It's a bird, it's a plane...it's a beetle! Corny, sure, but the Black Beetle almost dares you to play a lazy game of "Where's Waldo," since it has slapped the bug's likeness onto signs, stained-glass windows and sidewalks around the bar.

The neighborhood hangout is annoyingly divided by brick wall, leaving only a few cubby-hole windows between your badass pool-playing self and any babe at the bar, and its decent-size dance floor is scattered with tables and chairs. More for the burger-and-beer crowd than anyone looking for a shoulder-to-shoulder drunk-dance, it's lively without being overwhelming and friendly without being intrusive.

Open for lunch daily at noon, the Beetle—a previous "best pub grub" winner—offers decently priced, napkin-dabbing-not-required bar food. Salads with tuna and feta cheese ($9), beef and turkey burgers ($7), and 10-inch pizzas ($7) round out the main menu, but appetizers are worth a look, too ($4-$8). The draft and bottled beer selection satisfyingly ranges from heavy and rich to light and refreshing.

Centerstage Reviewer: Kate Puhala