The Best of Berkeley is the Daily Californian’s annual reader-voted contest to find the best people, places, and businesses in Berkeley.

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Entertainment

Best Bar: Bear’s Lair

Gazelle Emami

There's nothing quite like a couple pitchers, a basket of fries and some laughs between friends on a Friday afternoon. The Bear's Lair understands that weekends should start as soon as possible, so they usher it in at 4 p.m. every Friday with Beat the Clock. Sure you're packed in like sardines, can't even hear yourself talking and bound to run into at least five people you'd rather not see. But  not to worry--remember, you're in a pub, and the level of discomfort will soon dissipate after a few pitchers. Practically any other day of the week, the Bear's Lair is considerably more laidback and ideal for that hour break between classes. It's just what a pub should be-- a haven where you can put life momentarily on hold and catch the game with your friends. There's no hard liquor served at the Bear's Lair, and we like it better that way--it's just beer, beer and more beer. Mmm. Beer.

Editors' Pick: Beckett's
Honorable Mention: Raleigh’s
Also Won For: Best Happy Hour

Best Movie Theater: Shattuck Cinemas

Marya Gates

Shattuck Cinemas, located strangely enough on Shattuck avenue, has several things for it that make it the best, the most import of which is the selection; No other theater in Berkeley offers as many choices at any given time. This mélange of cinematic fare ranges from gross-out comedies to rom-coms to horror to action, in other words your average cinemplex. But, what makes Shattuck Cinemas a truly Berkeley establishment is the little documentaries, Indie and Foreign flicks that always make their way into the line-up—even if sometimes they only run for a week. Although some movies only stay a limited time, others stay for months on end. Academy Award Winners "No Country for Old Men," "Juno," and "There Will Be Blood" only recently ceases to stop playing. So if you want to see a movie but aren’t quite sure what you’re in the mood for head on down and odds are they’ll have just what your looking for.

Best Live Music Venue: Greek Theatre

Alina Xu

A century-old institution just east of campus, the Greek Theatre is probably the only place in Berkeley that affords the privilege of imbibing in near-equal proportions your neighbor’s pot smoke and the sights and sounds of such acts as Bob Dylan, Daft Punk, the Shins, Norah Jones, and Wilco—and, next month, the formidable triple bill of R.E.M., Modest Mouse and the National. In few other settings does artist truly inhabit venue, making for unique moments whether it’s Thom Yorke mumbling esotericisms about the evening fog eerily shrouding the amphitheater or, in mid-song, an Arcade Fire band member nimbly scaling a pylon, monkey-like, at the side of the stage. At 8,500 seats, the theater is roomy enough to accommodate a good portion of Radiohead’s legions of Bay Area fans, yet provides a considerable degree of intimacy. Whether you’re sprawled out on the lawn or crammed into the pit a paltry few feet from the stage, the Greek offers unquestionably the most memorable concert experience around.

Best Local Band: Tempo No Tempo

Marya Gates

The Bay Area is known for it’s local music scene (San Francisco, after all, was built on rock and roll—just ask Starship) and Berkeley is no exception. A focal point of Berkeley’s local music scene Tempo No Tempo—consisting of UC Berkeley seniors Tyler McCauley, Chris Cadena, Alex Kaiser and Jason Wexler—have been playing together, working together and to some extent living together for the past four years. In the past few years the quartet has signed with Oakland’s Double Negative Records, released two energized indie-rock EPs—“The Get Down” and “Repetition,” one really kick-ass video for their “Repetition” single (Tyler’s inside a refrigerator!) and just this winter completed an epic tour of Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. Constantly playing at gigs on either side of the Bay it’s hard to imagine keeping up with classes and leading a rock and roll lifestyle at the same time—luckily for these boys they won’t have to walk that line much longer.

Editors' Pick: Tempo No Tempo
Honorable Mention: Timothy Rabbit

Best Performance Theater: Zellerbach Hall

Rajesh Srinivasan

There are great theaters everywhere in the Bay Area, but we Berkeley students are smart enough to know that there’s no place like home—the home being our very own Zellerbach Hall. The gorgeous structure plays host to everything from the opera “The Little Prince” to more eccentric selections like Swedish chamber music. And since the theater is only a hop, skip and a jump away for us, we can take advantage of our inner laziness while still embracing out love of good performances. Don’t think it can get any better than this? Well you’re wrong, because Cal Performances, the organization that dominates Zellerbach, sells tickets half-off to all UCB students. Which begs the question: Why is the place usually crowded with baby boomers and seniors? Looks like they’ve picked up on something most students have not.

Editors' Pick: Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Honorable Mention: Berkeley Repertory Theatre