Duffy's Tavern

Small, intimate, and a block down the street from one of our town's rowdiest bars, I enjoy watching…read moregames here more than at any other venue in town. The owner/manager/bartenders/patrons are kind and fun-loving, and the warm peanuts are better than most. I hesitate to post this review in case it overcrowds Joe's, but hey, what are friends for? Go 49ers!

Dropped in here while wandering around Chico State and checking out some of the back streets…read more Cool little spot. We were going to have bloody mary's but the the bartender talked us into Tequilla Sunrise. It was the right choice, and we ended up having a couple of cocktails and chatting with Maria the bartender and some of the locals, and having a proper good time! Great folks, friendly service, and good snacks make this place a great little local bar. Will definitely come back here again next time I am in Chico! Great folks!

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Studio Inn Lounge

3.9(31 reviews)

2.3 mi

Bar is great. I'm not local, but this is a pretty good bar to grab a drink and whine down after…read morework.

Except for the parking I loved this place for months. The parking sucked and there was only popcorn…read morefor snacking but the bar is good and the staff was lovely. The people were friendly, the crowd welcoming. I was a regular patron who enjoyed the atmosphere 2-3 nights a week. I came for the Karaoke. SIL had 2 hosts until recently. I like them both but a week or so ago one was "let go". This was done without notice, without considering what effect this might have on its clientele. OK, people lose positions all the time, right? Yeah, but the way they did it, their lack of loyalty, both to the KJ and to us their patrons who were not allowed one last night to say goodbye, that dismissal showed us all that WE were disregarded. I, and many of the regulars will not be back.

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Argus

4.1(145 reviews)

0.2 mi

Had a delicious lunch at Argus this afternoon. Service was great and everyone enjoyed their food…read moreand drinks. Looking forward to eating here again!

Had lunch there and was able to try a lot of the menu items. The charcuterie board, pizza and…read moreMediterranean salad were my top! The sizes are great and shareable. It's a great spot for lunch and the Photo Booth is a great way to commemorate any occasion. Also, the mocktails were great if you're looking to stay away from alcoholic drinks during the day. The staff was incredibly attentive and super nice so that's always the cherry on top. Definitely adding it to my lunch go to spots

Charcutere and oysters

Pretzel bites

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Truffle fries

Tackle Box

3.2(119 reviews)

1.9 mi

Been here a few times to see moonshine bandits and various other bands. Always enjoyed the show…read more Drinks were great and so is service. Very down to earth.

I had a great time seeing Amanda Shires. This place is so fun and drinks are very reasonable. I…read moredidn't try the food, but it looked great. Next time I will.

Section of the bar.

Remnants of my plate, spaced out when freshly arrived.

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Pizza & Burgers Menu (April 2024)

The Banshee

4.2(893 reviews)

0.1 mi

Regular Kitchen closes at 10pm. Late night menu 10:30-12…read moreWed - Sun. Great spot. Highly recommend

Food was good. Interesting, eclectic menu. I had a fish…read moretaco and a pork bahn mi taco, both very good. My companion had a California burger and they enjoyed that as well. So if I was basing they review on food alone it's an easy 4 to 4.5 stars. Service was lacking. I arrived first and took a small table in the very back corner. When the waiter came by I let them know I was meeting a friend I hadn't seen in over a year and we were planning a long lunch. It was a Saturday afternoon and not busy. My guest arrived and the sever didn't come back for at least 10 min. But ok. No biggie. We ordered a soda and an iced tea. When those arrived we ordered food. My tacos came quickly and then we sat, looking at my food while we waited for the other entrée, the burger. 10 minutes later it shows up served by another server, no explanation or even acknowledgement that it took 10 minutes between me being served and my companion being served. Anyway our server was MIA for the rest of our stay. No offer of a refill for our beverages, no asking if the food was ok. Nothing. We stayed about 2 hours total and my normal policy is to double the tip because I have taken a table for about twice as long as normal. Unfortunately service was sub par. Oh and tea was incredibly strong not in a good way.

