UNIVERSITY DISTRICT

Champagne's Cafe
3557 S. Maryland Pkwy.
737-1699
One of the few free-standing bars in town, the venerable Champagne's Cafe draws a hipster crowd who like the place's sense of low-rent swank, but that doesn't stop its regular crowd of working stiffs who populate the place after 5 o'clock whistle.
Happy Hour: Daily 2 a.m.-noon: $1.25 drafts and house wine, $1.50 well drinks, Schnapps and red drafts, $2 Bloody Marys; Sun. and Mon.: all-day happy hour, most drinks $1.50; Tues.: all-day ladies happy hour, most drinks $1 for ladies.
Recommended or Specialty Drink: $3.50 Rocar Champagne; $3 Bonet

Cheers
1220 E. Harmon Ave.
734-2454
Situated across the street from UNLV, one might suspect that Cheers would cater to the student crowd, but it's really more of a hangout for starving poets, problem gamblers and local drunks (occasionally, one and the same). While it's not necessarily the kind of place where everybody knows your name, it's still a great place to get a big, cheap, imported brown beer -- 22 oz. Newcastle and Bass drafts are only $4.
Recommended or Specialty Drink: The Cheers Bloody Mary with Clamato and horseradish

Crown & Anchor British Pub
1350 E. Tropicana Ave.
739-8676
The Crown & Anchor serves up a full menu of British beers as well as food, including that old English standby, fish and chips. Occasional live music rounds the entertainment roster of darts and a warm conversation, making this popular college and Brit expat spot a welcome import from across the pond.
Happy Hour: Daily 3-6 p.m.: $1 off all imports

Davey's Locker
1149 E. Desert Inn Road
735-0001
The 40-year-old Davey's Locker is beached against a shore of cheap apartments in the Twain District, and the 'hood don't look so good. Fortunately, the inside is more welcoming: a well-kept but crusty old bar awaits. It's a great place for a solitary drink if you're doing a late-night cruise of the University District -- but you'll have to settle for bottles, not drafts.
Cheap Buzz: $1.75 domestic bottles

Double Down Saloon
4640 Paradise Road
791-5775
This small punk-rock watering hole has since become a local mainstay after hosting hundreds of shows, from performance art to screaming musicians to, um, more screaming musicians. Every hipsterious rawk trend that takes Vegas by storm, the Double Down was doing two years ago. Oh, don't forget the house rule: You puke, you clean.
Happy Hour: Weekdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: $2 domestics, $3 well drinks, $2 Ass Juice
Recommended or Specialty Drink: Ass Juice ("It doesn't really have a recipe. It's just whatever bottles happen to be near when we're making it," says a barkeep), $3

Freakin' Frog
4700 S. Maryland Pkwy., Unit 8
597-9702
Tired of going to bars where the only choice is regular or light? Drop by the Freakin' Frog, where unusual microbrews -- including Nevada's only barley wine -- are the order of the day. In fact, the only problem may be settling on one of the bar's 250 different beers.
Happy Hour: Mon.-Sat., 2-6 p.m.: Rotating beer specials

Gordon Biersch
3987 Paradise Road
312-5247
This large, lively brewery boasts both suds and grub, plus a clientele of young professionals and collegiates that ain't too hard on the eyes. Serving up six or so custom brews -- from light lagers to stouts that eat like a meal, Gordon Biersch also has a food menu that covers everything from pizza to sashimi.
Cheap Buzz: $3 10-ounce draft
Recommended or Specialty Drink: Wide assortment of custom martinis and specialty drinks, even sangria

Hard Rock Café
4475 Paradise Road
733-7625
This Vegas satellite of the international chain is usually crowded with tourists willing to whip out the Visa Platinum for a souvenir T-shirt, but local power-lunchers often hit the spot to network in a novel setting. You definitely pay for food, service and drinks, but all three are top-notch.
Cheap Buzz: Many well drinks, $4.50

The Hookah Lounge
4153 S. Maryland Parkway
731-6030
Although you can't sit on top of a mushroom and offer cryptic answers to lost travelers, the Hookah Lounge will let you borrow a Lewis Carroll-worthy water pipe and huff on imported tobaccos to your heart's content. And while you're there, you can nosh on grape leaves and partake of the bar's slightly overpriced drink menu in Mediterranean-style comfort. After a while, you might even feel like it's you who's fallen down the rabbit hole.
Happy Hour: Weekdays 5-7 p.m.: $2 bottles, $3 specialty
Recommended or Specialty Drink: The Red Velvet, a fusion of Red Bull and Red Army vodka

Moose's Beach House
4770 S. Maryland Pkwy.
798-0441
Sensory overload! Posters! Signs! Props! Sorority girls spilling out of halter tops! The decent food and frequent drink specials make this place across from UNLV dorm-dweller heaven. Bring your best pick-up line. Something like, "Hey, wanna be on 'Girls Gone Wild'?"
Happy Hour: Daily 4-9 p.m.: All drinks and appetizers half price.
Recommended or Specialty Drink: Features full menu of specialty drinks

The Stake Out
4800 S. Maryland Pkwy.
798-8383
This low-key college-area bar may not draw the hotties 'n' frat boys like its University District competitors, but its respectable selection of bottles and drafts keep its blue-collar clientele more than loyal.
Happy Hour: Sat.-Thurs. 3-7 p.m.: 99-cent domestic drafts, margaritas, chips and salsa; $1.99 Buffalo wings; Fri. 4-6 p.m.: free appetizers