Owl N' Thistle Irish Pub
808 Post Ave, 621-7777
Description: A dark and cozy downtown Irish pub with lovely brick walls, antique multipane windows, and shelves filled with elegant-looking books no one will ever read (unless they're into outdated law treatises).
Why you should bring your rosary: The Owl N' Thistle is haunted. A few years ago, a bartender heard the piano playing "a quick little ditty"—but there was NO ONE THERE.
Why I believe her: I was legitimately haunted once—although not at the Owl N' Thistle, but probably by the same piano-playing ghost.
What happened: The song was Hoagy Carmichael's "Heart and Soul," played poorly. The piano lid was down, sparing me the pants-shitting horror of watching the keys being pressed. Terrifying.
Back to the Owl N' Thistle: It rests on top of the old underground tunnel network, so its basement is nightmarishly vast, containing room after room after room. (The stairwell in a hallway just outside the bar gives access, but it's usually kept locked.)
Happy hours: 3–6 pm daily.
Happy-hour drink specials: $2.25 Bud and Bud Light, $3.25 microbrews (Ninkasi Believer, Mongoose IPA), $3.25 well drinks.
Happy-hour food specials: A selection of thrifty menu items, including $3.50 fish 'n' chips and a $3.50 cup o' beef stew.