Cherry Street Station — Restaurant in Wallingford

A grungy, flannel wearing, singer-songwriter from the 70's once sang, "See the losers in the best bars, meet the winners in the dives" and unless you're a greasy, primped, AXE wearing dummy out looking for a slightly dumber equivalent to dry hump in public to some vapid, bassy, "modern" dance music (and then perhaps bring said dance partner home for a few minutes of regretful, uncomfortable coitus) then the above lyrics are words to live by in terms of choosing a saloon. Cherry Street Station is a full-on rock n roll dive bar, sadly a rarity in these cheap, overpriced, plastic, paper-cutter, Walmart days. Cherry Street has CHARACTER! The bands that play there have CHARACTER and you'll meet plenty of CHARACTERS there! That's a good thing! Put down yer phone, brah! As a point of reference, it's not the type of establishment you'd find Sting enjoying a pint but rather Izzy Stradlin (circa 1984) or Johnny Thunders could probably appreciate the joint. Good people, good music, good beer... oh......

Everything is as it should be here. You might be put off by the location...or you might love it. Regardless, once you get inside, you get a true no frills rock club/bar. Small, grungy, cozy; decor that is unique without being contrived, nice separation of bar area and performance space, surprisingly great beer selection, large outdoor patio area (Watch for the trains!) Staff is great...there was a guy running around that ran sound, and he was doing everything under the sun. He was a machine. Loved him. Speaking of sound, their setup is on point. All the bands we saw sounded very very good. Solid low end, loud without distortion. Check this place out. Reminds me of those old clubs I used to go to in New Haven and New York. Definitely has its own vibe though. Loved it....

My absolute favorite place to go to, in the Before Times. I hope to god they can reopen when it's safe. I miss it a lot. Cherry St is one of the few places I walked in and immediately felt like I belonged there. I have so many happy memories seeing bands, or going in the yard with my friends and yelling...