Bar

Bahn Mi style pork taco. I highly recommend!

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Riley's

3.1(96 reviews)

0.4 mi

Met Riley and her friends. Abby was super chill to meet me, The drinks were great, and overall I…read morehad a great time, and Riley was super friendly! I don't know about Leeroy, he kinda was... different, to say the least. Still a chill dude!

I love this bar and most of the bartenders, but I have repeatedly had horrible experiences with the…read morebartender that I believe is named Darren. Last night he yelled at my friend for grabbing the shot that she ordered and told us we were being impatient, but he left our shots on the bar and started serving someone else even though we made eye contact with him and tried handing him our cash. Every time I interact with him his is nothing but rude. I also ordered from him previously and the music was so loud that I asked him to repeat himself because I couldn't hear him, and instead of simply repeating himself, he skipped over me and took someone elses order and I had to go to the other side of the bar to another bar tender to be served.

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More tvs

Quackers Lounge

3.6(40 reviews)

2.2 mi

Love the internet jukebox! Football on the TVs and I picked a bunch great tunes from the internet…read morejukebox. We visited on a weekday at about 1:00 pm and they were busier than I expected for a weekday afternoon. There was only one bartender/waitress and she was GREAT considering how busy she was! The food is really good. I wish I had taken photos. The burgers were huge and delicious.... the salad was big enough to feed 4 people. Those sidewinder fries were unique and tasty! I wish the games (pool etc) was in the same room as the bar/restaurant, but oh well. I'm looking forward to coming back.

Always a good time at our favorite neighborhood bar don't wanna give too much away because I don't…read morewanna share the secret but it gets crowded in there so you better go early food is great. Service is great and bartenders are fabulous especially Tara, Ace, Katie and Erin. I will say my one negative is the island taquitos were way too sweet. I would either do pineapple or the sauce but not both sorry Seth that's my one negative.

Garden fresh chicken sandwich

Seasoned skinny fries crispy...yum!

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New happy hour menu

Down LO

2.9(53 reviews)

0.0 mi

Came in as our 2nd stop of night just to get a drink or two and then go to the next place. I had…read morelow (ha) expectations, I didn't know what to expect and just hoped it would be a chill spot. Well I was pleasantly surprised as it was a pretty cool, divey spot. There is a large bar and many pool tables, a sign posted saying it was the only pool hall in Chico. I didn't check out the tables but almost all of them were taken by various groups. The clientele was extremely varied between regulars and people stopping in for one drink like us. There were older, retired aged persons to the college co-ed. The drink was good, the bartenders were nice, and there was a bouncer checking IDs at the bar. I enjoyed it and will be back.

The food is really good, better than dive bar quality. Hottest bartenders in town, especially half…read moreshaved head with a bun

Red Giant sandwich with fries

Saturday night entertainment

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Bottom of the menu: The Disorderly Event. A 1/3 lb burger w/ pastrami, bacon, mozerella sticks and a fried egg.

Piggs club

4.1(14 reviews)

22.1 mi

It is always a good vibes great plase to relax after a hard day with the charm of a small townread more

Don't let the outside steer you away. When we walked in we were greeted by a very nice young woman…read morewho was the bartender. It appears to be a place where pool players go. Great drinks at a great price and great service.

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The University Bar

3.5(46 reviews)

0.1 mi

A pretty fun bar in the area. The staff here were super friendly and the bartenders are really cool…read moreto talk to. The drinks were very good and they play some good music here too.

No lie the U Bar is hella fun, all you need is your crew and some quaters lol and you can have a…read moreblast, also the beach is just upstairs so if u wanna really club, thats there also They also do $1 drinks on thursdays and have actually pretty good service, respectful forsure

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$2 for 2 cranberry vodka? I'm yes please!

