Best bar in Amherst - AMAZING staff - my friends and family love coming here - highly recommend going during Colin's Meatball Wednesday

My friend and I were reminiscing my college days. Since we didn't have a lot planned, we decided to check out the bar scenes especially as I had never made my way to this place yet. It was already packed arriving around 9:30 pm on Saturday. We ordered some tequila sodas with pineapple juice which tasted not good. I couldn't even identify the brand they used which I'm sure was the culprit. People kept filing in and then clearing out without leaving. After a while I noticed they were going next door to the dance floor with a live DJ. The music did not have good transitions which made it hard to thoroughly enjoy it. Nonetheless, my friend and I still had a good time. read more

This place serves the best free meatballs you've ever placed into your mouth. How could any Amherst local or UMass student not stop by on a Wednesday afternoon, for a taste of those infamous Colin's balls? As fresh and hot as the bartender serving them to you, they'll tickle your tummy . Would give this place 6 stars if only that tall, dark, and handsome bouncer who threw me a FREE T-SHIRT from up on the bar could move his hips a little better. Also, SPOKE seltzers are quite refreshing! Note: the bouncer named Jonathan is the only staff I've encountered here who is not amazing read more

Soon as we arrived the bouncer was extremely disrespectful, treated me and my friends rudely, literally gave us shit for standing up and talking on the phone. We were not able to move tables even when we asked and there were plenty of tables inside and they dont take reservations. The bouncer imposed us a bunch of non-sense restrictions, we felt like we were being targeted for being foreigners in that place and we left. Unbelievable, never coming back read more

Bouncer gave me and my friend an issue going in, even though were both 24. Asked me...if i was on anything as if he were a cop or something. Horrible experience. They tried taking advantage of their authority as a bouncer. Could've been because I'm asian and my friends Spanish. I suggest a different bar in Amherst, if ur looking for a more diverse crowd and less bitchy bouncers. Its always crowded there and hard to get a drink. read more

I'm sorry but if you think anybody gives a fuck to wait in a line that's wrapped around the building before 10 pm.... you guys better bring Walt back ASAP because I assure you no one will be coming back here in a few weeks once they realize how FUCKING RIDICULOUS the lines are now. No fucking shot. Catch me at any other bar read more

This is a local bar. For the most part you aren't going to see the frat going Umass kid, the tennis playing Amherst kid, or the patchouli wearing Hampshire kid (unless it is me). I like that. Therefore I am somewhat reluctant to reveal this little piece of information. DRINKS ARE STRONG AND CHEAP. They are really, really, cheap. They are really, really, strong. Beers for under 2.00! Mixed drinks in glasses the size of your head! Shots that look more like doubles! Oh yeah, and a pool table, jukebox, and great outdoor seating! It's a dive though. Don't go here. read more

The Spoke has long been a favorite of mine, even as an undergrad at UMass. Much of it's appeal is that you won't see the sort of crowd that is typical of other uptown bars. Not that The Spoke doesn't get packed (it often does) - it's just a different crowd. As for the important stuff: drinks are cheap, mixed drinks come in pint glasses and are just a few bucks! The staff has always been great, especially if you're a regular (they prepared my groups drinks as soon as we walked in the door). There is a pool table, jukebox and decent outdoor patio but there are plenty of tables inside as well as a good sized bar. And make no mistake - this is a dive bar. It's small and dark...but that's what makes it so great! You can go and have a pile of beers with your friends and just hangout in Amhersts own dive bar/ 'Spoke Easy'. read more

Nothing special or even good about this bar. Only upside was that there was no line when every other bar had one that was 20 people deep. Most likely for a reason... It is not a good business practice for the bouncers to override the jukebox selections of the customers. If I were a business I would not want my employees to piss off a group of 10 paying customers because some idiot being paid to scan ids can't endure 15 minutes of music that wasn't their choice. Congratulations you just lost 10 customers as well as all the people that we go out of our way to make sure never go to this place. Will never go back to this place and I suggest no one else does either. read more

