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The Bayou Café Route 50, Glenville, 384-1568; 79 N. Pearl St., Albany, 426-8550. Both locations feature live entertainment Thursday through Saturday.

Caffe Lena 47 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-0022. Dedicated to bringing new Capital Region folk talent to the fore, along with national folk, acoustic and blues acts—minus the booze and smoke.

Club Helsinki, 284 Main St., Great Barrington, Mass., (413) 528-3394. An eclectic brew of national acts appear often at this cozy club in the Berkshires, with a full menu available.

The Comedy Works at the Quality Inn, Route 9W, Glenmont, 465-8811. The area’s premiere comedy club with comics every Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and 11 PM.

Davidson Brothers Restaurant & Brewery 184 Glen St., Glens Falls, 743-9026. Wide variety of live entertainment in the pub Friday-Saturday.

Eamonn’s 151 Menands Road, Loudonville, 463-7440. It’s an Irish bar, complete with a leprechaun. Live music—Irish, of course—on weekends and Sunday afternoons.

Ferris 2612 Guilderland Ave., Rotterdam, 382-9329. Steak, seafood, and light fare. Open for lunch and dinner. Try the wings. Newly added weekly entertainment schedule. AE, D, MC, V. $

The Garden Grill 276 Second Ave., Albany, 462-0571. A comfy neighborhood joint with occassional live music weekends.

The Glenville Spot 442 Saratoga Road, Glenville, 384-0004. Newly opened club offers live music many nights of the week.

High Rock Steakhouse at the Prime Hotel 534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, 584-4000. Live music every weekend and on some weekdays at this pub within the hotel—previously the Sheraton.

Horseshoe Inn Nelson Avenue and Gridley Street, Saratoga Springs, 587-4909. Live music—mostly blues—on the weekends. With hamburgers, barbecue ribs and chicken and the like.

Iron Horse Music Hall 20 Center St., Northampton, Mass., (413) 584-0610; tix: (800) THE-TICK. Worth the trip for the national/international recording artists they book.

Justin’s 301 Lark St., Albany, 436-7008. Live jazz and blues Wednesday-Friday and Sunday night—late-night food, too. Also, live jazz brunch on Sundays.

Lamp Post Western Avenue and Quail Street, Albany, 436-7740. This newly remodeled college hangout boasts a cozy fireplace, 12 TVs—including a wide-screen model—a game room and a front patio. Also serving more than 50 imported brews.

Lark Tavern 453 Madison Ave., Albany, 463-9779. Live music on weekends as well as homemade soups, lunch and dinner specials daily and a large selection of imported beer.

Liquid Lounge 519 Central Ave., Albany, 438-7300. Daily drink specials, wet T-shirt contests, dance music and more.

The Larkin Lounge 199 Lark St., Albany, 463-5225. Live music, national and local acts, many nights of the week; open mike on Thursdays; piano bar on Wednesdays.

Mad River Bar & Grille 84-86 N. Pearl. St., Albany, 433-8338. Popular nightspot featuring Monday-night football specials and ladies night every Thursday. DJ after 10 PM most nights.

McGeary’s 4 Clinton Square, Albany, 463-1455. Always popular with young professionals looking to unwind after a hard day’s work. Live music on weekends.

9 Maple Avenue 9 Maple Ave., Saratoga Springs, 583-2582. The specialty here is jazz. It’s a cozy spot with a mahogany bar and more brands of scotch than you can shake a stick at.

Northern Lights Route 146 West, North Country Commons, Clifton Park, 371-0012. This large venue serves up top-notch live local and national acts.

One Caroline Street 1 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs, 587-2026. Hot local and national jazz and blues acts in a cozy little bistro.

Original Saratoga Brew Pub 14 Phila St., Saratoga Springs, 583-3209. Features an open mike on Thursdays, acoustic live bands on Fridays and karaoke on Saturdays. They serve their own brews plus a good selection of others on tap.

O’Toole’s Capital Plaza, 1814 Central Ave., Colonie, 464-1200. Live music on weekends.

O’Toole’s Quaker Plaza, Queensbury, 793-3389. Featuring live music weekends.

The Parting Glass 40-42 Lake Ave., Saratoga Springs, 583-1916. Lively traditional Irish pub featuring live Irish and acoustic music of regional and national varieties on weekends and on some weeknights.

