Amherst

Rao's Coffee

17 kellogg av., phone: +1 413-253-9411, (http://raoscoffee.com). a favorite among the locals. rao's roasts its own coffee and also offers a variety of blends of tea. good place to sit down and hang out. internet access available.

Amherst Coffee

28 amity street, phone: +1 413-256-8987, (http://www.amherstcoffee.com/). extremely high quality coffee, live jazz on thursdays.

Black Sheep Bakery and Cafe

Fresh bread, pasteries, sandwiches and coffee.

Moan and Dove

460 west st. route 116, phone: +1 413-256-1710, (http://www.themoananddove.com/). open until 1am. the selection of excellent lesser-known brews is the moan and dove's claim to fame. boasting a constantly rotating list of beers you've never heard of, this is a must-see on a drinking tour of amherst. this bar does not accept out of state ids without a backup form of identification.

The Harp

163 sunderland rd., (http://www.theharp.net/). irish bar with live irish music on friday nights, and an interesting menu. the must try menu item are the irish nachos, although the current ones are not as good as their original recipe was.

Phone: +1 413) 253-4400, (http://www.amherstbrewing.com/). Daily 11:30AM until 1AM. It's in here as a restaurant and a bar because it's both. The ABC brews and serves a full selection of their own beers. It's not the cheapest place to drink but there are more expensive. A beer or a cocktail will run you $3-$4. There is live music on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, with karaoke some Thursdays.

The Spoke

North pleasant st. the best dive in town. not quite chi-chi like abc or moan and dove, but not quite childish like above-mentioned "college bars." sit down for a $1.50 draft, play some pool free on tuesdays, and sometimes they even make free sandwiches.