Banana’s Bar & Lounge

The food here was fantastic… It was a nice mix of different cultures of food. The mix drinks were the way I like them. Very strong. Definitely 5 stars

Banana’s is at the corner of Rising Sun and Butler, and it’s surprisingly larger inside than it looks from outside. It is also just as dark as having almost no windows would imply, but that’s ok– it’s mostly a pick-​up spot and dim interiors help everyone out but the actual good-​looking.
I come here once in a blue moon with a friend who lives nearby so that we can shoot pool and he can order their crazy girly drinks with ridiculous names like 1−8−7 (They are always changing, they are always outrageously expensive and come in giant frou frou glasses, and wow do they pack a punch). The table is almost always busy and i haven’t really ever seen it open with winner holding, it’s usually just a group of people who felt like shooting and they shoot til they get bored. I’ve never waited longer than an hour, though, so I’m not complaining. It’s a nice table with good balls, the sticks are ok but have clearly been used on occasion for purposes other than playing pool.
When I’ve been here on Thurs-​Sat nights, I have noticed that there are a tremendous number of young females in the place, waaaaaaay outnumbering the men. My firend explained that they come out to get guys to buy them drinks and have fun all night, but that they won’t necessarily leave with you or even give you their number at the end of the evening. As a female with her own money and her own men, this doesn’t affect me so much, but if you’re that guy who thinks some drinks and attention buy you the world, this might matter.
There’s a DJ booth in the back, and it seems like there’s always one working, even if it’s mostly low-​key a lot of the time and just constant good music. I’ve never been there for a «party.»
So, the short of it is that Banana’s is not a bad spot to kill some time and brain cells, and if you can catch the table, it’s a great spot to shoot pool.