Pinch Penny Pub

A great little college bar. I was mesmerized by the glow of the neon fish in the fish tank. I'll return the next time I'm in Carbondale.

Ya, this place brings back lots of memories.  I use to sneak in here when I was underage.  It can be a huge hassle and not worth it during the weekends, but a chill place to have a drink when the students are not in town, or a weekday.  There are a handful of good taps.  Goose Island, Bells, Schlafly.  The service is bare bones, but efficient.  

The food is generic pub grub that can be down right offensive.  The wings are nasty as are the pizzas.  Overall, since Mugsy's has closed, this is one of the best places to catch a game.  The the patio is always full of the typical college fun time.  Lots of bands, and Polar Bear night is always huge.  Not to mention a beer fest every year.  To bad Copper Dragon does not make beer anymore, cause they would always have some of their beers on tap.  This has become an institution in Carbondale, for better or worse.

Great bar, terrible place to work.  

I was a bouncer here over this last year (and no Ry N., we don't look to start fights...that's not what our job is) and while I HATED working there, it was the place to go in Carbondale.

In the summer there are always live bands playing in the beer garden, the beers are cheap and the girls are pretty.  The food here is surprisingly good, but it's still bar food and you could find better if you took a short walk to the strip.

If you are a student or a local to Carbondale, there is one event that you MUST participate in: Polar Bear. This event takes place in February, the doors open at 10 am, and close the following morning at 4 am. I still get sick when I remember getting there at 9am and living at 5am, but I was young.  Dollar Coronas all day (after you muscle through the first one the rest taste a lot better), the main purpose being to sell more bottles than the year before.  The bar will be OVERRUN. There is no room to walk through the bar, the bathroom are packed, you will lose your friends, it's freezing outside, if you leave you'll be waiting at least an hour to get back in.  I'm not going to lie, it's not the best time, but it's an experience I recommend.  After going through Polar Bear you'll never complain about waiting 10 minutes for a beer again.

On a side note. STOP BLACKING OUT AT POLAR BEAR. When I worked it last time I never got to stop moving or sit down.  Between the fights and the 80lb girls that forgot they're 80lb girls blacking out on the benches and the floors in the bathroom...it's too much to handle. Drink responsibly. The bouncers and paramedics will keep you alive as best as we can but...what are you doing?