MOVE Best of Columbia 2008

List of locations

• El Rancho

  1014 E. Broadway

  Best Late-Night Food (Tied for Readers' Pick with Gumby's Pizza)

  Coordinates: 38.9514577982, -92.3259150982

• Harpo's

  29 S. Tenth St.

  Best Bar (Readers' Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.9505316538, -92.3266124725

• Alley Bar

  Best Bar You've Never Heard Of (Reader's Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.9499934832, -92.3275834322

• The Blue Note

  http://www.thebluenote.com/

  17 N. Ninth St.

  Best Venue (Readers' Pick)

  Best Place to Get Drunk (Editors' Pick)

  If we're ever looking to get nice and hammered in Columbia, we can always rely on blacking out at The Blue Note.
  Even when the shows aren't spectacular, ticket prices are pretty cheap, and there's more room opened up on the dance floor. Past the dance/standing area, seating is available for those that want to sit and enjoy a pitcher, and there are two bars, one on each level. The selection of alcohol is great and, although the prices could be cut back a bit, the atmosphere is prepared to get you wasted and dancing.

  Coordinates: 38.9522087172, -92.3276102543

• Mojo's

  http://www.mojoscolumbia.com/

  1013 Park Ave.

  Best Venue (Editors' Pick)

  The Blue Note might have more seating, better sound equipment and bigger names, but Mojo's definitely has the superior environment. The stage is relatively small, and the crowd is right on top of the performers. With people compacted into the long, narrow hall and the bar easily accessible, hotty-hot dance parties are bound to break out (if Girl Talk returns to Mojo's, you best not miss it). Plus, if the dance party gets too hot, Mojo's has an outdoor patio to cool off. So, if you're looking for good music and an even better time, Mojo's gets our highest regards.

  Coordinates: 38.9546366343, -92.3262476921

• Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream

  21 S. Ninth St.

  Best Ice Cream (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  In spite of what the mainstream ice cream industry would have you think, it's not all that hard to think of ice cream flavors. The hard part is making them work. That gets a lot easier when you stick to fruit and candy or just throw chocolate chunks into something else. But Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream has crazy varieties the others would never touch. Lavender and honey? Carrot cake? Who does that? But like their neon-colored walls, Sparky's makes it work. And they have another secret weapon against the ice cream giants: booze. What's not to love?

  Coordinates: 38.9508654009, -92.3278141022

• The Heidelberg

  http://www.theheidelberg.com/

  410 S. Ninth St.

  Best Happy Hour (Readers' Pick)

  Best Regular Pants Restaurant (Readers' Pick)

  Best Place to Get Drunk (Readers' Choice)

  Coordinates: 38.9468519875, -92.3274815083

• Campus Bar & Grill

  http://www.campusbarandgrill.com/

  304 S. Ninth St.

  Best Place to Get Drunk (Readers' Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.948387291, -92.3275458813

• Bangkok Gardens

  811 Cherry St.

  Best Ethnic Food (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  Bangkok Gardens wins not only because of its willingness to explore different flavors and treats (sticky rice, mmm), but because of the courtesy that goes along with it. If you're a newcomer to the world of spices, Bangkok is an excellent training ground as it does provide its patrons with a meter they can use to select what intensity of spice they would like in their entrée. As a Thai restaurant, it also wins with the sweet manner in which the tofu is prepared. Even the most devout meat-eaters would consider switching over to a green diet if Bangkok were available on the daily. Its oyster sauce, a signature ingredient in most of the entrées, is also vegan-friendly.

  Coordinates: 38.9505775441, -92.3280501366

• Slackers CDs and Gifts

  http://slackers.com/

  1010 E. Broadway

  Best Place to Buy Music (Readers' Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.9514160803, -92.3259848356

• Happy Time Media

  20 S. Ninth St

  Best Place to Buy Music (Editors' Pick)

  Mike Kindelspire is no Rob Gordon. Although Happy Time Media operates somewhere between the world of High Fidelity and the chaos of Slackers, Kindelspire has created an aptly "Happy" home for record connoisseurs and laymen alike. Boxes of records line the walls, and even more line the back room, making Happy Time one of the best un-tapped record resources the city has to offer. The best part? Shaq records are included.