Pearl Street 10 Pearl St., Northampton, Mass., (413) 584-7771; (800) THE-TICK. Approximately 90 minutes away, national and regional acts perform on this venue’s two stages.

Quintessence 11 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 434-8186. Art-deco diner ambience with a great martini menu. Live music for Saturday brunch and dance party every Saturday night at 11 PM.

Saratoga Winners Route 9, Cohoes, 783-1010. Roadhouse ambience with local and national rock and hardcore bands on many nights.

Savannah’s 1 S. Pearl St., Albany, 426-9647. Live music nearly nightly at this downtown venue, as well as an open blues jam on Tuesdays.

Troy Pub and Brewery 417-419 River St., Troy, 273-2337. The area’s first microbrewery-restaurant features live music in the form of blues, folk, jazz and rock.

Valentine’s 17 New Scotland Ave., Albany, 432-6572. Two floors allow room for some of the area’s best live offerings and national acts, plus some of the best beer specials around.

Valenti’s Pub 729 Pawling Ave., Troy, 283-6766. Look for local bands here on weekends.

The Van Dyck Restaurant & Brewery 237 Union St., Schenectady, 381-1111. This Schenectady venue offers performances by big-name national, regional and local artists. Also look for Van Dyck-brewed beers and some fine food.

Wallabee Jazz Bar 190 Glen St., Glens Falls, 792-8282. Live jazz on weekends at this club with extensive beer and spirit selection.

Yours Nightclub. 145 Barrett St., Schenectady, 370-9865. Occasional live music as well as poetry, comedy and acoustic-music open mikes.

Dance Clubs

Big G’s 50 Oneida St., Cohoes, 238-2133. There’s something always happening Thursday through Saturday at this club/restaurant with three dance floors. Restaurant open all night.

Fender’s at the Holiday Inn Turf, 205 Wolf Road, Albany, 458-7250. This popular area dance spot is packed most weekends, with tunes from the ’70s-’90s.

The Fuze Box. 12 Central Ave., Albany, 432-4472. The madeover QE2, with swanky new booths in a lounge atmosphere, is active every night of the week. Happy hour daily as well as karaoke, swing night, ’80s dance night, goth night, and open mike on Monday.

Jillian’s 59 N. Pearl St., Albany, 432-1997. Dancing aplently at this downtown establishment, which also offers TVs, pool tables and a video arcade.

Nick’s Sneaky Pete’s 711 Central Ave., Albany, 489-0000. Hiphop dance parties, DJs, college night (Thursday) and occasional live acts at this active area nightspot.

Bars

The C.H. Evans Brewing Company at the Albany Pump Station 19 Quackenbush Square, Albany, 447-9000. A newish addition to downtown Albany’s bar scene, with a shiny new brewery on the premises.

Alibis 1100 Madison Ave., Albany, 489-5972. This nightspot features a smashing martini menu with names like “My Roommate Did It,” tiki chairs and some swinging tunes, not to mention an upscale café menu and sushi.

Big House Brewing Company 90 N. Pearl St., Albany, 445-2739. The popular downtown brew pub features their own home-brewed concoctions with naughty names like Vice Weiss, Bad Boy Brown Ale and Al Capone Amber. The three-floor venue seats 450 and also features a full menu, a DJ and dance club and patio.

Bombers 258 Lark St., Albany, 463-9635. Every night’s a theme night at this newly renovated Lark Street bar—play beer bingo or partake of the many choices of margaritas. Serving food from the burrito bar until 1 AM.

Broadway Joe’s 51 S. Pearl Street (in the Pepsi Arena), Albany, 432-5637. Now a full-serve restaurant, this downtown establishment features many TVs and an OTB on premises.

Broadway Joe’s 86 Congress St. (Congress Plaza), Saratoga Springs, 587-5637. Sports bar with large-screen TVs and pub food.

Café Hollywood 275 Lark St., Albany, 472-9043. This popular Lark Street hangout draws a late-night crowd, with a pool table and dart board.

Dapp’s 2 Lincoln Ave., Watervliet, 273-9660. This neighborhood sports bar is a laid-back haven for Siena students.