A legit dive bar in Amherst. Although themed around bicycles, there's nothing in there which would impress Lance Armstrong. Lot of freebies on odd evenings. Sunday 5:00 pm gets you free meatballs and hotdogs. Monday nights, they have free Poker. Tuesday nights you get free Pool table. Also, they make the best Long Island Iced Tea. I have a vague memory where I had downed a tower of mixed Vodka with my lady friend at the nearby Charlie's, and then proceeded to drinking two Teas at the Spoke. One would have been enough. Voila! My love for humanity came alive. I started conversing with random strangers on the road. Fueled by the Alcoholic concoction mixed with 100 grams of sugar, I was a drunk Cornholio. Soon, I found myself rolling with my lady friend on the lawns across the street. Oh boy, the rest, the rest should just not be told... read more

I make the drive to see friends and have a great time. You cannot beat the "everyone know's your name" feel. The drinks are well made, the beer is cold and and every visit to the patio is a good time. There is coin-op pool, a jukebox an no bullshit. There is a split of local folks and grad students although I am told that later in the night the younger crowd shuffles in. There is no better place to watch a game, have a beer, shoot pool and hang out with your friends - as long as your friends are regulars :-) read more

Trying to put my sentimentality aside, this place is a great dive bar. Always something going on, for better or worse. Clientele can range from nobody to a lot of people pending college schedule. Locals are always entertaining and sloppy behavior is encouraged. Wouldn't go by myself (especially if I was female) but great place for a group. If your in the mood for dirty and sloppy, this is the place for you! read more

The Spoke - Dive Bars Near Me - Amherst, Massachusetts

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After telling an old friend of mine from back East my son was going to go to Amherst, he told me I needed to visit the Spoke when I got to town. I was only there about 40 minutes, but I shit you negative brother, this is one of the best fuckin' bar I've ever been in. And I've been in plenty. For $6, I got a Jameson Whiskey Sour in a pint glass. Best whiskey sour I've ever had, and everyone I meet was authentic. Cheers, Aedan! Your gonna love Amherst. read more

The only bar I really enjoy in Amherst. I liked it better back in 2001 when we started going here cause we were tired of all the kids in the terrible downtown bars in Amherst, as there were only 30-something locals there and we - being the only college students there - could get some breating space and just have some beers and talk. These days the bar has been discovered by the college crowd (hmm, it was right there the whole time?) and its still nice, just not quite as relaxed an environment. read more

Appalled by the bouncer's behavior. I was out with a group of friends one of my friends got into the bar without being questioned at all. The bouncer started asking my black friend for ID, credit card information. He then began to make rude comments and essentially denied my friend from entering. We walked away and will never be returning to this toxic place. read more

The bouncer asked for multiple forms of ID from our black friend before not allowing him in because he didn't talk to the bouncer enough despite letting our other friend in. I have never seen anything like this in Amherst before do NOT come here read more

I would give this place 0 stars if I could. I was there last night and the owner was screaming in two women's faces. Yikes. I ordered a tequila soda and got served a completely different drink. Underage girls know they can get in if they wear a low-cut enough shirt and flirt with the owner. Would not recommend this bar when there are great bars like McMurphy's and stackers just up the street. read more

The inverse of what the moan and dove is. Its dark and not populated with too many UMass "yeah dudes" but whereas the M&D goes upscale the spoke goes strong and cheap, which is a great combination read more

Cheap, tall, and strong drinks. I wish I found this place earlier in my college career. We started a bar crawl here and didn't want to leave! Like Johnna M. said, the crowd here is much more stomachable than the majority of Amherst bars and I hesitate to divulge this great spot. Spoke it up. read more

Popular college bar, but very quiet in the summer. Not the cheapest drinks in town but it is kept clean. Outdoor seating was minimal and when my group asked if the stack of chairs could be unchained for seating a staff member responded in a rude manner and seemed to be more interested in flirting with other customers.. Stackers on the other hand had plenty of outdoor seating, cheaper drinks, and was going strong so my group elected to spend the night there instead. read more

For being a non-smoker even walking up to the place is overwhelming because they have a patio right out front. Also, I couldn't buy anything because the first sign my eyes drew to was the giant "CASH ONLY" sign. Their loss and I really wish they woulda had it displayed in the front or online. read more