  Coordinates: 38.9510322739, -92.3276424408

• Eastside Tavern

  http://www.myspace.com/salfromeastside

  1016 E. Broadway

  Best Karaoke (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  We're drunk. Really drunk. And we're yowling along to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in public, but no one is judging us (we hope). This could only happen in one place: Thursday night karaoke at Eastside Tavern, where hipsters and barflies alike collect to drink everything and then live out their dreams of being Freddie Mercury for an electrifying three minutes on stage.

  Coordinates: 38.951501602, -92.3258185387

• The Blue Fugue

  http://www.myspace.com/thebluefugue

  120 S. Ninth St

  Best Bar (Editors' Pick)

  We never make an active plan to go to The Blue Fugue, but we always end up there anyway. It's like a fun best friend, worn in, kind of dirty and always up for a loud, fucking ridiculous time. Plus, they have half-price Belgian Ales on Monday nights. As if we needed an excuse.

  Coordinates: 38.9497327402, -92.3275887966

• The Hide-A-Way Club

  701 Big Bear Blvd.

  Best Bar You've Never Heard Of (Tied for Readers' Pick with The Alley Bar, Editors' Pick)

  Aptly and literally hidden away from the rest of the city (unless you happen to have just stumbled off your bus at the nearby Greyhound station looking for a party), The Hide-a-way Club has all the charm, personality and trucker hats of an oversized dive bar with none of the intimidation factor. Some of the best pitcher prices in town and a reputation as one of the last of a dying breed of bars in this town to take their billiards seriously make this place a worthy branch out of your normal late-night destinations.

  Coordinates: 38.9771930959, -92.3291015625

• Addison's

  http://www.addisonssophias.com/addisons/

  709 Cherry St.

  Best Fancy Pants Restaurant (Reader's Pick)

  Best Happy Hour (Editors' Pick)

  Dino nuggets. Smiley fries. Cheap beer. It doesn't take much more than that to make for a great happy hour. The combination of Addison's variety of cheap-but-tasty appetizers and cheap pints of a wide variety of beers makes it almost as insurmountable as the sound of your T-rex shaped nugget roaring while you play with it.

  Coordinates: 38.9505566849, -92.329262495

• Murry's

  http://www.murrysrestaurant.net/

  3107 Green Meadows Way

  Best Fancy Pants Restaurant (Editors' Pick)

  Murry's is one of those very few restaurants where the pleasant atmosphere critics and patrons alike would describe with words such as ambiance; bohemian or chic is not just making up for the lack of... well... taste. Skimping on neither quantity nor quality of food, the only thing that seems to be in low supply at Murry's is the lighting, creating the cool vibes that have become the trademark of this Columbia jazz club and restaurant with all the class of a big city lounge and some of the best seven dollar sandwiches you'll ever eat.

  Coordinates: 38.9164978871, -92.3369550705

• Ragtag Cinema

  http://www.ragtagfilm.com/

  10 Hitt St.

  Best Place for a First Date (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  The Ragtag has become such a relevant slice of Columbia culture that it has achieved something very few venues can claim: It has become both simultaneously unique and cliché. Unique in the sense that 10 years later it is still unparalleled in terms of individual movie experiences in mid-Missouri. Cliché in the sense that it almost seemed like the obvious answer to this question. And with its recent expansion and additional viewing screen, as well as the vastly growing popularity of True/False, we can only assume it will continue to be a frontrunner for years to come.

