(Credit: Tracy Williams)
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Crowd: Some bars attract a wide cross-section of patrons, young and old, black and white, rich and poor. The Ottobar is not one of them. Your average Ottobar patron is 20-something, white, one degree of separation from art school, and has at least one meaningful tattoo.
Libations: Occasionally you'll catch somebody sipping a rail drink or knocking back a shot, but for the most part, the Ottobar is a beer bar. This is a crowd that takes pride in its bohemian nature -- nobody here is going to be much impressed by somebody ordering an expensive drink. In fact, that person is more likely to be berated for not spending their money on a band T-shirt or CD.
Sounds: The sounds of the Ottobar are easily what make it a location worth frequenting. The Ottobar features Baltimore's best and most varied live-show schedule, splitting their stage time fairly evenly between national acts and local acts. And the place still rocks when no one's on stage. The monthly Underground party provides a memorable dance night, throwing together garage rock, late-'80s new wave and Britpop into a ridiculously fun play list that gets a whole room of white belts and horn-rimmed glasses moving.
Service: If you're the kind of person who likes to stand quietly near the bar waiting for the bartender to notice you, you're going to spend a lot of time sober at the Ottobar. Not because the bartenders are mean and surly -- in fact, they are quite affable -- but because they're usually way too harried to notice your quiet ass. So assert yourself!
Bottom Line: Currently situated perfectly at the sweet spot between too obscure and too popular, the Ottobar is slouching toward the latter, so go before it's too late.
