Handle Bar on Manchester Ave. (house, live, bars)

[SouthCityGal]

Just wondering if anyone's been to the Handle Bar on Manchester in the city. Is the food good? Is it non-smoking?

I might go when there's a live band, and I'm wondering if you can see/hear the band from the dining area, or is there a separate room? Is there a separate charge for the show? Their website is not entirely helpful, so I would appreciate any info you can share. Thanks!

[BoomBoxing]

I've been there and it's great!

1) Food - I don't know I didn't eat anything but I hear their pizza is good

2) Smoking - I am pretty sure it is non smoking. They have a huge outdoor patio with a firepit for smokers.

3) Band - Yes there are a lot of tables around where the band plays. There was no cover the night i was there.

It's a great place and the crowd is a lot of fun. Runs the gamut from what you'd expect in a bicycle themed bar on the southside. Hipsters, gay people, old people, young people. Good times, highly recommended.

[SouthCityGal]

Thanks so much! This helps paint a clearer picture! I plan on going later this month when some friends are in town. I'll post an update afterward, if I have anything new to share.

[BoomBoxing]

Interesting you should bump this as I went back this past Saturday night. It is definitely no smoking, a bit slow earlier in the evening but it picks up later. I still didn't try their food but the guys sitting next to us at the bar were raving about their pizza. Their beer selection is top notch and they have an interesting array of house drinks and house shots.

The owner, Tatyana, is a Russian immigrant who used to own the bar at the City Museum. She's very sweet and fun to talk to. It's becoming one of our favorite bars.

[CoffeeAndBeer]

I went in once, I couldn't figure it out, which is a good thing. I'm a bit of a tower grove south homer, and hardly venture beyond my corner bar 1/4 of a block away a lot of the time, but I'd go back.

[SouthCityGal]

I finally made it there over the weekend and had a great time. The pizza IS good! The place is separated in half by a wall. The first half you see when you walk in (booths, a pool table, place to park you bike). The other half, to the right, has more booth and tables, and that's where the band set up and played. If you want to see the band, go seat yourself on the right side of the place. When the place is packed, it's hard to hear the music from the left side of the place.

You seat yourself (tables seemed to fill up by 9 p.m.) and place drink and food orders through the bar. The bar was mostly full of twenty-somethings (my group was slightly older), but we felt comfortable and enjoyed the atmosphere. And a $1 game of pool isn't bad either! Street parking can be hard to find; a nearby lot was $3. I would definitely go again.

[aragx6]

Thanks for sharing!

[DespicableMe]

Somehow "Cool story sis!" doesn't have the same ring to it.