  Coordinates: 38.9507652769, -92.3253250122

• Kaldi's

  http://www.kaldiscoffee.com/page.aspx?article=cafes_columbia

  29 Ninth St

  Best Coffee (Readers' Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.9506985275, -92.3267412186

• Coffee Zone

  11 N Ninth St.

  Best Coffee (Editors' Pick)

  Amid the better part of a baker's dozen caffeine contenders, Coffee Zone is the ruling espresso emperor. Any coffee shop can have a theme; Coffee Zone has an atmosphere. The Middle Eastern and Arabic cuisine match the array of specialty coffees, teas and drinks, which all feel more authentic amid a sea of novelty. It also has an amazing location, perfect for caffeine before a concert at The Blue Note next door or a late night walk through downtown. Plus, being one of the few places downtown where a tweaked out collegian can pick up a pack of smokes definitely doesn't hurt.

  Coordinates: 38.9519667553, -92.3276853561

• Gumby's

  http://www.gumbyscolumbia.com/

  1201 E. Broadway

  Certain foods just lend themselves better to drunken, ravenous gluttony. And it is our humble declaration that Gumby's pizza, including and especially Pokey Stix, with extra marinara and ranch dressing, please, beats out all other contenders. (Sorry, El Rancho.) When you order Gumby's, they bring it to your door. Late-night delivery combined with general deliciousness make Gumby's the one drunk dial you won't regret.

  Coordinates: 38.9516038109, -92.3240321875

• Ernie's

  1005 E. Walnut St.

  The only thing better than eating Ernie's hash browns is the conversation we find when we walk inside. If it's crowded, we'll find ourselves sharing a table with the girl we danced on the night before, and we can fill in the missing pieces of the night over the most delicious breakfast food in CoMO.

  Coordinates: 38.9526342345, -92.3258829117

• Breadbasket Café

  220 S Eighth St.

  Best Regular Pants Restaurant (Editor's Pick)

  After one sandwich from Breadbasket, you'll wonder why any other sandwich shop even exists in CoMO. The cookies are better than our mom's, and the lunch deal is worth every cent. We can't buy this much deliciousness for five dollars anywhere else in Columbia.

  Note: The downtown location closed this summer, but there's another at 2101 W. Broadway.

  Coordinates: 38.9487043604, -92.3285651207

• Shakespeare's

  http://www.shakespeares.com/

  225 S. Ninth St.

  Best Pizza (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  There's a reason Shakespeare's goes home with this award almost every year. The pizza is excellent and the hippies behind the counter are the real deal and always friendly. Plus, they have that awesome bike-cab service that will minimize your aimless stumbling from the bars. We do have to offer an honorable mention to Southside Pizza; they have a killer happy hour and deliver 'til 4 a.m., so check them out.

  Coordinates: 38.9486292651, -92.3277926445

• Maude Vintage

  http://www.maudevintage.com/

  818 E. Broadway

  Best Vintage Store (Editors' and Readers' Pick)

  If for no other reason (and believe us, there are plenty of other reasons), Maude Vintage gets our vote for its costume rentals. We saw a couple find Santa and Mrs. Claus costumes, a SpongeBob SquarePants head, numerous Viking hats and more Catholic schoolgirl outfits than you can shake a stick at. We are saddened, however, by the loss of Maude employee Channing "MC Cat Genius" Kennedy, whose eclectic wisdom and random music recommendations (Congotronics is a must, y'all) were always welcome. Pour one out.

  Coordinates: 38.9514327674, -92.328286171

• Tonic

  http://www.quintonsandtonic.com/

  122 S. Ninth St

  Best Dance Club (Readers' Pick)

  Coordinates: 38.9498391235, -92.3275861144

• Club Moe's

  304 S. Ninth St.

  Best Dance Club (Editors' Pick)

  Heels avoid spilled queso while Soulja Boying, and lights flash on couples making out in booths filled with left-over Mexican food. If you have ever walked by Club Moe's, heard the music blaring and not walked in, you are truly missing out on one of the most unique dance scenes in Columbia. Salsa intersperses with rap as drunk bar goers continue drinking with Hamm's and PBR. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Club, yes, Club Moe's gets bigger every weekend. It's up to about 15 people at any given time and gives Mexican food lovers an alternative to the overcrowded El Rancho.

  Note: Moe's Southwest Grill closed earlier this year. MOVE paid homage here.

  Coordinates: 38.9482370997, -92.3275136948