I am so very upset I didn't find this place sooner! I spent a year drinking in Amherst before finding this amazing little gem! All you need to know is: The drinks are CHEAP! Like, $4.00 for a tall mixed drink. The drinks are STRONG! Like, if it normally takes 4 drinks to knock you on your butt at other places, prepare to be there around the end of your second drink! The shots are HUGE! Like, EASILY twice the size of a shot at Charlies or McMurphys... POSSIBLY three times the size! And again, still cheap as hell! They're open LONGER than everyone else. Only reason I discovered this place is because I got tired of the ABC doing last-call at 12:30. Most of the time, this place keeps serving right up until 1am (when everywhere in town has to close.) Yes, they then start telling everyone to leave, but if you're looking for a quick shot to end the night, it's perfect. Definitely not a club or dude-bro bar. If you show up before 8pm, you'll get to meet a lot of cool locals and hear a bunch of great stories. Definitely college-friendly though, as long as you don't start trouble. Seen a few people try to take on the doormen in the 3-years I've been going there, and it always ends horribly for the person who starts it. (Half the bar is full of regulars, and they all hop in to help... bad news for the 21-year old punk who ran his mouth!) Gonna miss this place! read more

We were having a good time until the bartender freaked out on us. If I understand correctly he felt personally slighted because we were debating what to drink and he felt he was getting cut off. He proceeded to ignore us for 20 min and then when we finally asserted ourself for a drink he felt the need to let us know that he felt slighted and cut us off. Jokes on him, we left and he never charged us!! There are a lot of bars nearby and we will not be returning to the spoke. read more

I love this place. It's such a hole in the wall, that it's typically the last resort for the average bar-going college student. The prices are great, though hiking the PBR up to $1.75 was rough. Great staff, great atmosphere. Service with a grunt. Check it out! read more

The Spoke makes me warm and fuzzy inside... mostly because as a non-local from the uber expensive NY, I enjoy a dive like this where you can bring all your friends, play terrible music a la jukebox, and get very large whiskey sours for very little cash. That's an A in my book. read more

Best bar in Amherst. Shout out to Jeff, Todd, and Nick.

Great dive bar with amazing bartenders. Great place to play pool and drink. Cant wait to come back

Great bar ... great service ... this bar has a great selection of beers ... freindly staffing and its always a good time

The spoke is fun if you can ever get inside. The bouncer is wicked mean and doesn't care at all. They leave half the place open while denying a mile long line outside. Yes the drinks are cheap but the bouncer is so aggravating I want to rip my eyes out. Next time try a better bar like the pub where everyone is nice and fun. read more

The Spoke, located in the center of Amherst right down the street from McMurphy's and Stackers, is a great place for you if you hate the idea of going to the Monkey Bar. It's a local's place for the most part, and only gets overly crouded on Thursdays. $2.25 Gansett tallboys, $3 mixed drink specials, and $6 pitchers make it probably the cheapest bar around. There's never a cover charge, and it's got a nice outdoor section too, which can be a lot of fun especially on a good bar night. Like I said, if you like going to Sig Ep or the Monkey Bar on weekends don't come to the Spoke, but if not it's a great place to get some drinks. read more

Hands down, my favorite bar in Amherst. Love the "service with a grunt" bartenders, the awesome newish jukebox that will play any song you can look up on the internet, and the drinks are unpretentious, strong, and very reasonably priced. The patio is one of maybe two in Amherst where you can enjoy your drink and a cigarette simultaneously. The patrons are really friendly and interesting, a very mixed crowd. Cash only, but that's ok with me, because who really wants to remember exactly how many drinks they bought? This place is perfect. read more

Personally im not a very active Bargoer but i've had a few good times at the Spoke. Bartenders are very conversational (at least when i've been there) however a downer for me is they don't accept cards for drinks which is always annoying because i rarely carry cash. I always stick with the simple drinks but many friends have confirmed great exotic type drinks. Pool and bartop games are fun distractions. read more