All the restaurant threads made me think about the old nightlife haunts ...

Water Works
18th Street Lounge
Kelly's
Booters and Barbara's
Melody Ranch
Cody's
Chelsea Street Pub

Still can't believe still hanging on:
The Crying Shame
Scruffy Murphy's (sayonara Bill Bills)

Good list.

Got to add Chapter 11 on there. Crying Shame and Chapter 11 - such fantastically appropriate names.

There's a place at Speight & 29th that has been around a long time under a million different names. We would sometimes pregame there when it was Pop-A-Top and then be on the doorstep of Floyd Casey a minute later. Ice cold schooners for $1.50. Think its a Tejano bar now.

Wasnt Kelly's the place in the strip center across from Triangle Tower on New Road in the mid 90s?

Melody Ranch is still popular amongst the students.

Big12Bear said:

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Good list.

Got to add Chapter 11 on there. Crying Shame and Chapter 11 - such fantastically appropriate names.

There's a place at Speight & 29th that has been around a long time under a million different names. We would sometimes pregame there when it was Pop-A-Top and then be on the doorstep of Floyd Casey a minute later. Ice cold schooners for $1.50. Think its a Tejano bar now.

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OF COURSE! I knew there was something obvious ...

And Sue's #2.

PartyBear said:

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Wasnt Kelly's the place in the strip center across from Triangle Tower on New Road in the mid 90s?

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Exactly. It was in a strip center on New Road.

Of course looks like it now is a Mexican taco place: https://www.google.com/maps/@31.5279337,-97.1733661,3a,75y,235.97h,101.12t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQLFIoOOSZ1sCTDQ-YEYAsA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

Edmond Bear said:

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Melody Ranch is still popular amongst the students.

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What? It's back? It was a Mexican place when I was by there last ...

I sang on-stage with David Allan Coe there in the 90s ...

Harrison Bergeron said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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Melody Ranch is still popular amongst the students.

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What? It's back? It was a Mexican place when I was by there last ...

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Only know that my youngest was a freshman last year and said that Melody Ranch was loaded with students. She went back a couple of times this year.

Brass Rail , 19th & Edna. If you were looking for trouble you could usually find it there.

Water works - all you could eat fajitas and live comedy shows on Sunday nights I think? 89-90 timeframe. Can't remember. But if you went early to the fajitas, you didn't get carded and then you could just go down to the bar and order away. non-fake ID me got polluted to absurd levels there on a few occasions in this scenario...

LaChelle's on Thursday nights on Elm Street in 1985.

Edmond Bear said:

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Harrison Bergeron said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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Melody Ranch is still popular amongst the students.

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What? It's back? It was a Mexican place when I was by there last ...

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Only know that my youngest was a freshman last year and said that Melody Ranch was loaded with students. She went back a couple of times this year.

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i thought it was just called the ranch now..

In the 80's Melody Ranch was our Thursday nite hangout

Stranger said:

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Walker's Auditorium on Clifton. Drink cold Pearl Beer and listen to Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, et al. Too bad it's gone

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Yep. Legendary..Think you told me once that you went to Joe Tex 'Skinny Legs" contest...That WAS a treat!

4th and Inches said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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Harrison Bergeron said:

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Edmond Bear said:

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Melody Ranch is still popular amongst the students.

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What? It's back? It was a Mexican place when I was by there last ...

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Only know that my youngest was a freshman last year and said that Melody Ranch was loaded with students. She went back a couple of times this year.

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i thought it was just called the ranch now..

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Just quick googling…looks like they have an active FB page as Melody Ranch.

Few others:

Continental Cowboy-now Oakley's (heard Miranda Lambert there)
Burgers and Blues (heard REK there)
Midnight Rodeo (went once and never went back)
Graham Central Station (never made it there)

Bexar Pitts said:

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Stranger said:

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Walker's Auditorium on Clifton. Drink cold Pearl Beer and listen to Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, et al. Too bad it's gone

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Yep. Legendary..Think you told me once that you went to Joe Tex 'Skinny Legs" contest...That WAS a treat!

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and it didn't cost a lot of money, either . . .

Big12Bear said:

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There's a place at Speight & 29th that has been around a long time under a million different names. We would sometimes pregame there when it was Pop-A-Top and then be on the doorstep of Floyd Casey a minute later. Ice cold schooners for $1.50. Think its a Tejano bar now.

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Yep. One of those was 'Beverly's Beef and Brew', which I believe existed in the latter half of the 1990's.

I recall they had a Wednesday night special full chicken fried steak dinner for $5.95 which was really, really good.

Beverly served up great-tasting food, and kept the draft beer really cold, but I was glad they always kept the lights dim in that joint, because I'm sure it never would have passed Her Majesty's royal white glove test. But I suppose you could say that about quite a few places around town.

My wife never understood my attraction to that place, but part of that may have been because every time I'd pay Beverly would tell me -- 'love ya babe.'

25th Street

Treff's Piano Man helped many a brother out.

Stranger said:

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Walker's Auditorium on Clifton. Drink cold Pearl Beer and listen to Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, et al. Too bad it's gone.

Don't forget the house band.....Sherman Evans and the Flames

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Magic Music

Well..you did say "old" :-) https://wacotexashistoryinpictures.com/2021/03/17/scenic-wonderland-nightclub/

Bexar Pitts said:

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Well..you did say "old" :-) https://wacotexashistoryinpictures.com/2021/03/17/scenic-wonderland-nightclub/

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Wow. Bob Wills' concert tickets were $1.20 in 1951! Too bad the dollar doesn't go that far today.

And, 'Wild' Bull Curry was wrestling main events in 1953! Man, he had some longevity in the ring, as I recall seeing him in the '60's and '70's.

CTbruin said:

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Stranger said:

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Walker's Auditorium on Clifton. Drink cold Pearl Beer and listen to Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Otis Redding, Joe Tex, et al. Too bad it's gone.

Don't forget the house band.....Sherman Evans and the Flames

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Sherman Evans & the Flames were a great group..They also played quite a bit at The Spot..off old Dallas Hwy.

25th Street Theater. That was where I first saw someone snort cocaine on the dance floor.

I also miss Steak n' Ale.

After Terrace Club closed...The Abraxas took the building and roared in the 70's. https://wacohistory.org/items/show/172

Bexar Pitts said:

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After Terrace Club closed...The Abraxas took the building and roared in the 70's. https://wacohistory.org/items/show/172

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Can confirm

CTbruin said:

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Magic Music

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No. "Tragic" Music. I remember the free drinks for one to two hours after opening.

Les's Three Oaks
Second Lichelle's
Italian Village for 2 for 1 margaritas

Is 25th Street Theater same as Outer Limits?

Mickey's and Mister Bee;s

Bears Den
Suffragette City
Lakeside Tavern

I believe Outer Limits was in the Sherwood Forest hotel on Waco Dr. (Behind Discount Beverage). Since then demolished

FrankFallonCalling said:

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Treff's Piano Man helped many a brother out.

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One of the all-time absolute s-holes in Waco bar history. I don't even remember what was on the first floor, but that second floor was an absolute smokehouse well after cig bans hit public establishments, and you had like a 50/50 chance of one of the staff being hammered because the owner was never there.

Good times, good times.

Eleven-League Grant said:

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Bexar Pitts said:

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Well..you did say "old" :-) https://wacotexashistoryinpictures.com/2021/03/17/scenic-wonderland-nightclub/

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Wow. Bob Wills' concert tickets were $1.20 in 1951! Too bad the dollar doesn't go that far today.

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$14.17 in 2023 dollars with $0 in processing fees or whatever other BS would be placed on top of ticket sales today.