Polk Street Bars

Serving as Nick's by day and Rouge Nightclub by night, the true magic of this place involves sitting at the bar during happy hour on a late Saturday afternoon. With a taco in one hand and a margarita in the other, take a moment to notice your surroundings--red velvet curtains and matching booths, glittering chandeliers overhead and the fresh gym-tan-laundry Rouge crowd starting to assemble outside. Awesome.

"Adventure, Intrigue, Romance." Since 1985, Kelly's has embodied the upper-Polk approach to debauchery and become the iconic bar of a young, affluent Russian Hill community. Don't miss their bus trips, which typically include admission to some event, a swanky bus ride and oceans of booze. Prepare yourself for packed-house Sunday mornings for Pittsburgh Steeler games, as well.

It seems like every third door on Polk Street is a wine bar. (The other two are a dog groomer and a nail salon, but that's a different story.) With smart and atmospheric decor, a strong trade-approved wine list and nice happy-hour deal on wine flights, Amelie is the alpha dog of the Polk Street wine bar craze.

A cozy log-cabin interior complete with taxidermy-filled walls houses a lively neighborhood crowd and colorful rock-star bartenders all under the careful watch of a hulking life-sized Sasquatch perched at the back of the bar. Never a destination for the bridge-and-tunnel crowd, this is a real Polk Street party.

As much thumping bass, sweat, body English and promiscuity as you could ever want served with a two-dollar Miller High Life instead of an inflated cover charge and $12 vodka cranberry.