Best Of Tucson®

Best Lowbrow Bar Ambiance

The Buffet

The Buffet (or "the Buff," as some longtime patrons refer to it) is a Tucson institution. Old timers may recall the old Manhattan and the Esquire bars, scary establishments demolished and replaced lo these many years ago by, of all things, a bus station. The Buffet is a little more upscale than they ever were, though not by much. The Buff has been cleaned up a little in recent years (for example, they no longer serve "buffalo sweat," made from whatever is squeezed out of a rag used to wipe down the bar). But it's still the choice of Tucsonans who want to go drinkin' and slummin'. Check the website—it's a hoot.

Runners up:

2. The Shelter

4155 E. Grant Road

326-1345

3. Che's Lounge

350 N. Fourth Ave.

623-2088