Have you been to The Rathskellar?

[Jzero]

Just something I thought of tonight after hearing a friend from PSU talking about an event at a local bar in State College:

I am a graduate of The College of New Jersey. Our on-campus bar is called The Rathskellar. Yet in my travels, I have come to the realization that just about every college campus has a bar either on-site or nearby called The Rathskellar and that most of the time the students call it "The Rat." It's not a chain, it just seems to be a VERY common name for a college bar, and they almost universally feature absurdly cheap beer (TCNJ was like $1.50 for domestic draft, WCU we're talking $1.00 for a pint of Yuengling Lager).

Other places where there is The Rathskellar:
Penn State - Main Campus
West Chester University
RPI
Union College (Schenectady, NY)
Oberlin
Tulane (Der Rathskellar, actually)
Vermont Tech

Apparently, Rathskellar is a bastardization of a German word used to refer to a basement biergarten.

So...have you been to the Rat?

 

[minendo]

Don't have one around here.

 

[Doggiedog]

Been to the one in Boston in Kenmore Square.

 

[bubbadu]

Used to spend alot of money at the RAT at Vermont Tech... now that I transfered out, I kind of miss it... oh well.. the food was damn good though... I am really suprised that VTC made that list.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: bubbadu
Used to spend alot of money at the RAT at Vermont Tech... now that I transfered out, I kind of miss it... oh well.. the food was damn good though... I am really suprised that VTC made that list.

I googled Rathskellar just to see if a bunch would pop up and VTC was close to the top

 

[Ameesh]

UC San Diego has the the rat or Rathskeller on campus, its in Muir College

 

[LethalWolfe]

There is one in Indianapolis. But it's not on/close to a campus.


Lethal

 

[loup garou]

Tulane's Der Rathskellar just closed because they are renovating the UC.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: LethalWolfe
There is one in Indianapolis. But it's not on/close to a campus.


Lethal

What campus?

 

[JC]

Stevens Tech (Hoboken, NJ) had one.

 

[Jzero]

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown performed one night at The Rat at TCNJ. I have no idea why he was there, or whose idea it was to bring him and his band to a place like The Rat. Seeing as it's usually the pregame spot for Greeks, it's usually a steady diet of cover bands, college pop tourers and local college pop.

Nonetheless, I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to see a blues legend (and a living fossil at about 80 years of age!) for $5 cover in a place that tops capacity at about 100. Last time I had seen Gatemouth Brown, he was opening for Eric Clapton at the Spectrum in Philly. I was amused, but not surprised to see my uncle there with both his kids who also happened to be students at The College.

The normally non-smoking joint had to grant him special permission to smoke his pipe on stage as a condition of his playing.

That was a great show. Very underappreciated and a silly place for his management to bring him, but for the few of us paying attention, it was an awesome opportunity to see a legend up close.

 

[xyion]

I've been there, the one in PSU. A student from PSU was actually killed there by the bouncers recently. Not my favorite bar, but cheap.

 

[RedPickle]

We have The Rat too at our SUNY Binghamton Campus in NY. Its the only place to go. Ever had a scorpion bowl? Man those are lethal.

 

[TerryMathews]

There was a Rat at Wright State in Dayton, OH until 2002.

 

[Ness]

Originally posted by: TerryMathews
There was a Rat at Wright State in Dayton, OH until 2002.

and boy did it suck!!



$2.50 for some ore ida crinkle cuts... what a joke.

It was like high school cafeteria food served at real food prices... plus some extra greasy people working there.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally posted by: TerryMathews
There was a Rat at Wright State in Dayton, OH until 2002.

I used to go to one in South Florida, don't know if it is still there either.

 

[Yossarian]

yes I have been to the Rat at RPI many times. there isn't much to do in Troy other than drink and hit on Sagies.

 

[TerryMathews]

Originally posted by: ness1469

Originally posted by: TerryMathews
There was a Rat at Wright State in Dayton, OH until 2002.

and boy did it suck!!



$2.50 for some ore ida crinkle cuts... what a joke.

It was like high school cafeteria food served at real food prices... plus some extra greasy people working there.

Have you been there recently? I'd take the Rat over what Sodexho's done to the place anyday of the week.

 

[DrPizza]

add St Bonaventure to that list.

 

[Beller0ph1]

Roger, there's one at UW-Madison. Right on campus too, at the Memorial Union.

 

[emmpee]

RIT has the Ritskellar... surely it's rit- instead of rath- because of the whole RIT tie-in...

 

[kyutip]

Yep, UW-Madison Rathskellar is a great place to hang out.
In the summer, you can sit outside on the terrace facing the lake enjoying the weather.

Fun place.

 

one in rockford il, but it's a german restaurant

 

[NorthRiver]

There is a Ratskellar on Mt. Hood, at Government camp.

 

[blstriker]

There's one at caltech too... not a bad place...