Nightlife in Middletown

At TD Homer’s Grill, families can enjoy classic American eats on two spacious outdoor patios or seated indoors in booths with private HDTVs. As cooks hand-cut steaks, prepare salads, and grill half-pound burgers, patrons feast eyes on 90 screens primed for watching anything from sports to cartoons.

Thirty high-definition TVs airing sports games make Black Bear Saloon a destination for fans, who fuel up for fist pumps with a menu of American pub favorites. Beef, chicken, and salmon sliders, paired with crispy onion rings, are a pintsize alternative to burgers topped with a selection of gourmet ingredients such as roasted red peppers or avocado. Homemade marinara crowns flatbread pizzas and also serves as a sauce in which to slam-dunk deep-fried nuggets of mac 'n' cheese.

Hosted events are still another reason to visit: on Tuesday nights, the voices of karaoke singers wash over the bar's exposed-brick walls, and Wednesday trivia challenges guests to unearth factoids from their cerebral nooks and crannies. On the weekends, live DJs spin records as guests tap toes and shout requests for favorite Raffi songs from the pub's deep-brown booths.

The rural Irish village of Gleann Beithe stands across the ocean from Hartford, but according to the road sign inside Hanafin’s Irish Pub, it's only 18 kilometers away. Built from heavy wooden beams that gleam in the light of hanging lamps, the pub mirrors Ireland's public houses in appearance and spirit. Here, guests socialize, imbibe Irish whiskeys and draft beers, and dine on traditional Irish meals, such as corned beef and cabbage. The cooks add an American twist to tradition with dishes such as Prince Edward Island mussels in Guinness cream sauce and potato pizza topped with mashed potatoes, green onions, and aged cheddar. To entertain guests as they nosh, large screens broadcast football games and bare-handed boxing matches between major-network weathermen. The pub also holds a trivia night that won a spot on CBS Connecticut's Best Bars for Trivia Nights list.

One part bowling alley, one part laser-tag arena, and one part sports bar, eSkape Entertainment Center helps guests settle scores with friendly competition before burying rivalries with a post-match toast. Dozens of high-tech bowling lanes aid players’ pursuit of turkeys with electronic score keeping, customized bumper bars, and instructional videos on how to high-five. A dimly lit laser tag course arms players with a phaser gun before sending them in pursuit of the most dangerous game. Partiers can pass birthday parties or bar mitzvahs at The Arena, a party center designed to look like a nightclub with dance floor, neon-lit bar, and sequestered booths with leopard-print seats.

In between strikes, sharpshooting lessons, or surprise parties, guests can refuel with grub from GrillWorks, eSkape's in-house sports bar and lounge, nibbling on fried cheese curds, pulled-pork sliders, or slow-roasted baby back ribs. Attendants can deliver orders directly to each lane, saving bowlers from having to tide themselves over with bites from defective pins.

Behind the rust-red façade of The Brewmaster’s Tavern, a brick fireplace casts rough-hewn pillars and long tables in a soft glow. The historic tavern dates back to 1812 and may have once hosted the nation’s founding fathers for rounds of grog and annual wig swaps. Now, The Brewmaster’s chefs pay homage to New England’s culinary legacy with meats marinated in beer and sherry sauces alongside tender chunks of seafood baked in flaky pastry crusts.

Bringing back the upscale nightclub atmosphere of yore since 2003, the staff at Shakago Martini & Piano Bar pairs an upscale menu of Italian-inspired pastas, seafood dishes, and steakhouse fare with a rotating schedule of entertainment every Wednesday through Saturday. While the downstairs area accommodates diners with a traditional restaurant setting, a combination of dim candlelight and firefly busboys illuminates the newly renovated and intimate upstairs lounge, where guests rest on comfy couches and chairs. The second floor also frequently hosts parties of 25–50 attendees, which Shakago caters with bites ranging from finger food to dinner buffets. Because enjoying the Pink Floyd's cover of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony can often take you into the wee hours, a late-night menu appeases appetites until 1:30 a.m. Monday–Saturday.