I like to sit at the bar. I like to drink beer. I'm especially pleased when the bartender puts a bowl of something in front of me to nibble on. Of course if he doesn't, I'm inclined to look at the appetizer menu.

my favorite freebie: beer nuts

my favorite appetizer: wings, I guess, but if there's an asian nibble like potstickers or eggrolls, I'll go that way.

you?

Favorite freebie: Pretzels

Appetizer: Wings or Nachos are always pretty consistent no matter where you go.

Make sure the bartender gives you a fresh pour from the bag of nuts.

Restaurant surveys show that 50% of men and woman do not wash their hands after using the bathroom. The survey suggests that it's not clean to eat any open food at a bar (or anywhere for that matter ie. trade shows).

dh

Twinkies!

Great with a cold PBR :)

I've never seen Twinkies at a bar, but I do like Gardetto's snack mix.

I've never seen Twinkies at a bar

John's Bar, downtown LaCrosse, WI....."back in the day".

Also perhaps the last bar in North America to have five juke box plays for a quarter (up until around 1990 or so).

a loaded plate of nachos

My *least* favorite free bar snack is the mix put out at Admirals Club lounges ... all the picking I have to do (of the sample on my napkin, not the big bowl, of course) to get past all the tooth-breakingly dry pretzels.

Favorite bar snack: mustard-flavored Gardetto's. Especially nice with a gin and tonic, not that I'd necessarily recommend that before boarding a flight.

Think I'll run to the store and get some right now.

Favorite appetizers: potstickers, mozzarella cheese sticks ... oh, heck, I like all appetizers. Except, I'd like to say nachos, because I really love nachos when they're done well. But I've gotten really lousy nachos so many times in airport bars that I'm afraid to order them any more.

mozzarella sticks and beer. yum yum. maybe thats why i weigh so much?

Favorite freebie: Smokehouse almonds!

At T.G.I.Friday's, I really like the Jack Daniels sesame chicken strips.

cheese and crackers
anything hot/spicy like wasabi peas

Favorite freebie = popcorn topped with M&Ms. Saw it in a bar in NYC, everyone else seemed to be enjoying it so I tried it. Really good. We won't think about the calories. :)

Favorite appetizer = Batter-dipped mushrooms if available. If not, chicken nachos.

I've never seen Twinkies at a bar, but I do like Gardetto's snack mix.

Fried twinkies are pretty popular in Philadelphia - they were just taken off the menu at my favorite bar, Drinker's Pub, when it shifted to a Mexican menu. :td:

I love nachos, almonds, pretzels, and a lot more! In fact many of my friends say that the snacks motivate me to try out a particular country's nightlife (http://en.maroc-emotions.com/blog/a-soothing-fantasy-nightlife/) scene!

Steak.

I'll take almost anything of the free stuff.

Wasabi peas, rice cracker, esp in sake bar.
Truffle popcorn from Per Se but I don't consider that a regular snack. :)

Venice is the world-capital of bar snacks, IMHO. Baccala on little toast rounds is my favourite, but there are dozens of fabulous choices.

#1 - Edamame (http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l170/ugwug/Food/edamame.jpg). I've been to many izakayas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya) and ordered only a beer (okay maybe more than "a" beer ;) ) and love a warm and slightly salted bowl of edamame.

#2. Negima (http://www.midwickhill.com/blogpics/ssg/negima2.jpg) (grilled chicken and onions).

#3. Gyoza (http://www.pioneernet.net/skydiver/recipes/images/gyoza_lg.jpg).

Poppers, stuffed jalapenos, armadillo eggs whatever you call them the hotter the better with the coldest beer found

CPTango

Vong in New York used to have the most incredible wasabi-crusted peanuts and other spiced nuts as bar snacks. No idea if they still do.

Edamame, though, is a good call.

Any Spanish tapa...after all, that's how "tapas" started. They're bar snacks.

Free would be mixed nuts. I hate those mixed things like chex mix with all different things going on in it.

For bar appies, a plate of nachos is always good. Though a great cheese platter is the best!

Favorites: Raw Oysters, Shrimnp (Boiled, to be shelled), Soft Tacos, Artichokes

Least: Hard Boiled Eggs picked in red beet juice, pigs' feet, not really enthused over raw herring (but love sushi and sashimi)

I like to sit at the bar. I like to drink beer. I'm especially pleased when the bartender puts a bowl of something in front of me to nibble on. Of course if he doesn't, I'm inclined to look at the appetizer menu.

my favorite freebie: beer nuts

my favorite appetizer: wings, I guess, but if there's an asian nibble like potstickers or eggrolls, I'll go that way.

you?

Onion rings - a classic.

Just about any greasy, fatty food is good when you are enjoying good beer. Among my favorites are peanuts, pretzels and fries. My all time favorite would have to be the Blooming Onion at Outback. You might regret it later but it goes great with beer. I also like to hit the Hard Rock and order the Fajitas. Sushi is good, too.

Any Spanish tapa...after all, that's how "tapas" started. They're bar snacks.


Thank you UNITED959, I have learned something today. I had no idea where tapa originated. ^

The taste of tapa can vary greatly depending on how it is seasoned. I've had some that was excellent and some that made me want to gag. Tapa is also popular in the Philippines due to the Spanish influence in their culture. Filipino tapa is equally good, though some ruin it by adding their own unique flavor. Personally, I hate the taste of excess ginger, which is a fairly popular seasoning in Phils. I find tapa best with light soy or teriyaki seasoning. That's just me....

