Cool art, sustainable food, and various sake are nice perks of the non-pretentious, recently opened wine bar Beta Lounge. The not-your-typical-student bar is located in student central on Durant & Fulton just southwest of campus. The place doesn’t serve hard alcohol which steers away the Jack Daniels-chugging party dudes but leaves the chill, of-drinking-age students/grad students mixed with young working adults.The two owners, good-looking bay area twenty-somethings with an affinity for casual but stylish good drinks and good times create the perfect combo of sleek and fun. Crimson red couches and spacious high bar tables compliment the refined but accessible cuisine, oozing minimalist class. The satellite radio in the background plays awesome indie tracks, hip-hop, and classic rock. They have live DJs on the weekends and local artists collections for sale on the walls. Or if you’re in the mood to scope the game with a good beer without the uber-masculinity of a sports bar, this is it. Two subtle TV’s on either end of the rectangular room off up scores but no sound.

Beta’s yin and yang is perfect for couples, friends or even large groups as you can call ahead of time and reserve small sections or the whole venue if you’d like. But one of the best things is their happy hour. $3 beers, $5 wine, and food specials. You can’t beat that (since they offer high quality drinks and organic ingredients). So if you’re 21, stop by Beta; it’s quite the pleasant little surprise and you’ve probably already walked past it many times.

Image, Link source: www.thebetalounge.com