The title of best bar has to go to Staples in Allentown. Located on the corner of Wadsworth and Allen streets, Staples encapsulates a trendy eclectica that is perfect for a random night out.
Staples is a beer-centric establishment, like so many other Allentown bars, featuring an enticing collection that ranges from PBR to overly expensive lambics that no one really drinks on a night out.
For the most part, drinks are pretty cheap, making a full Staples night an inebriated penny-pincher's dream. If one is interested in an educational experience, asking the bartender for $20 worth of random beer is a great way to buy a round.
For the non-beer drinkers, Staples has all the staples of a normal bar too, and their bartenders have a skillful and generous touch with their liquor.
Staples itself is beautifully laid out. The long half horseshoe of the bar is interrupted by a deli cooler, which appears to contain food. For those who have never required anything but liquid sustenance at Staples, however, the contents of that cooler remain a mystery.
The back of the bar is both a live music venue and an intimate space to drink with friends. This effect is accomplished by the clever use of partition walls and low-latticed ceilings, both of which cut sound waves to ribbons. It's fascinating to watch people dance to loud house music from ten feet away and still hear a friend's quiet comments.
Musically, Staples is all over the board. Someone who goes three nights in a row is guaranteed to hear three distinct genres. Think Johnny Cash followed by Prodigy followed by Biggie. Considering how many bars stick to classic rock and Bon Jovi, this is a welcome change.
Finally, Staples' bathrooms are incredible. Usually the bathroom is the place in a drinking establishment where people decide to stop drinking and mend their ways. It's a drag. Staples counteracted this by painting famous quotes about wine all over the walls.
No one can feel bad about their alcoholic dalliances when Cardinal Richeleu tells them at eye level, "If God forbade drinking, would He have made wine so good?"
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
