Harbour Lights

So, I’m from Oklahoma City and I’m used to going to dive bars. I’m also used to the bartenders being friendly. Unfortunately, I went this past Saturday to Lawrence for a concert at the Granada. We walked across the street thinking Massachusetts was a very welcoming place to be. We sat down immediately at the bar and no one so much as looked at us. When we asked what the specials were, the bartender just kind of looked at us and said «Rolling Rock». Not how much it was for, not anything.
Then since we didn’t feel welcome, we decided we were going to head to another bar. We went to pay and I went to hand her my card and she immediately and abruptly said «Cash only» and held her hand out.
It really wasn’t welcoming. Especially for the first time going there. The prices were very great, BUT heads up on cash only and the rude bartender that helped us!

A staple Lawrence dive bar… that has recently renovated the bathrooms and added a second story to their outside patio area. Don’t fear, it is still a little sketch, so you can feel comfortable. Dimly lit inside, there are darts and pool, as well as tvs. There are also tvs, and a second bar (open late night on the weekend) outside.
They have a daily drink special, but even their regular prices are not outrageous and you can get the standard pint or the large… always go for the large, since it is cash only, you can minimize the small bills you get as change. After you try their bloody mary, you will know that bloody marys are not just for brunch; hand-​mixed to order, they are worth the wait (and the possible attitude from the bartender who is too busy to make this time-​intensive drink for you)
The eclectic crowd is super fun, and… who am I kidding, I am heading there now for a drink.

Harbour Lights is your friendly hometown dive. It’s cash-​only, it’s not fancy, but it’s a fine place to get a drink.
I’ve been drinking at Harbour Lights for over a decade. Over this time, some things have changed, some things have stayed the same. No kids, no pets, no droids. The bathrooms have been remodeled, so the men’s room is no longer three-​steps up and only large enough for one and one-​half people. It’s still dimly lit inside and has chipped plastic tiles on the floor. The Centipede and Mutli-​arcade machines are gone (at least for now, maybe forever?) but the dartboards are still there, still awkwardly placed just inside the front door.
Harbour features a large chalkboard with drink selections. Draft beers are sold in three sizes — pint, jar (quart) and pitcher. They also feature a selection of bottle beers and a full bar. In fact, so long as you don’t slam the bartenders with an overload of orders, the Bloody Mary is very good and spicy. Since it’s an infrequently made item, it’s made fresh when you order, but if you make the bartender make a dozen of them she’s going to murder you with her thoughts.
The back patio on Harbour Lights is new. There has always been some sort of a back-​space in my experience with Harbour, but the newly built patio and second-​story porch are nice additions. Somehow, the simplicity of the metal outdoor tables and the hardware store outdoor furniture combines to make a pleasant and relaxing place outside to have a beer. The upstairs gets you a little more airflow, which is nice on summer days.
Harbour Lights is also a great place to watch KU games. Though it’s far from a «Sports Bar» vibe, they have enough television coverage and an enthusiastic clientele that makes it a worthwhile experience.

My first visit, the place was quiet being a Thursday night before 8 pm. A few folks on the back patio, a group of noisy guys at a table, and a few «locals» bellied up to the bar.
Ordered an O’Dells IPA, not inexpensive at $ 5 for an «American» pint, but not outrageous, with a head so big that a Brit would seethe. It was cold and wet, not room temperature like a traditional English IPA would be, but hey … THIS IS LAWRENCE, KANSAS … WE ARE IN KANSAS DOROTHY … Heeee heeee heeee heeee, I’ll get you my pretty AND YOUR LITTLE DOG TOO!
The bartender, a 30-​something woman in jeans and t-​shirt named Heather, was quiet yet nice and the only person to actually acknowledge my existence.
A few neon signs, a dirty floor, a couple of pool tables and dart boards, the place is a bit divey, but isn’t that the way bars should be?
I’ll be updating this review as the summer languishes and I become more familiar with Lawrence’s public houses.

This is by far my favorite bar in Lawrence. I am ‘older’ and it’s nice to go in and not feel like I’m old around a bunch of new 21 year olds. It is cash only, but they have an ATM right inside. On a nice day out, the back patio is great for conversations and enjoying a drink with friends.

Cheap beer and cheap pool. What more can we want from any establishment. Super low key. First went there 20+ years ago and has not changed a bit since then. Now on my «place go go» list for whenever I am in Lawrence.

Ah, the hipsterness that is Lawrence, Kansas — such a strange but magical place. In the middle of America lies a city where skinny pants and thick-​rimmed glasses roam — this is Lawrence Kansas.
Among this community saturated in ‘quirkiness’ is a bar, Harbour Lights, that encompasses the whole attitude of the ironic cultural movement. Harbour Lights literally harbors all the Lawrence hipsters into a delightful bar complete with darts, pool tables, Boulevard Wheat on tap and your typical run-​down booths reminiscent of the typical college hide-​out.
The staff is not over-​the-​top accommodating, yet get the job done. The job being getting you drunk. As I was bellied up to the bar, I scanned the room as nostalgia consumed me. The pride I have for not only the University of Kansas, but the town that fosters such an amazing community built on the notion of good times and artistic freedom. Harbour Lights is an amazing bar that only makes sense in a wonderland called Lawrence, Kansas.