My favourite bar snack is probably the olive in my martini.
Or maybe the celery stalk in my Caesar/Bloody Mary. :)

Any Spanish tapa...after all, that's how "tapas" started. They're bar snacks.

^ How about croquetas (jamon y queso) to start.

I had the best pickled pearl onions in a bar in Paris once.

I know of one restaurant in NYC that serves hard-boiled eggs for free at its bar. I don't like hard-boiled eggs in most contexts but they're great with alcohol for some reason. And this avoids the problem of strangers' dirty hands because you only touch (and peel the shell from) your own egg.

^ How about croquetas (jamon y queso) to start.




I'll be right over :)

wouldn't touch the freebies with a ten-foot pole... but i do love to order buffalo wings at a bar.

Pork scratchings....especially with bits of pig hair still on them.

Free - sesame sticks are great.

I still will have to go with nachos with lots of stuff on top. Beef, refried beans man I wish I was back in North America. The Chinese have NOT mastered nachos yet.

Also adamame is also a good call.

In Taiwan, we have noticed a lot of unshelled peanuts and pickled vegetables. Haven't decided if I really like them or not.

Freebie:
spicy dried anchoveys dipped in honey & seseme seeds, fresh cheese sticks

Ordered appetizer: Toad in the Hole, Satay, Boilled Crawdads, Maryland Crab Cakes

Chicken Strips!

Fried octopus with mayonnaise dip anywhere in Japan....^

popped rice in Indonesia

yak ginger garlic chile fingerfood curry in Nepal

Artichoke Dip with either chips or really tasty bread.

Yum!

Favorites: Raw Oysters, Shrimnp (Boiled, to be shelled), Soft Tacos, Artichokes

Least: Hard Boiled Eggs picked in red beet juice, pigs' feet, not really enthused over raw herring (but love sushi and sashimi)

Strange, but in my ears both the likes and dislikes sound good. ;) Good list that just needs nori with a chili and mayo dip and a salmon egg filled cucumber Japanese style added.

Really can't go wrong with snack mixes but not trail mix.


Chicken wings a close 2nd

In parts of Madrid and along the South of Spain this was the reality before tapas became an international 'boom':

Go to the bar. Order a drink (1/3 pint perhaps). Drink arrives - which gets put on your tab. So does a little something to eat. No charge. Order another drink, get another tapa. And so on and so on. Food encourages you to drink. Quality encourages you to return.

Within Madrid (and other cities) where the tapas bars stand cheek by jowl together, each bar may have their own speciality and people will seek it out. Going 'de tapas' will involve visiting one bar, having a couple of drinks and enjoying the tapas of that establishment, then going to another bar, and so on and so on.

What's on offer? Oof! You could write a book on this. Here are a few selections.

Montaditos:

olive and anchovy (http://starchefs.com/features/travel/barcelona/images/P4060923-1.jpg) (not the heavily salted kind), tuna and piquillo pepper (http://www.atabernadobispo.com/galeria/images/MontaditoAtunPimientoAnchoas.jpg), pork loin (lomo) (http://www.cocinavino.com/img/recetario/17/17418.jpg), serrano ham (http://servicios.eldiariomontanes.es/img/fotos/montadito_de_jamon_127x102.jpg)


Pimientos del padron (http://www.cookwithjames.com/images/padron_lg.jpg) (a russian roulette - some are hot/spicy - some are not and there's no way to tell which)
Hot chorizo sausages (http://www.atabernadobispo.com/galeria/images/TapasChorizoIberico.jpg), calamares a la romana (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Calamares_tapas.jpg/180px-Calamares_tapas.jpg), patatas bravas (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1177/images/1177_MEDIUM.jpg), chipirones (http://www.marieclairemaison.com/WebObjects/Frameworks/maison_FAImages.framework/WebServerResources/G_23989_art.jpg)

I could go on and on and on....

Sure, I like wasabi peas, and edamame, and arare (rice crackers) but for bar snacks... tapas!

Even my wedding 'cake' (http://gallery.flyertalk.com/gallery/LapLaps-furisode/060325_3_wee) was a huge portion of a popular Spanish tapa ('ensalada rusa' - which was served with bread sticks as tapas in the evening - who wants 'real cake' as a bar snack???)

Deep fried anchovy stuffed green olives at Downtown Restaurant in Berkeley, CA. Salty, funky, crispy, greasy...OMG. Save me from myself.

Sadly, not free.

what about cheese fries? mmmmm...fries, cheese, bacon and whatever else. I never allow myself to eat them, but it's way hard to resist if I see them on a bar menu and I can "share" them. :)

All time favorite freebie - the steak sandwiches at Morton's :)

More common freebie's - popcorn, nuts - preferably almonds

Favorite bar appetizers - really good wings, nachos

Cheers,
Jeff

While sitting at a bar, I definitely enjoy artichoke dip.

With pubs required to be smokefree indoors now where I live, I can see bar food becoming important to those who wish to put something in their mouth beside a drink (and can control their nicotine addiction long enough to stay inside!).

Any kind of chips with dip is good and can allow another drink before going off to find more substantial food. ^

If I had a 2nd choice it would be hot wings.

The place down the street from home has house-made beef jerky that is scrumptious. Not free, but a generous portion for $3.