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21 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Richard W.

14 years ago

I made a return visit to Duffy's Tavern recently to see if ownership has gotten rid of skanky psuedo-intellectual girl bartenders. This has long been the problem with Duffy's - the girl bartenders at this place all think they are Uma Thurman, they spend what seems like hours "eyeing" you over before they deem to wait on you. Most of the time these bartenders are in an animated conversation about some serious academic topic they pretend to know something about. Last year one of these drip tatooed lady bartenders was waxing on about "Long Days Journey into Night" and I felt compelled to lash out, "you know nothing of Eugene O'Neils work. You are a complete idiot. How about serving me a cocktail, isn't this a bar? After this remark this awful lady bartender - festooned with tatoos that had been strategically placed on her body to hide the fact she wasn't shapely - she had the nerve to 86 me from Duffy's! She actually kicked me out of the bar. She lashed out, "We don't serve frat boys here buster. Why don't you go to Normal Street you big fat -frat slob!". After that comment two members of the Pub Scouts - who are local homeless guys that play bad music at Duffy's frequently - wrestled me to the gound. As I was being pulverized one of them said, " We don't like guys coming in here who critisize the intellectual abilities of Duffy's psuedo-hipster girl bartenders . They are an essential part of what makes this over-rated dive work. What Duffy's is all bout is rude bartenders, and our bad band - the Pub Scouts, which plays bad music, over bad conversation being made by bad -boorish intellectual types. Got it buddy!" With that the Pub Scout - his name was Boris as I recall - got in two really good punches. I then crawled out of the bar bleeding profusely. On this visit the minute I entered the bar I was immediatly escorted out, I didn't even get a chance to wait five minutes to get waited on. Apparently they have my picture on the wall, and there are standing orders to keep me out.". Geez, all I ever wanted when previously visiting Duffy's is a cocktail in a timely manner delivered by a friendly bartender. Is that a lot to ask? I guess so because I'm on the permanent 86 list. So yes, I have a serious difference of opinion on Duffy's. Many believe this is a really cool bar full of cool people, but I think it's a hideous gyp joint that features terrible bartenders, bad music, and junkie looking decor. Duffy's makes me want to barf. read more

Richard G.

13 years ago

I would describe Duffy's as a early 90's grunge bar, it's kind of retro. Clearly it's the hippest bar in Chico, that's pretty well known. The cocktails are very well made, the ambience is cool too. The service, however, is sub-par. I'm a larger person - I weigh about 400 1lbs. The last time I visited Duffy's the beautiful black haired, women bartender greeted me with the line, "So what will it be Fatso". After she said this a bunch of grunge types sitting at the bar laughed out loud. It was humiliating. A few moments later another beautiful girl - also a black haired ravenness - came out of the back room and said, "Sir we can't have you sitting in our chairs, you are too fat, we buy our chairs at thrift stores - they are fragile, we would appreciate if you stand while you are here". This led to more guffaws from this motley crew of grunge types sitting at the bar. So again I was totally humiliated by one of Duffy's gorgeous female employees. I think sensitivity training for Duffy's staff is in order, we larger people ought not be treated so disrespectfully. Right now - based on this experience - I can't say Duffy's is a "fat friendly" establishment. I believe one way to counteract the growing belief - in the fat community - that Duffy's is not fat-friendly is to maybe buy round for any larger people that stop by for a drink. Really, I don't believe the ownership supports discrimination, but the youthful female staff - shapely though they be - haven't been trained properly insofar as how to handle customers. Not all bar goers look like they are in the Foo-Fighters, some are older, fat, dress lousy and so forth. I think good service ought to be extended to all customers who visit Duffy's, you shouldn't have to look like Brad Pitt to get good service from Duffy's cute - though grumpy - girl bartenders. If somebody comes in and they resemble Sidney Greenstreet in the Maltese Falcon, and they are creepy - like Greenstreet, they should get good service too. Fair is fair, not everybody guy is leading man, character actors are vital - I think - to a successful movie. So I think the ball is in the court for Duffy's management, will your operation come down to earth and start be friendly to fat character actors. Time will tell, I guess. read more

Dave C.

