Bar: Harpo’s
Location: 29 S 10th St, Columbia, MO 65201
Score: 8.1/10
Taking a trip to Columbia, MO for this one and going to Harpo’s, which in my opinion, is the best bar in the city. During my scholar years at Mizzou, many nights were spent inside this glorious spot. And to this day, it is still the first place I want to go when I go back to Columbia. Weekday, weekend, gameday, there’s no better place to go than Harpo’s.
Founded by Dennis Harper after graduating in 1971, Harpo’s has been a go-to spot for Mizzou college students ever since. It is the epitome of a college bar. Weekdays are students piling in to take advantage of the nightly deals, and weekends are spent drinking copious amounts to relieve the stress of the school week. Alumni come back for weekends to watch their beloved Tigers and drink in celebration. Or to drink away the pain of being let down, which as a Mizzou sports fan, happens a lot.
Acting legend Brad Pitt attended Mizzou, and I like to imagine I’ve sat in the same spot at the bar as him while hammering drinks. Hell, when Mizzou wins a big game and take down the goal posts, they carry them to Harpo’s. Of all the places in Columbia they could go, THEY TAKE THEM TO HARPO’S. And if that doesn’t show you how great this place is, you should probably go to Vanderbilt where those losers throw them in a river.
Countless nights have been spent drinking at Harpo’s with my closest of friends. We took absolute advantage of the deals they offer. I still suffer from PTSD on Tuesdays thinking about the amount of whiskey cokes we would consume on $2 Tuesday. While getting absolutely hammered from cheap drinks was amazing, the thing I cherish most about Harpo’s was the memories made with friends. The excitement in the air as you walked through downtown COMO passing everyone going out for the night, and walking through the front door of Harpo’s, walking straight up to the bar to order a drink to get the night started. That one drink leading to 10, resulting in doing shots. Just thinking about all those great nights brings a tear to my eye. It’s those moments that make me want to go back to Harpo’s every time I’m back in Columbia.
There are a couple things that will not contribute to the score, but I do feel the need to include about Harpo’s. First is their food. For being a college bar, I think the food is excellent. The second is a deep, dark, scary place known as 10 Below. This is a club located below Harpo’s and after drinking all night, heading down there around 11:30 to wrap up the night is something everyone needs to experience. I will not be going into details, as words cannot describe the feelings you get from being down there.
Decor: Exactly what you would expect of a college bar. Neon signs and sports memorabilia all over the walls. Plenty of TVs also to watch the games.
Price: Great drink specials during the week. Average game day prices. They don’t take advantage of you on a home Mizzou game like some places will. Not sure if it’s still a deal, but used to do $3 jumbo wells. These were served in a 32oz cup. Absolutely insane deal.
Service: I’ve always had good service every time I’ve been there. Do expect some delays if the place is packed. Can only expect so much from a waitress or bartender when people are shoulder to shoulder in a bar.
Atmosphere: Filled with people having a good time. A great spot to watch a game. Sitting up on the sky bar on a cool fall day watching football could bring world peace if leaders of the world would have a meeting there.
Cleanliness: Pretty clean especially at the start of the night. Can get a little questionable as the night goes on, but this is due to drunken college kids being idiots, not the bar.
Bonus Points: None