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Famous Sam's 12 Locations
The Buffet READERS' PICK: We think we've adequately extolled the virtues of Sam's elsewhere (see Best Sports Bar; and Best Bar Food). Obviously, our readers stick with a good thing when they find it. And with 12 locations citywide, you shouldn't have any trouble bellying up to the bar to introduce yourself. So whatever neighborhood you live in, there's bound to be a locally owned Sam's franchise nearby. And then there's The Buffet. Guns 'n' Roses on the jukebox. A smell somewhere between piss and Pine Sol. A buffalo head with yellow sunglasses on the wall. A wooden Indian. A Spuds dog wearing a UA athletic jersey. Lots of neon casting lynx-like leers as a girl, any girl, comes in, blinking in the darkness. Open since 1934 (the year after Prohibition was repealed), The Buffet is the epitome of a neighborhood, working-class bar...maybe the last Bukowski-worthy bar left in Tucson. The only upscale nod is the well-stocked humidor. The owner's weakness is good cigars. Light up a gigantic $6 Licenciados--it'll last at least three beers. Stick to beer. On a bad day, beer with a shot. Coors, only Coors, on tap, a small pitcher only $2.50. Don't ask for wine. True story: A college boy brings in his snooty girlfriend. She looks around and asks for chablis. "Chablis. CHABLIS!" says Peggy, the morning bartender. "We don't have any CHABLIS here." Remember that. The Buffet may be the only bar in town that opens at 6 a.m., six days a week. On one of those nights of horror and misshapen joy, when you've been out drinking all night and suddenly there's the dawn and why bother going to bed now...? Go to The Buffet. Eat a hot dog for breakfast. Wash it down with a Coors. Best of all, they have a Happy Minute. Exactly when their clock, not your watch, hits 6 p.m., everybody in the bar get another of whatever they're drinking on the house. Second best thing: They give you a free half-yard (32 oz.) of beer on your birthday, plus a shot and a Polaroid to remember the occasion. This place has heart. There are no tank-tops allowed, but somebody will always loan you their T-shirt. If you have absolutely no friends when you go in, you'll have one when you go out. Earl has been coming here for 32 years. Regular. We ask him, "Did we miss anything?" "You bet," says Earl. READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: This is where artsy types go when they're sick of being artsy. A rugged bar, nestled in the heart of Barrio Volvo, Bob Dobbs' Bar & Grill, 2501 E. Sixth St., is part neighborhood, part campus, and part stop-off-on-the-way-home-from-work. It's the kind of dive where everybody really does know your name, at least after the first few visits. Soon you'll be adding to the massive amount graffiti on the walls and wearing a Bob Dobbs T-shirt, with Bob's 1984 Realization printed on the back: "I drink to make other people interesting." Inside there's a circular bar, usually full but ready to make room for one more. For those with more serious intentions, there are tables. For those who want to breathe, there's a patio. Dobbs has a great rib-eye steak deal on Tuesday nights. They have killer skins-on fries, and a mega "Bob Burger" any sports bar would be proud to slap on the table in front of their favorite jock. Daily liquor, beer and food specials are posted. Tap revolves around Bud, Bud Light, Bass and Killian's Coors Red or Michelob Dark. Happy Hour, where you can get a pint of beer for $1.50, lasts from 3 to 7 p.m. Now open for breakfast--no menu, but stick to the basics and ask for what you want.
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