15 years ago

What a great bar and environment. I frequented this bar for years and miss it a lot. It is fun, unique, and cheap. This is a great place for a night of not remembering and a day of hanging out! The bands that come through here are lots of fun also. On Friday they provide food and the Pub Scouts play. It is a 12 person band who that play traditional Irish music. The backroom is really fun to hang out in with a full size pool table and a photo booth that has never worked. Sometimes it feels like a speak easy party in the back. Everyone should sometime to stop in a say hello. I suggest adding some Riley's Beef Jerky to the beer. It is called a Beer Turd Riley's Jerky is a hard Jerky and when it soaks in a nice Sierra Nevada it becomes a wonderful snack. The jalapeno jerky goes great with a Sierra Nevada Wheat Beer. Just ask Lexi the bartender, she is great. read more

Don M.

10 years ago

I have gone here for many, many years. There is one horrible, egocentric female bartender who needs to be fired. If you engage her in banter, she replies, "What if I tell the doorman you're bothering me?" The short, squatty doorman will then come in and say, "You have to leave." I will never go to Duffy's again. Please do not give your money to this filthy, horrible place. read more

Margaret S.

2 years ago

Cute little hole in the wall. The drinks are so good but they are a little spendy. They have live music and the cover fees are cheap for how good the bands typically are. Very well stocked and cared. An all-around enjoyable time with friends or alone for a drink or a game of pool. I hear the music is quite a fun time as well. read more

Tiffany H.

11 years ago

In a world filled with dive bars. Duffy's Tavern sets itself apart by being the diviest of dive bars. The bartenders, expertly serve drinks even a crowded room of hip 20/30 somethings all crying out for cold beers. There's action adventure , kick ass music and decent rotation of local beers. Go Sierra Nevada brews !! read more

Ricardo H.

15 years ago

Duffys is a place where you can kill your liver for not a lot of money. Its got all the typical dive bar motiffs, dirty floor, the smell of vomit hanging in the air. The bartenders are really friendly, and the drinks are strong. Once in a while I will find myself here, but I guess I just grew out of this scene. read more

Devon E.

10 years ago

Got thrown out of here last Saturday by a hostile leprechaun bouncer. Was it because I stole his Lucky Charms? No, it's because a bartender has anger issues. So, if you must go to Duffy's, drink your beer, shut up and get out. Else, suffer the wrath of the leprechaun. read more

Robert R.

12 years ago

Old school bar. Day time regulars pontificate and discuss everything from local politics to world events. A bunch of poetic sages fueled by friendly bartenders. Great local place! read more

chazz b.

17 years ago

Dive bar with the best attuitude and service ever. Good price on drinks too. Hope the jukebox i updated by next time i make a trip up.....

Joseph F.

12 years ago

Great little haunt. Dim, great spot to duck in for a quiet one midafternoon to hang with the local characters.

John T.

206

1511

17 years ago

I walked in...and then walked out. What a crap-hole. I can find better places to waste my life. read more

Michael L.

16 years ago

One of the few places in Chico that has Fernet. Five gosh darn stars.

Bryan T.

15 years ago

the way a lo-bro bar should be. Besides, Pavement once played here.

Sheba W.

13 years ago

This place is just a great, classic, country dive bar.

Erin L.

18 years ago

Hands down best bar in the universe! Nuff said.

John M.

15 years ago

Great place. Great jukebox. Cheap beer.

Derek D.

16 years ago

The best place to get a beer in Chico!

Isobel B.

9 years ago

babein' staff & bitchen backbar

Chantel Y.

17 years ago

Duffy's is all right.

Duffy's Tavern - pubs - Updated October 2026

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