krystal H.
Berkeley, CA
9/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
Prime people watching, pitchers of beer, and patio seating earns the Bear's Lair an A-OK rating. There are better places to go that have all of the things I listed above, but not in Berkeley. So if you're in the area, this is a good place to chill.
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Review from Dustin R.
Berkeley, CA
7/21/2011
pros:
+beat the clock is that place you've seen everyone you've ever known in college.
+ fist pumping and stankyleg crunk dancing are occasional sights
+BEST DEAL ON BEST BEER of any place around. (Beat the Clock)
+sometimes they have really good bands (like Passion Pit)
cons:
-its that place you've seen everyone you've ever known in college (refer to the first pro).
-sometimes the bands that play suck (like that crappy asian band that had a pompador hair do and were hipster-rific)..
-the line can be a wait sometimes, (especially after finals week of 2nd semester).
All in all: a GREAT college bar. :) Would have given it a 5 if their french fries didnt disappoint.... -
Review from Xtina L.
Berkeley, CA
4/17/2011
Beat the Clock:
- Cheap beer
- Super packed
- Lines may be long after 4pm
- Loud and impossible to have conversations
- Food takes forever to arrive (like 30mins later AT LEAST)
- I don't even want to know what the bathroom looks like
but as bad as some of these may sound, it's actually pretty darn popular and great for a laid-back Friday with a group of friends. -
Review from Jimmy N.
San Francisco, CA
11/12/2010
Oh Bear's Lair. What would college have been like without your existence?
The only bar ON campus. This place is jam packed with college students during happy hours and game days.
What kind of happy hour? Beat the Clock! Well, back in my days, every Friday from 4-5pm is $5 pitchers of beer on tap. 5-6pm is $6 and so on. The best deal in town for the poor college students.
The food are not to die for but much better than a lot of other bar foods out there. Pizza and Fries are the recommendations here.
Game days? No deals, but plenty of big screen TVs to watch all your games, especially CAL! Maybe not this season but next season!
Pretty much a guaranteed good time during happy hours and game days. A college experience must.Listed in: Back in the College Days
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Review from Dmitriy S.
San Diego, CA
9/10/2010 11 Check-ins Here
After being a Cal student for 3 years and wondering what why the hell Bear's Lair is so packed on Friday evenings, I have finally discovered it. Accompanied with this discovery is the loss of my Beat the Clock virginity, which was taken from me tonight.
Basic rules for a pitcher of beer:
4:00 - 4:59: $6
5:00 - 5:59: $7
6:00 - 6:59: $8
...
and so on!
The lines can get pretty long from 5-6, so be aware of that and just come early if you have the chance. I just spent half an hour in line, but that's what I get for coming late.
Bear's Lair is a perfect way to relieve the stress of a long grueling week. Drink, chill, and surround yourself with awesome people who love beer just as much as you do! -
Review from Andrew N.
1/22/2011
Some of the best times of my life! Friday Night Beat the Clock.
Price for a pitcher of beer:
4pm-5pm: $7
The price increases by a buck every hour.
Back in college, my friends and I would partake in something called PTF, otherwise known as Pitcher to the Face. Everyone would get a pitcher, and drink it. I'd highly recommend the quasar double ipa since it's double the bang for your buck. Great times! -
Review from Pat P.
1/6/2011
What's not to love? This is the campus bar that plays all the televised Cal games and serves great beers at great prices. I don't know of a student who has been to the Bear's Lair and didn't love it.
Beat the Clock is a tradition at Berkeley that's almost as vital to its roots as free speech - okay maybe not THAT vital but it's pretty damn entertaining. You have to love an hour during which every minute you must down a shot of beer. Good times... Go Bears! -
Review from Skye S.
Berkeley, CA
6/21/2011
Best place to relax and have a beer in Berkeley and the staff has always been awesome to me and my friends!
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Review from R. G.
Los Angeles, CA
8/30/2011
BTC still kickin'! Good to see great traditions haven't all died out. Big fan of the outdoor seating. Usually only go after baseball games... just too hectic on football days. Still when I was a student, I killed lots of time and brain cells here. Always will have fond memories past and hopefully future.