Desperate Annie’s 14 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs, 587-2455. Dark and noisy, a good place for a game of pool, Foosball or darts. And they have a kickin’ jukebox.

Doc McCutchen’s 388 Broadway, Albany, 432-8584. Draws a collection of young professionals ready to party after a hard week at the office; DJ on weekends.

E. O’Dwyer’s 15 Spring St., Saratoga Springs, 583-9912. A Boston-style Irish bar attracting a younger crowd. A good assortment of beers with occasional live music.

Elbo Room 170 Delaware Ave., Albany, 432-9218. An area institution in its own right. Happy hour weeknights from 4-6 PM, with nightly specials.

Everyday’s 2012 Central Ave., Colonie, 869-0494. Cheap eats and nine TVs.

Gaffney’s 16 Caroline St., Saratoga Springs, 587-7359. With the biggest outdoor patio in town, this place is always hopping.

The Ginger Man 234 Western Ave., Albany, 427-5963. Known for its good selection of wines by the glass, lots of beers on tap and a classy, relaxed atmosphere.

Holmes & Watson Ltd. 450 Broadway, Troy, 273-8526. A beer-drinker’s paradise. Featuring one of the area’s largest selections of brews from around the world.

Jillian’s 59 N. Pearl St., Albany, 432-1997. There’s more to this downtown spot than the bar. There’s also a video arcade, and plenty of pool tables and TVs.

The Lionheart Café 448 Madison Ave., Albany, 436-9530. Getting used to their new Madison Avenue location, this cozy club offers a huge selection of microbrews.

Malt River Brewing Company Latham Circle Mall, 786-6258. A local brew-pub featuring a bunch of unique brews and ales, happy hour and occasional live entertainment. Try the award-winning chili.

Muddy’s 40 Lincoln Ave., Watervliet, 273-9892. Sing your guts out with karaoke Friday and Saturday.

The Palais Royale 164 Jefferson St., Albany, 465-9052. Belly up to the bar for fresh hot popcorn and affordable beverages and take a turn on the dance floor to the Patsy Cline and Eddie Arnold tunes on the jukebox. Or just play table bowling.

Partridge Pub 869 Madison Ave., Albany, 482-9701. You’ll find nightly specials and great chicken wings at this popular college nightspot.

Pauly’s Hotel 337 Central Ave., Albany, 426-0828. Old Albany nightspot.

The Pig & Pickerel 138 Washington Ave., Albany, 465-6745. Irish pub fare and lots ’o beers on tap.

Plaza Grill 414 Broadway, Albany, 463-9439. Uniquely old Albany but generally populated by a crowd of young professionals.

Ralph’s Tavern 560 Madison Ave., Albany, 463-9357. Dark wooden booths and great wings.

Sadie Klutz 849 Madison Ave., Albany, 459-8099. A popular hangout for the college crowd with 20-cent wings all day long (eat-in only). Serving food till 4 AM Friday and Saturday.

The Scoreboard 711 Central Ave. (located behind the OTB Teletheatre), Albany, 459-8420. With loads of TV screens full of sports as well as arcade and sports games. The ultimate sports lounge, with nightly drink and food specials.

Smitty’s Pit Bar & Grille 138 Washington Ave., Albany, 465-6744. Solid pub fare, 16 draft beers, daily/hourly specials and lotsa TVs.

Sutter’s Mill and Mining Co. 1200 Western Ave., Albany, 489-4910. Serves some of the best burgers around.

Washington Tavern 250 Western Ave., Albany, 427-0091. “WT’s” is probably a popular hangout with the UAlbany crowd. When the weather’s warm, a porch outside almost doubles capacity. Happy hour from 4 to 7 PM and 9 PM to 1 AM every day.

Gay Bars

Ferry Street Pub 95 Ferry St., Troy, 272-8250. The recently opened club offers DJ/dance nights on Friday and Saturday.

Oh Bar 304 Lark St., Albany, 463-9004. Featuring a sophisticated urban atmosphere with great music and Thursday-night karaoke weekly. There’s a nice pool table here, too.

Waterworks Pub 76 Central Ave., Albany, 465-9079. This two-floor establishment, with bars on each, features dancing with DJs on Friday and Saturday and raves every other Wednesday.

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