PJ's Pub
Pros/Cons: Loud atmosphere and you always bump into everyone that you know.
Bottom Line: If you are a Hopkins student and have yet to visit that PJ's Pub, get out of your room/library and take a breath of fresh air. How long have you been cooped up?
Yes, it gets a little crowded past 11 o'clock, and yes, it smells like sweat and hot dogs sometimes, but there is something about PJ's that grows on you.
PJ's Pub is pretty much a rite of passage of being a JHU student. There are usually great deals and their Old Bay fries are really good.
It's close, it's convenient, and, between Taco Trivia Tuesdays and DJ Thursdays, there is always something to do. PJ's Pub may be a dive bar, but it's our dive bar.
Charles Village Pub
Pros: Also close and convenient, good happy hour deals; meet new people; great place to watch a Ravens game ... when they win.
Cons: A lot of random people from around Charles Village; not a lot of TVs and seating is not ideal; the food is not very good (sometimes you're better off popping a bowl of chips and shredded cheese in the microwave than ordering their Nacho Platter).
Bottom Line: CVP is also a place you must experience before you graduate. With cool memorabilia on the walls and never really a wait to sit at tables, the Charles Village Pub isn't a bad place.
Maxie's Pizza,
Bar & Grille
Pros: You may be able to get a free breadstick on the way out.
Cons: Possibly the most random and the most ridiculous crowd of people gathered under one roof on a given night; impossible to move around usually (especially in the winter when the outside patio is closed); barely any TVs.
Bottom Line: If you have an important game to watch, Maxie's is not your place. They do have good pizza and take out, but night games are inconvenient.
There are very few TVs, and they are poorly placed. Though it may not be a great sports bar, it's actually not a bad place to grab a late night slice.
Pickles Pub
Pros: Great sporting atmosphere; if you are rooting for the O's or Ravens during a game, there may not be a better place; great deals; within walking distance from Inner Harbor; a great place to tailgate an Orioles game
Cons: Do not try the "Brooks Robinson," a 1$ hot dog topped with PB&J (I shouldn't have to tell you how big of a mistake this is).
Bottom Line: Pickles Pub is a really fun place before, during and after a Baltimore sporting event. Located across the street from Camden Yards, Pickles is jam packed with history and good times.
Good opportunity to meet fellow Baltimoreans and even some Hopkins alumni you may have not seen in while.
Pratt Street Ale House
Pros: Great outside venue; huge variety of food and drinks; a lot of TVs, right near the Inner Harbor; good O's post-game hangout; has a classic sports bar feel to it.
Cons: Slow service; greasy food.
Bottom Line: PSAH is a cool place to go to every once in a while. Whether you are there for Hopkins events in the outside patio or watching a sporting event, it should be a good time.
Della Roses Tavern
Pros: Very good food and appetizers; also a great place to watch an O's or Ravens game, huge crowds usually come to cheer on their home town teams; right on the water and a great view of the Inner Harbor.
Cons: Far and inconvenient to get to; long waits; do not go if you are cheering for the team that happens to be playing Baltimore that day.
Bottom Line: If you are looking for great food (and not just bar food), huge flat screens to watch the game and a journey to get off of campus for a little while, Della Roses is your place.
The Brewer's Art
Pros: Some of the best food in Baltimore; voted one of America's top bars by Esquire Magazine; great atmosphere
Cons: They actually do not have any TVs.
Bottom Line: If you are looking to watch a game, TBA is not your place, as they do not have a single TV. I would go so far as to say that this place doesn't even qualify as a sports bar. Really, it's on this list because it's a great bar.
The Brewers Art is a great place to go hang out with friends or take parents to when they visit. Located conveniently in Mount Vernon on N. Charles St., Brewer's is a must before you graduate.
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