Beer selection (bottle and tap), bartender, crowd. .. Awesome place for Mass Street!!! I would have been happy here the whole Saturday evening. I will return!

The perfect dive bar with great drink specials and a friendly staff. I always go here for a relaxed time.

Such
A good
Dive with your
Jar of beer, darts,
And assorted hijinx fueled by cheap beer.

pool tables, darts, jukebox, excellent bloody marys, etc etc etc. my favorite place to watch ku basketball games

Great on a weeknight, weekend night, Sunday afternoon, or any other time. Good beer selection and specials. Foosball, pool, electronic games (photo hunt, trivia) provide additional entertainment. There’s a heated smoking porch (with a tv on game days). Very laid-​back, dark room, easy-​going crowd. After 7 years in Lawrence I’m convinced this is the best place other than Allen Fieldhouse to watch a KU basketball game.

Smells like urine. Seems to draw in the darts players though.

Oh, Harbour. If you want to kick back like a true Lawrencian, this is the place to do it. It’s my favorite dive bar — and I say «dive bar» as a term of endearment. Epic jars of beer (on special on Thursdays!), a solid jukebox selection, and pool tables that are slightly less uneven than those at some of the other bars in town.
My praise is not completely unanimous, though: I have had the displeasure of getting weird-​tasting beer from less-​than-​clean tap lines on multiple occasions. I’ve found that it’s safer to stick with the beers that are more commonly ordered (e.g. Boulevard) to minimize this effect. When a jar’s $ 4, though, I’m not complaining.

Harbour is one of those joynts that’s a little bit college, a little bit townie, and a whole lot Lawrence. You’ll see people of all types at this dive (I say that with great affection, mind you), and you’ll always be able to find a friendly opponent for pool (two full-​sized tables), foosball, darts, or even 1980s Atari games.
On Thursday nights when I hang out there, you can purchase glasses of beer the size of your head for cheap. If you smoke or like to drink beneath the stars, enjoy the back patio, which is almost as big as the bar itself. Sadly, the men’s bathroom was recently renovated, and years of funny and baffling graffiti vanished beneath a layer of clean paint: a fair trade-​off, that and the new tile floors covering the disintegrating floor. Great jukebox — here’s a tip: Play off the bartenders’ picks albums.
If you want to hit a bar on a first date, you might be better off somewhere a little classier, but if you know your date a little and s/he’s not pretentious or stuffy, I’d recommend Harbour over almost any other joynt in town.

Dating a Lawrencian again ensures several things:
1. I will be spending excessive amounts of my time in the 785.
2. I will have to learn the names of the KU starting lineup and at least pretend to take an active interest in how close the round ball gets to the hoop.
3. I will drink large quantities of light American lagers out of plastic cups on week nights.
4. I will encounter graffiti that I wrote on bathroom walls 7 years a go.
5. I will be reintroduced to a lot of random old regular drunks that only remember me as that girl that worked at FreeState Brewery. 4 Years a go. (Who says drunks have bad memories?)
Harbour Lights is a place that affirms all these things that come with being back in Lawrence. It looks exactly the same as I remember, the staff is just as pleasant, efficient and personable as they ever were (because they are the same people I recall) and the slight covering of filth has gotten a little thicker.
I gave up the nicotine transferral devices but it should be noted that if you need them, they sell them. Their prices can’t be beat. Shots are taken regularly. Slobbering yet slightly humorous drunks become more prevalent around, oh, 4 PM. The bar is packed with enthusiasts when those hawks toss that ball around. Good place to experience a taste of true Lawrence.

Harbour lights is a solid place. I’ve had my ups and downs with it but I always return. The patio is a great spot to hang-​out on even though I don’t smoke. The bartenders are always friendly. They carry my favorite summer beer, skinny dip, which makes me a happy girl.
The bathroom writings will never cease to amuse me.

awesome jukebox, large backyard, amazing bloody marys, hysterical bathroom graffiti, darts, foosball, jayhawks decals everywhere, etc. this place is chill.

Best bar in Lawrence. The jars of beer are amazing. Their selection is great. The crowd is INCREDIBLY diverse. Their pool tables are awesome. For bar bathrooms… I don’t feel like I’m going to get Hepatitis every time I walk in.

Great selection of beer, and you can buy what’s on tap in JARS. I don’t even know how big exactly a jar is, but damn, its quite a bit of beer for $ 5ish.
A little loud sometimes, but hey! it’s a college bar. Not a ton of seating, but still fun place to get you JAR on!