Thursday Night Face-Off: Bondi Beach Bar vs. The Rec Room
Despite having to be in class at 9:00 a.m. on Friday mornings, Thursday nights are my favorite night of the week to hit the bars. It lets me kick off my weekend 24 hours in advance, the drink specials help me stay in budget and with everyone loving Thirsty Thursday as much as me, it gives me a chance to see all of my squad.
While Fort Collins has a handful of bars you can choose from, Bondi Beach Bar and The Rec Room seem to dominate the scene on Thursday nights. I love both bars for different reasons and could present a compelling case for either one. However, I have to be honest and say that Bondi is just all around a better pick between the two on Thursday nights for various reasons.
First things first, the atmosphere at Bondi beats Rec Room by a landslide. I love oceans, and though Colorado is the best state in this country, we don’t have beaches. However, when stepping into Bondi, you feel more like you’re at a beach bar on the coast of Florida, rather than in Old Town Square. This is especially great during the harsh winter months. After being on the verge of hypothermia while waiting in line, it’s nice to take off your coat once you walk in and feel like you’re on Spring Break in Mexico.
On the contrary, Rec Room just feels like a regular bar. Sure there are a few arcade games and two bars instead of one, but it is nothing more than ordinary. It has been proven that dancing at night clubs increase your core temperature which can cause heat stress. If it gets too hot and sweaty on the dance floor, The Rec Room offers no sanctuary to cool off. On the contrary, Bondi has a large wrap-around outdoor patio where you can sit down, sip your drink and get some fresh air.
Sometimes people (including myself) may drink a little too much at their pregame, making them a little drunker than the rest once they get to the bars. This has never been a problem for me at Bondi. They check my ID and let me in. Regardless of some stumbling and slurred words, I too have never gotten kicked out of Bondi.
This is not the case for The Rec Room. After standing in a line for 30 minutes, people are eager to get past the bouncers and continue their Thursday night. Unfortunately, Rec Room is known to turn people away at the door. The bouncers usually come up with an excuse along the lines of “You’re too intoxicated,” or “You’re not inline with our dress code.” If this is the case, one can’t really blame them- they are just following company guidelines. However, this has happened to me personally on multiple occasions even though their accusations don’t prove true. Also, countless Yelp! reviewers critique this bar for the same reason. On top of not letting people in, Rec Room also has a reputation to kick out their customers for without any grounds. It is understandable when you see the workers escorting those out who can’t even walk. Yet, the majority of times when I get kicked out they won’t even tell me why. They sternly escort me up the stairs and won’t hear anything I have to say. Others share similar stories, and you can see them here. Maybe they kick out people to let in more who have been waiting in line. Or maybe the workers take their jobs a bit too seriously. Who knows? All I know is that Bondi doesn’t do this.
Now let’s talk drink specials, after all it’s what makes Thirsty Thursday so amazing. The drink specials at Bondi, are what make them better than Rec Room on Thursday nights. Rec Room offers impressive specials on other days of the week, like 25 cent well drinks on Wednesday and Penny Pitchers on Sunday, but when it comes to Thursday they are severely lacking. The only special they offer is $1 Vegas Bombs, but you must have the Hooked App to receive it. Bondi though offers numerous specials that appease broke college kid’s bank accounts. With $1 wells, $2 bombs and bottles and $3 Long Islands, you could walk in with a $10 bill and be set.
Both Rec Room and Bondi are special in their own ways. They offer different vibes and give life to Old Town Square Thursday- Saturday. Though I end up at both most Thursdays, Bondi just holds a special place in my heart for their beachy theme, not kicking me out, and of course- their awesome drink specials.
Don’t forget about Lucky Joe’s either while hitting the bars of Old Town on Thursday nights.
Agree with me? Prefer Rec Room more? Let me know in the comments below!
